Aojiru is a Japanese vegetable juice made of kale.
For non-vegetable juice lovers the taste is a punishment, but for those who favour vegetable juie it is nutritious and delicious.
It is often pakaged and sold in Japan, reducing the nutritional benefit, but fresh kale juice is one of the easiest ways to stay healthy.
Kale is definitely a super green. It takes incredible in stir fries, in salads and in soups. But it is best for you in juice, and while the flavour may take a while to get used to, it is more than worth it for the great work it does inside your body.
For greatest effect either combine kale with other leafy greens or isolate the flavour with cucumber and celery or even spinach. Kale can be used interchangeably with other bitter, leafy greens.
Recipe
A delicious and healthy way to start the day.
Carrot tops are one of the healthiest vegetables around, and people often throw them out or give them away.
They are about as tasty as dandelion, which is pretty ghastly, but they more than make up for this in nutritional benefits.
I add carrot tops to any juice in small quantities. But you can create a carrot top juice if you are especially daring. When doing so combine with milder flavours like cucumber, otherwise your juice will be very strong and the colour a disconcerting dark brown.
Recipe
Sprouts and leafy greens are so alkalizing its impossible to leave them out of an alkaline diet. These are really the foundations of eating alkaline as they contribute so many nutrients to the body. Many vegetarian and vegan diets are deficient in these areas which contributes to poor health.
Juicing sprouts and leafy greens is a great way to ensure a daily intake.
Recipe
Combine these, juice, hold your nose and drink straight away. Your body will thank you.
Another fantastic combination is broccoli and kale. These vegetables have complementary qualities and together they taste fantastic. Use celery and cucumber to smooth out the flavour.
Recipe
1 broccoli
2 bunches of kale
1 cucumber
3 stalks of celery
Avocado's, when combined with green vegetables, make for some of the greatest smoothies known to mankind.
But avocado can also be juiced. A favourite in Vietnamese restaurants fresh avocados are combined with water and ice, served super thick in a big glass.
In many smoothies avocado is used simply as a thickener, but it is so influential in balancing the alkalinity of the body that it can be drunk by itself.
A great way to reinvigorate yourself is to add a large amount of ginger to a healthy, alkaline juice.
My favourite is a cucumber and ginger juice.
Recipe
The juice has the kick from the ginger, the bitterness from the kale and the sweetness from the cucumber. A great start to the day.
One of the most popular juices at the moment is a shot of wheatgrass. Impossible to digest when chewed, when juiced wheatgrass has a number of remarkable health properties.
Perhaps the best introduction to this healing agent is to read the works of Ann Wigmore.
The purported health benefits of wheatgrass juice include:
While these claims have not been scientifically validated the importance of a natural, organic and semi-raw diet to health and well being has, and wheatgrass can be an integral part of a healthy diet if desired.
Wheatgrass is either combined with other green vegetables or served alone in a shot glass.
One of the healthiest and most common vegetable juice combinations is the carrot and beet or beetroot juice.
It is not ideal first thing in the morning because of its sweetness, but if you are feeling like a mid-afternoon treat this juice gives you a huge energy kick without any sugar.
Ideally combine freshly juiced carrot and beetroot equally.
This is one of Dr. Robert Young's favourites. Combining water and avocado with green vegetables and grasses creates a thick and healthy smoothy.
Recipe
A great way to start any day is with a fresh cucumber and celery juice.
The taste is almost sweet and the consistency is smooth.
The recipe is simple. Just combine two parts cucumber for every one part celery and juice.
To really get a green kick, try to juice as many green leaves and sprouts as you can. This is a favourite:
This juice may knock you about for a few days but it's a great way to wake up.
For those, like me, who don't get enough bitters, this juice is designed to provide vital nutrition to your body, and a new level of pain tolerance to your stomach.
Only try this juice after a juice cleanse or a few weeks of introducing your body gradually to green juices through cucumber, celery and other alkaline vegetables.
Ingredients:
3 bunches of kale
2 bunches of parsley
1 bunch of cilantro or coriander
1 small broccoli
1 cucumber
3 sticks of celery
Juice with your favourite juicer, removing the pulp and drink slowly, chewing every mouthful.
