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| Mean Green Juice |
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 cups kale
- 3 gala apples
- 1 cup water
Makes 32 oz
Juice your ingredients...and voila! You've got Juice!
No juicer? No problem! Blend in your Vitamix.
Then strain through a nut milk bag or a paint strainer bag...and pour
in your storage container. For detailed instructions on making juice in
the blender click here.
This tastes like green apple juice with a hint of kale. You do tastes the kale a tad bit, but its not unbearable. Its a really great way to get those nutrients and benefits from the greens that you normally wouldn't get in you daily food intake.
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Some Health Benefits
Spinach: Spinach is store house for many
phyto-nutrients that have health promotional and disease
prevention properties. Very low in calories and
fats (100 g of raw leaves provide just 23 cal). It contains good
amount of soluble dietary fiber; no wonder greeny spinach is one of the
vegetable source recommended in cholesterol controlling and weight
reduction programs! Fresh 100 g of spinach
contains about 25% of daily intake of iron; one of the
richest among
green leafy vegetables. Iron is an important trace element required by
the body for red blood cell production and as a co-factor for
oxidation-reduction enzymes cytochrome-oxidases
during the cellular metabolism. Fresh leaves are rich
source of several vital anti-oxidant vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin
C; and flavonoid poly
phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin
and beta-carotene.
Together these
compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free
radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a healing role in
aging
and various disease processes.
Zea-xanthin, an important
dietary carotenoid, is selectively absorbed into the retinal macula
lutea
in the eyes where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective
light-filtering functions; thus helps protect from "age related macular
disease" (ARMD), especially in the elderly. Vitamin A is also required
for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for
vision. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin A
and flavonoids
helps body protect from lung and oral cavity cancers. 100 g of Spinach provides
402% of daily vitamin-K requirements.
Vitamin K plays vital role in
strengthening bone mass by promoting osteotrophic (bone building)
activity in the bone. It also has established role in patients with
Alzheimer's disease by limiting neuronal damage in the brain. This greeny leafy
vegetable also contain good
amounts of many B-complex vitamins like vitamin- B6 (pyridoxine),
thiamin (vitamin B-1), riboflavin, folates and niacin. Folates
help prevent neural tube defects in the offspring. 100 g of farm
fresh spinach has 47% of daily recommended levels of vitamin C. Vitamin
C is a
powerful antioxidant which helps body develop resistance against
infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals. The leaves also contain
good amount of minerals like potassium,
manganese, magnesium, copper
and zinc. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids
that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese and
copper are used
by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide
dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red
blood cells.
Zinc is a co-factor in many enzymes that regulate growth and
development, sperm generation, digestion and nucleic acid synthesis. It is also rich source of
omega-3
fatty acids.
KALE: like other members
of the brassica family, contains health-promoting phytochemicals, sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol
that are appears to protect against prostate and colon cancers. Di-indolyl-methane
(DIM), a metabolite of indole-3-carbinol
has been found to be an
effective immune modulator, anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent
through its action of potentiating "Interferon-Gamma" receptors. Borecole is very rich source
of beta-carotene,
lutein
and zeaxanthin.
These flavonoids have strong anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities.
Because beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body, it is also rich in Vitamin A. Zeaxanthin,
an
important dietary carotenoid, is selectively absorbed into the retinal
macula lutea in the eyes where it is thought to provide antioxidant and
protective light-filtering functions. Thus, it helps prevent retinal
detachment and offers protection against "age related macular
degeneration disease" (ARMD) in the elderly. Vitamin A is required for maintaining
healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision.
Foods rich in this vitamin offer protection against lung and oral
cavity cancers. It is one of the excellent
vegetable
sources for vitamin-K. Vitamin K has
potential role bone health by promoting osteotrophic (bone formation
and strengthening)
activity. Adequate vitamin-K levels in the diet
helps limiting neuronal damage in the brain; thus, has established role
in the treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer's
disease. 100 g of
fresh leaves contain 120
mg or 200% of daily-recommended levels of vitamin C.
Vitamin
C is a
powerful antioxidant, which helps body develop resistance against
infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals. This leafy vegetable is
notably good in many B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin,
vit.B-6
(pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid, etc that are
essential
for substrate metabolism in the body. It is also rich source of
minerals like copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and
phosphorus. Potassium
is an
important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling
heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium.
Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant
enzyme,
superoxide
dismutase.
Iron
is required for cellular oxidation and red blood cell formation. Kale provides rich nutrition
ingredients that offer protection from
vitamin A deficiency,
osteoporosis, iron deficiency anemia, and
believed to protect from
cardiovascular diseases and, colon and prostate cancers.
Apples: are a source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble
fiber such as pectin actually helps to prevent cholesterol buildup in
the lining of blood vessel walls, thus reducing the incident of
atherosclerosis and heart disease. The insoluble fiber in apples
provides bulk in the intestinal tract, holding water to cleanse and
move food quickly through the digestive system. It is a good idea to eat apples with their skin. Almost half of the
vitamin C content is just underneath the skin. Eating the skin also
increases insoluble fiber content. Most of an apple's fragrance cells
are also concentrated in the skin and as they ripen, the skin cells
develop more aroma and flavor. Apples are rich in
antioxidant phyto-nutrients, flavonoids and polyphenols.
The
total measured anti-oxidant strength (ORAC
value) of 100g apple fruit is 5900TE. The important flavonoids in
apples are quercetin, epicatechin,
and procyanidin B2. Apples are
also good in tartaric acid that
gives tart flavor to them. These compounds help protect the body from
deleterious
effects of free radicals. In addition, apples are a good source of
B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamin, and pyridoxine (vitamin
B-6). Together these vitamins help as co-factors for enzymes in
metabolism as well as
in various synthetic functions inside the body. Apples also contain
small
amount of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. Potassium is
an
important component of cell and body fluids helps controlling heart rate
and
blood pressure; thus counters the bad influences of sodium.
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