I have been interested in and studied nutrition for many years, but had never got into juicing. After all, there are only so many changes you can make at a time! It wasn’t until I got a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer as a gift about 5 years ago, that I started to juice. The timing was perfect. It was only a few weeks later that my wife Veronica had two of her wisdom teeth out. These wisdom teeth were deeply embedded and had grown horizontally (not vertically!). The result was two weeks of liquid food only and serious pain killers. This was my crash course in juicing.

I have since learned, practiced and experimented a lot with juicing. Used different types of juice extractors, some are better for making green juice recipes than others, you can read more about this at best juicer for greens. As I learned more about juicing and nutrition, I came to understand that green juice is the healthiest of juice. “Going green” can apply to juicing too. So then, what is green juice?


What is green juice?

The answer to this is a simple one! Green juice is any juice that is made mostly with or completely with green vegetables to produce a juice that is – well – green in color! Some of the most used green vegetables for making green juice are:

• Kale
• Spinach
• Collard greens
• Green cabbage
• Broccoli
• Celery
• Lettuce
• Parsley
• Wheatgrass

It is common to add a fruit such as an apple or a lemon, or sweeter vegetables like carrots and cucumber to the mix to make green juice a little more tasty.


What’s green juice got that other juices don’t?

This question is really at the foundation of the benefits of green juice, and is one that I asked myself when I first started to hear the buzz about this healthy colorful beverage. Are not all juices made equal? Are not wonderful colored juices such as pomegranate juice, blueberry juice, strawberry juice, carrot juice just as good as green juice? Isn’t variety the real key? These are all good questions, and the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. However, if someone were to ask the hypothetical question “if for some reason you were only allowed to drink one color of juice, what would it be?” – I would be forced to say green. Let me explain why. (Read our post Benefits of Juicing for a general idea of the health benefits of juicing)


The Sugar Factor

The first and foremost reason for me comes down to sugar. Green juice has minimal amounts of calories and sugar because green vegetables are low in calories and sugar. Other colored vegetables such as carrots and beets, tend to be sweeter and contain more calories and sugar. An 8oz glass of carrot juice contains about 15 grams of sugar. Fruit juice is even more sugary, and for that reason I keep my fresh fruit juice intake to a minimum. At most I drink a 4oz glass 3 times a week. The fact that juice loses its fiber, which is the component of fruits and vegetables that slows down the rate at which sugars are absorbed into the blood stream is also an important point to bring up. Fruit juice can cause blood sugar spikes, and if over done can increase the risk of health conditions that come with excess sugar intake. Here are a 146 reasons to cut down sugar intake. Also check out our post Is Fresh Fruit Juice Bad for You? However, don’t be scared off by this, within moderation fruit juice is fine, just be aware of the amount of sugars you are consuming in a day.


For checking the amount of calories and sugar in juice I use My Fitness Pal Calorie Counter. This is the only place that I have found that provides calorie information for a variety of fresh-made fruit and vegetables juices, even including green juices such as cabbage juice, broccoli juice, kale juice and more. When searching use the words “raw” and “fresh” to find what you need. For example type “raw kale juice” or “fresh spinach juice”. Using this system you will find that most green juices contain zero sugar, or just a gram or 2 of sugar for an 8 ounce glass. Of course, this makes sense since the raw whole green vegetables contain very little sugar. We can drink lots of green juice and not be concerned.

Green vegetables are green because of the chlorophyll they contain. The darker green they are the more chlorophyll they contain. Kale and spinach are therefore greater sources of chlorophyll than celery. It is the benefits of abundant chlorophyll content then that are unique to green juice, and these benefits are powerful. Here are some known benefits:

• Wound Healing. Research dating back to the 1940′s discovered that chlorophyllin (a component of chlorophyll) helps wounds to heal faster.
• Powerful Antioxidant. Chlorophyll and chlorophyllin are both potent antioxidants that have anti-cancer properties and help prevent our cells from oxidative damage.
• Detoxification. Chlorophyll attaches to toxins, especially heavy metals, and removes them safely from the body. Chlorophyll also cleanses the liver by protecting it from cancer-causing cells.
• Blood Building. The chlorophyll molecule is almost identical to that of the heme part of our red blood cells. Although not yet confirmed, chlorophyll is believed to help increase red blood cell count, and may help with anemia.
• Alkalizing. One of the most potent benefits of chlorophyll is its alkalizing effect on the body. Because of its chlorophyll content, green juice is one of the most alkalizing foods that we can consume. The benefits of reducing the amount of acid in the body (given that over acidity is an epidemic) cannot be understated. The more acidic the body, the more prone it is to illness and disease. Acidity is a breeding ground for bad health.

The Everything Else Factor

Just because green juice is green because of the chlorophyll it contains, doesn’t mean that is the only antioxidant it contains. The list of antioxidants in green juice are mind-blowing. You will be receiving the antioxidant benefits of beta-carotene, sulphorane, vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zeazanthin, kaempferol, quercetin, and many others with long unpronounceable names. In addition to this your green juice is a great source of many trace minerals, including calcium and magnesium, and a great source of vitamin K and living enzymes.

This all adds up to one of the most nutrient dense health promoting drinks that exist. Yep, juice of other colors are important too to get a diversity of antioxidants and other nutrients, but if there is one juice that contains more nutrients than all others, it is a juice that come in the darkest green.


Happy Juicing
Darren

Sources:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/chlorophylls/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/542432-does-chlorophyll-cleanse-the-blood/

The aloe vera plant is native to Africa, India and various other arid environments and has been utilized for 1000′s of years for the treatment of burns, skin infections and wounds.. Cave paintings in the south of Africa depict the therapeutic use of aloe, and it is said that Alexander the Great seized an island near to Somalia for its aloe plants. The aloe juice drink is condensed from inside the skin of this plant’s leaves and is under study for its possible benefits for health

Aloe Vera Drink Benefits Digestion
Considered an extremely soothing juice, aloe vera is utilized for helping with the recovery from a number of digestive issues, including ulcers, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Research indicates that aloe vera’s polysaccharide compounds can calm the digestion and assist the replication of epithelial skin cells which line the inner intestinal tract. Aloe might also be helpful for additional digestive issues, including candida albicans, constipation, rectal itching and hemorrhoids, according to Balch in her book “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.”

Aloe Vera Drink Benefits for Blood Sugar
Research is beginning to demonstrate that aloe vera drinks might also be helpful for normalizing blood sugar levels and therefore could be helpful for diabetics. The Aloe Vera Guide highlights that aloe vera might help to stimulate insulin production in the pancreas. This has a particular usefulness for anyone with diabetes type 2, where the pancreas still produces some insulin. In addition, unlike other medicines for diabetes aloe vera juice drink doesn’t cause weight gain.

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Soreness Relieving Benefits of Aloe Vera Drink
Arthritis sufferers generally encounter soreness and stiffness throughout the joints. The anti-inflammatory compounds in aloe vera juice drink lessen this tenderness by alleviating pressure in the swollen joints. Once this pressure and inflammation is reduced, joints can then move more openly without discomfort and pain. Having the ability to move and workout can help also with arthritis since it fortifies the joints and their surrounding muscles to keep the body flexible.

Aloe Vera Drink Benefits for Burns
Gel from the aloe vera plant leaves or commercialized gel products can soothe skin that is burned from over-exposure to the sun. Used topically for your skin, aloe vera gel cools down the burn whilst it offers deep moisturizing for the damaged skin cells. It has shown wonderful therapeutic qualities for skin that is inflamed because of allergies, eczema, rashes, scraps, minor cuts and even insect stings too!

How Aloe Vera Works
If you cut open an aloe vera leaf you’ll find a transparent, sticky gel, comparable in consistency to commercial aloe vera creams and gels that you can buy in the drug store. The gel is what holds the answer to the aloe vera plant’s therapeutic qualities. The aloe vera plant features glycoproteins and polysaccharides, each of which bolster our immune system. Polysaccharides encourage skin cell growth and repair, whilst glycoproteins soothe alleviate pain and irritation. So if someone ask you “why is aloe vera good for you?”, you know what to say!

So what is aloe vera juice good for?

Wounds and Burns
In the book “Prescription for Herbal Healing“, the author Phyllis A. Balch says that aloe vera juice helps speed up the healing of wounds and burns by boosting the amount of oxygen transported to cells within the affected area. Maryland University Medical Center states that it features active compounds referred to as Glycoproteins which help to accelerate the process of healing by relieving inflammation and pain. Additionally, it features polysaccharides that stimulate skin repair and growth. Aloe vera is likewise helpful for treating eczema, psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff).

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Anti-Cancer Benefits
Recent studies indicate that aloe juice can both prevent and kill cancer. Scientists have demonstrated that aloe juice might specifically prevent lung cancer. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center details numerous potential anti-cancer substances that are present in the aloe plant. The compounds aloeride, acemannan, and DEHP have been shown to kill-off cancerous cells and could help to improve the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy medications. More research is needed to substantiate the anti-cancer qualities of aloe juice

Digestive Health Benefits
Aloe vera juice, or the more powerful liquid portion called aloe bitters, can be quite a fast and helpful treatment for constipation. As outlined by nutritionist Phyllis Balch, in comparison with additional herbal laxatives like cascara sagrada or senna leaf, aloe pulls less fluids into the bowels which makes it more unlikely to cause diarrhea or dehydration. In addition, drinking a 1/2 cup of aloe juice 3 times each day can help heal hemorrhoids flare-ups.

External Aloe Vera Juice Benefits
As well as drinking aloe vera juice, you may also use it externally to ease burns, and to help heal a number of skin problems. Aloe is extremely soothing; it can lessen skin inflammation, itchiness and blistering, and it can help your skin heal faster. An article from the book Herbal Supplements Guide, says that Aloe is extremely helpful for healing serious skin issues, like psoriasis, eczema and acne. Aloe vera gel is easily the most widely used type of Aloe placed on the skin. Lots of the gels nevertheless are highly refined, and stripped down of many of aloe’s natural therapeutic nutrients. Lots of aloe products consist of little or none of the active aloe compounds and as a result are not very effective. Therefore, using pure and organic aloe vera juice, which is minimally processed, would be more healing than using any store-purchased version of this gel. This article states further that getting a top quality pure organic aloe vera juice which is GMP certified, guarantees that there’s an adequate amount of active compounds to receive the healing benefits of aloe.

In health
Darren Haynes

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Aloe Vera Gel Uses for Skin Conditions
Ointments and products created using aloe vera have been shown to have some evidence for treating seborrhea and psoriasis. Additional skin problems that might benefit from aloe gel include burns, blisters, insect bites, allergic rashes and frostbite. It offers relief after too much exposure to the sun and could assist in preventing blistering from the sunburn. Pure aloe vera gel uses also include reducing irritation and itching as a result of a number of skin problems, including bug bites, shaving burns and abrasions. Placed on small cut and scratches, aloe might perform a better job than cortisone cream at lowering the pain without the risk of thinning or damaging your skin.

Hair Conditioning Uses of Aloe Vera Gel
Popular as a moisturizer for skin, pure aloe vera gel features a similar regenerative influence on hair. Aloe gel conditions hair, leaving it shinier and softer. Mix 1/2 a cup aloe gel with the juice from half a lemon. Add in hair-supportive essential oils, such as rosemary for greasy hair or peppermint for dried-out hair. Apply such mixtures to wet, fresh-washed hair. Leave on for about 5 minutes, then rinse.

Pure Aloe Vera Gel Benefits for Relieving Dandruff
One of the uses of aloe vera gel is that it might help with dandruff relief, especially in cases of seborrheic dermatitis. This disorder causes scaly skin and inflammation upon the scalp. Seborrheic dermatitis patients who applied aloe vera ointments to their scalps twice a day for 6 weeks encountered a 62 % reduction in symptoms such as itching and scaliness, as outlined by a study publicized in the “Journal of Dermatological Treatment” back in 1999.

Aloe Vera Gel Uses for Herpes
University of Maryland Medical Center reports that aloe vera applied topically can be useful for treating the genital herpes symptoms, voicing a study of males who usilized aloe vera for treating genital herpes outbreaks and experienced a quicker recovery of herpes sores compared to men that used a placebo lotion. Should you have genital herpes, speak with your physician about pure aloe vera gel uses for treating your outbreaks.

Shaving Uses for Aloe Vera Gel
This wonderful use of aloe vera gel is often overlooked or even not known about, but aloe vera gel makes an excellent natural alternatice to shaving creams. In fact you will most likely find that it does a better job at keeping you face feeling softer and kepping the inflammation of shaving at bay. I can attest to this personally.


Best Wishes
Darren Haynes

Well the answer to the fundamental question “is pickle juice good for you or is pickle juice bad for you?” is simply this – both. There is one key benefit to pickle juice – sports nutrition – and one key disadvantage – possibly increasing acid reflux.

Acid Reflux (Heartburn)
Vinegar is in fact one type of food that is not advised if you have acid reflux. The University of Columbia suggests that this is due to the acidic nature of vinegar irritating an already sore wind pipe. Vinegar is a substantial ingredient for making pickle juice, so the notion that pickle juice can help stop acid reflux is contrary to typical medical health advice. Actually, when Jennifer Huget of “The Washington Post” attempted to find proof for a similar claim that cider vinegar combats acid reflux, Professor. Joel Richter at the Temple University of Medicine shared with her that he “completely had no idea how apple cider vinegar would aid someone with GERD and acid reflux.”

The notion that pickle juice aids acid reflux seems to be entirely a matter of word-of-mouth. No scientific research seems to exist, neither has there been official speculation why the brine could be beneficial. This means that drinking the juice while you have acid reflux might be risky; you may wind up tempting fate and upping your pain, especially when you have been told by your physician to not use vinegar. Additionally, if you’re keeping an eye on your salt intake, taking pickle juice is actually a bad idea since pickle juice is high in sodium.

Sports Drink Benefits
Pickle juice generally features high quantities of electrolytes, including salt. This makes pickle juice much like sport beverages in its effects within the body. Electrolytes assist nervous system function and helps cells communicate with each other via nervous impulses. Whenever you deplete the electrolyte levels in your bloodstream by exercising, it can result in muscle tissue cramping. A 2003 study released in the Journal of Athletic Training highly recommends athletes that use pickle juice for replacing fluids to dilute the juice due to its high acidity and salt content.

Carotenoids
A group of phytochemicals called carotenoids are found more abundantly in carrots than any other vegetable or food source and as we can see they are actually named after carrots. Carotenoids are potent antioxidants created in vegetables to protect themselves from the oxidative effects of sunlight, especially the blue part of the light spectrum.

There are actually more than 600 known kinds of carotenoids of which three are found abundantly in carrots – alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. Beta-carotene is more commonly known and is often called pro-vitamin A because it is converted by the body to vitamin A. Alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin are also converted to vitamin A but half as effectively as beta-carotene. It takes 12mcg of beta-carotene to generate 1mcg of vitamin A, while it takes 24mcg of either alpha-carotene or beta-cryptoxanthin to produce 1mcg of vitamin A.

Carotenoids and Heart Health
A variety of studies have found that a diet rich in carotenoids is associated with a significant reduction in heart disease, especially in the form of atherosclerosis. Carotenoids are fat soluble and therefore travel within lipids in the blood such as LDL cholesterol. Their antioxidant actions also protects LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage and this protection is the basis of reducing the risk of atherosclerosis developing. Oxidized LDL cholesterol cells are bad news because they attach to the artery walls developing into a plaque that narrows and hardens the arteries, therefore creating atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis raises blood pressure and reduces blood flow to the heart and even the brain. This can lead to stroke or heart attacks.

One study which provided powerful evidence for the heart protective qualities of carotenoids was conducted with 1300 elderly people in Massachusetts. Researchers discovered that those who ate a daily serving of carotenoid rich foods (either carrots or squash in this instance) were 60% less likely to suffer a heart attack than those who ate less than a daily serving! That is a pretty astounding result!

Carotenoids and Cancer Prevention
There was a lot of controversy when a study revealed that beta-carotene supplementation actually increased the risk of lung cancer in smokers. However this negative effect only held true for beta-carotene in supplement form and the opposite is true for those whose diets are high in real food sources of beta-carotene such as carrots. Synthetic beta-carotene supplements are actually a little different in their chemical structure to beta-carotene in foods and their effect upon our cells is naturally different too. Large prospective studies that include tens of thousands of people always find that those who eat carrots daily are up to 50% less likely to develop lung cancer. In fact carrot consumption was not just limited to providing protection from lung cancer put also proved to be protective against cancers of the colon, larynx, esophagus, prostate, cervix and bladder.

Carotenoids and Digestion
When we eat raw carrots we are limited in the amount of carotenoids that we actually digest. Carotenoids are deeply entwined in the matrix of proteins and fibers of carrots (and other vegetables) and require some help to be released. Chewing does help to release the carotenoids on a very small scale but cooking carrots helps to loosen up the carotenoids more extensively and increases bioavailability. Juicing carrots is also another great way to improve the bioavailability of carotenoids. A juicing machine’s blade will ‘chew up’ the carrots extensively and research shows that carrot juice is a considerably better source of carotenoids than eating a raw carrot.

There is also another factor that greatly improves the digestibility of carotenoids and that is fat! Carotenoids are fat soluble so adding oil to salads or cooking greatly improves digestibility.

Vitamin A Benefits
As the carotenoids in carrots nutrition are transformed to vitamin A by the liver then carrots also provide us with the health benefits of carrots vitamin A content. Carrots are famous for ‘helping us see in the dark’ and this is no ‘old wives tale’ because vitamin A is essential for preventing night blindness. Vitamin A is converted in the eye to another chemical called rhodopsin, a purple based pigment that the eye needs to see at night. The antioxidant action of vitamin A also helps to protect eye cells from oxidative damage that can lead to premature aging of the eyes and increase the risk of developing eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

Providing healthy skin is another important health benefit of carrots vitamin A content. Vitamin A is needed in the creation of and the healthy maintenance of epithelial skin cells. Even a slight deficiency of vitamin A may lead to dry, cracked or rough looking skin (or all three!). The antioxidant actions of vitamin A also protects the epithelial skin cells from the oxidative effects of free radicals that are found in polluted air and smoke.

In partnership with the antioxidant vitamins C and E, vitamin A is also an essential member of the immune system.

Carrots Nutrition Facts
Besides being an excellent source of some carotenoids and vitamin A, carrots are also a good source of vitamins B1, B3, B6, folate, C and K, molybdenum, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous and dietary fiber.

A Diet food
Celery, a famous diet food, really does aid in weight loss. One stalk of celery provides just 6 calories, so if we ate 5 stalks of celery we would only consume 30 calories! Celery is also a ‘negative calorie food’, this effectively means that the body actually uses more than 6 calories just to chew and digest one stalk of celery. Clearly this is a great benefit for trying to shift the extra pounds!

Vitamin Profile
Celery is an excellent source vitamins C and K with one cup providing 14% and 44% of the RDA (recommended daily value) respectively. Vitamin C is an essential member of the immune system that contributes to the production of more than half of the antibodies in our blood. These antibodies are especially potent at fighting off viruses such as colds, flu, ear infections and other kinds of infections. Vitamin K is needed for blood coagulation which helps to stop bleeding and aid in the healing of wounds.

Celery nutrition also provides a fair source of beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A) with one cup delivering about 3% of the RDA of this nutrient. Vitamin A is essential for the creation of skin cells and even a slight deficiency can result in dry flaky skin. Vitamin A is also a potent antioxidant that has been shown to help prevent us from developing lung cancer by protecting us from free radicals that we breathe in from pollution. One study found that smokers with the highest dietary intake of vitamin A are less likely to succumb to lung cancer than their counterparts who consume the least vitamin A.

Mineral Profile
Potassium, calcium and magnesium are three minerals that are found in good supply and add to the nutritional value of celery. Celery is therefore a good source of calcium for vegetarians and vegans. Additionally vitamin K also aids in the absorption of calcium into the bloodstream and celery being a great source of vitamin K increases the bio-availability of the calcium in celery.

Building Stronger Bones
Helping to build stronger bones is one of the health benefits of celery. Celery contains 2 nutrients that have been shown to improve the density and strength of bones and reduce our risk of developing osteoporosis – they are calcium and vitamin K. Calcium is an essential component of our bone structure and is of course famous for its role in bone health. Vitamin K is a less known contributor to building stronger bones but there is evidence for it. A 1998 Nurses Health Study discovered that women who eat lettuce (also a great source of vitamin K) every day are considerably less likely to fracture their hips than those who eat lettuce just once or less per week

Celery Health Benefits for the Heart
Celery contains a handful of nutrients that all help to lower blood pressure, a condition that is a risk factor for heart disease. Celery contains a unique phytochemical called phthalide that promotes the relaxing of the muscles that surround the arteries. This helps the arteries to expand more, allowing more blood flow and therefore reducing blood pressure. There is also more to phthalide, it also helps to reduce the production of stress hormones that can cause arteries to constrict and increase blood pressure. So that is two great ways that the phthalides help heal hypertension.

(Protection from heart disease is one of the fundamental health benefits of juicing celery, especially combining it to make green juice recipes)

The other nutrients found in celery that help protect us from heart health are the minerals potassium, calcium and magnesium. These three vitamin are all associated with aiding in the proper functioning of the muscle in the heart and the muscles of the arteries and therefore promoting health blood pressure levels.

Best wishes in your health and well-being.
Darren and Veronica Haynes

Digestive Health
Drinking aloe vera juice has many benefits for the digestion and is one of the most common reasons people take it. It helps with stomach cramps and has a soothing effect on the whole digestive tract. There are even reports of people who have cured or improved their symptoms of I.B.S – an unpleasant condition that can weaken the immune system and hinder the absorption of nutrients from the food we eat.

Aloe vera juice benefits the colon greatly and is often a staple ingredient in many colon cleanse programs. It provides nutrition that helps to improve the quality of the mucous membrane linings of the colon wall. These mucous membranes are effectively the lubrication that helps the transit of feces through the colon at a healthy speed. This can help eliminate constipation problems along with proper diet and hydration. Additionally, aloe vera juice helps to remove old feces that have become stuck to the colon wall. This is considered a common problem, due to the decrease of fiber in the modern diet of the Western World. Taking products like aloe vera juice to help remove old fecal matter can have major health promoting effects. This old fecal matter is poisonous to us. It provides a base for toxic bacteria to grow, which is then absorbed into the blood stream – a condition called autointoxication. Clearly, this can generate a myriad of health conditions from constipation and diarrhea to cancer.

Anti-inflammatory Benefits
The soothing and cooling benefits of aloe vera juice is not limited to the digestive tract. Some people with arthritis symptoms have reported it helps with inflammation and pain in the joints. One study provides evidence that the sterols found in aloe vera have strong anti-inflammtory properties. So far the evidence is based on animal studies, but shows an inhibitory effect on the arachidonic acid pathway – a major contributor to inflammation. Also, aloe vera juice contains simple sugars called mucopolysaccharides. These sugars are needed for cell regeneration and help repair damaged cells. The health benefits of juicing also include anti-inflammatory effects.

Skin Care
Aloe has been used for centuries as an aid for cuts and burns. According to some studies, when aloe is applied topically to a wound, it can speed up the healing process. Also, drinking aloe vera juice can help improve skin quality and complexion. It contains many nutrients and antioxidants which are vital to skin health, such as vitamin C, E and the mineral zinc.
This nutrients help protect the skin from external toxins in air pollution, as well as helping to detox internal toxins. Other benefits of aloe vera juice for the skin include: providing proper lubrication, helping maintain the elasticity of the skin, removing dead skin cells, and helping with the regeneration of skin cells.

In Health
Darren and Veronica Haynes