Green is the flavour of health and wellbeing

This summer, why don’t you take on the challenge to improve your health, boost your energy and revitalise your body inside and out – with the addition of green juices and smoothies to your daily nutrition. Why wouldn’t you?!

Juicing and blending (smoothies) gives you the opportunity to get an ample supply of nutritious fruit and vege into your system in a super fast and easy way.

Here are some of the benefits of embracing juicing and/or blending:

·  Blending and juicing your fruit and vege provides a fast and efficient way for your body to absorb a concentrated dose of nutrients, without stressing out your digestive system. (The goods are sent straight into your bloodstream and on to where your body most needs the nourishment.)

· It provides a simple way to add a greater quantity and variety of nutrient rich fruits and vegetables (especially greens) to your diet.

· By mixing fruit and vege together you acquire a good shot of sustained energy, as the vegetables balances the fruit sugar content (albeit natural).

· A juice or smooth will satisfy your hunger for hydration (high water content) and hunger for nutritional value (fibre amongst many others!), leaving you feeling contently full!

· Green juices contain the phytonutrient chlorophyll, which boosts red blood cell production and fights toxins – aiding in the removal of toxins from your body (through the most “suitable” exit, rather than through your skin’s pores) and improving the condition your skin.

· If you’re not a fan of veggies, juicing and blending offers you your daily does of greens without forcing down that boiled broccoli and beans (the fruits in your concoction will mask the vegetable flavours).

· Blending and juicing greens helps to balance your body’s pH so that it’s not too acidic (a common cause of ill health).

Some of the best fruits and vegetables to include in your immune boosting, body brightening thirst-quenchers include: 

· Spinach

· Celery

· Parsley

· Kale

· Spirulina

· Wheatgrass

· Lemon

· Apple

· Avocado

By mixing just a few of these ingredients in a juice or smoothie, you’ll pump your body full of so many goodies including Vitamins A, C, E, K, iron, folate, calcium, zinc and omega 3 - making for a happier, healthier you inside and out!

So now we’ve left you with no good reason not to do this - here are a few recipes to get you going! Now all you need to do is dust off that juicer or blender in the back of your kitchen cupboard!

Green Smoothie (from Julia & Libby)
2 bunches of Spinach
3 leaves of Kale
1 Lemon
2 Apples
1 Kiwifruit (you can use lime instead but kiwifruit is full of fibre and vitamin C so I prefer to use that)
1 cup water (you can also use coconut water)

Classic Green Juice (from foodmatter.tv)

1 medium zucchini

2-3 large kale leaves

1 green apple

1 small handful cilantro

1 lemon, peeled

1 inch ginger root (optional)

Coriander Smoothie (from Health Yeah)

1 mango

A big handful of coriander

2 green kiwifruit

1 squirt of lime juice

Some ice.

Here is a great formula to follow when concocting your green combos