Sweet Detox Dandelion Greens Juice


April 18, 2013

This apple, cucumber, lemon, ginger, and dandelion greens juice from The Decadent Detox 3-Day Juice Cleanse is a liver and colon cleansing crusader.

Sweet Detox Dandelion Greens Juice

This apple, cucumber, lemon, ginger, and dandelion greens juice from The Decadent Detox 3-Day Juice Cleanse is a liver and colon cleansing crusader. Cucumber, apple, and lemon hydrate and alkalize the body, and ginger stimulates the lymph and aids digestion.

Are you using juicing dandelion greens? Dandelion greens can be really bitter, but when you juice them it reduces the bitterness. So, juicing them is great way to capitalize on their nutritional benefits without the bitterness blasting your bliss.

The Health Benefits of Dandelion Greens Juice 

Dandelion Greens are utterly loaded with vitamin K to purify the blood, strengthen the bones, and boost the brain. Rich in vitamin A these wild greens support healthy mucus membranes, skin and eyes. They’re also high in vitamins C to combat abnormal cells, and minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium to help regulate heart rate and blood pressure. These greens are bitter. They’re best blended with sweet fruits like apples, pineapple, and grapes, and lifted with lemon and lime.

The Health Benefits of Apple Juice 

Tasty, able to break down toxins, lower cholesterol, and enhance digestion, this fruit is a popular, versatile, and cost-effective go-to for juices. With phytonutrients, powerful antioxidants like quercetin, vitamin A (in the peel), vitamin C, and significant potassium, apple is a prime detox food that’s available year ‘round. As an aid to cleansing, apples’ high pectin content provides a great bowel regulator, able to slow the colon down or speed it up, as the body needs.

Apple is a cooling food, and we include it in juices to balance the bitterness of leafy greens and other vegetables. The sweet tang of apple blends with almost all fruits and vegetables; our preferred variety is Granny Smith, which has a tarter flavor and lower sugar content than common reds like Fuji, Delicious, and Honeycrisp. That said, this fruit is versatile, and our recipes work with any apple you have on hand.

We recommend coring apples before juicing, as the jury is still out as to whether the bit of cyanide occurring naturally in the seeds is detrimental to health.

The Health Benefits of Cucumber Juice 

This vege-fruit truly is the ultimate cool-hydrate-cleanse food. It’s right in there regulating body temperature and easing inflammation. A relative of squashes and melons, the cuke is a natural diuretic (due to that abundant water), aiding in cell hydration, waste removal, and dissolving kidney stones. Cucumber’s high silica content is great for the skin, and helps alleviate eczema, psoriasis, hair loss, and strengthen nails. The silica in cucumber also reduces the concentration of uric acid, which causes inflammation in the joints, muscles and tendons. A natural blood-pressure regulator, cucumber is high in vitamin A (mostly in the peel), B complex, C and folic acid, amino acids (methionine and tryptophan), potassium, sulfur, and natural chlorine. To take advantage of the nutrients in the skins, we always use the less-bitter-skinned English/Dutch variety. Any cucumber, though, goes well in our recipes.

We add cucumber to many juice blends as a way of adding mineral-rich water that’s way more beneficial than the plain filtered stuff. Cucumber juice is chock-full of nutrients, yet barely alters flavor. Cucumbers are intensely alkalizing, and a half (or whole) cucumber worked into a batch of juice offsets the acidic effects of high-sugar fruits and aids detox. Cucumber is our go-to base for sugar-free, alkaline juice blends, too. Make sure your cucumber is organic and hasn’t been embalmed in a coating of wax.

The Health Benefits of Lemon Juice 

This alkalizing tart tamer is a potent detoxifier and natural antibiotic that improves liver function, relieves constipation, and can help dissolve kidney and gall stones. High levels of vitamin C help boost immunity and alleviate symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as combat heart disease. Lemons provide calcium and magnesium for strong bones and teeth, along with unique compounds that have powerful antioxidant properties. The flavonoids in lemons have even been shown to halt abnormal cell division.

While lemons are cooling, this superstar can be balanced with warming foods like cayenne and fennel. We use lemons in lots of juice blends to lift the earthy and pungent quality of leafy greens and vegetables, add zip and tang, and balance the acidifying impacts of high-sugar fruits. You may want to remove the rinds of these fruits before juicing, as in substantial quantities they’re slightly toxic, or you may enjoy the zesty punch it adds—a good compromise is a bit of the peel along with the flesh.

The Health Benefits of Ginger Juice 

Used in its raw form, this brilliant health-promoting juice booster gives beautiful back-end kick to blends of all kinds. In one serving of juice, as little as a half-inch slice of washed, unpeeled root packs a powerful punch. We rely on ginger as a warming agent, to counteract the cooling effects of fruits and vegetables, and to promote healthy sweating, beneficial to the cleansing process and fantastic for battling colds and flu.

This sensational herb-and-spice is an overall anti-inflammatory agent that stimulates the lymphatic system, provides cardiovascular and respiratory support, aids digestion and tones the intestinal tract, and relieves gas, bloating, nausea and gastrointestinal distress. It helps make blood platelets less sticky, and reduces risk factors for atherosclerosis. Ginger’s powerful antioxidants and anti-tumor agents can also protect against free radicals.

There’s no need to peel ginger before juicing. Much of the nutrients are in the skin or just beneath. Scrub the root, lop off a piece, and juice away. In our experience, people either love ginger in a juice, or hate it. Starting slow’s a good way to go if you’re unsure which camp you’re in.

Other Dandelion Greens Juice Recipes For You

Lime Apple Kale Dandelion Greens Juice
Chile Berry Dandelion Greens Juice

Get Healthy With a 3-Day Juice Cleanse

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Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments!

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Sweet Detox Dandelion Greens Juice

This apple, cucumber, lemon, ginger, and dandelion greens juice from The Decadent Detox 3-Day Juice Cleanse is a liver and colon cleansing crusader.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 16-ounce glasses
Author Tess Masters

Ingredients

  • 5 dandelion leaves  (or 2 handfuls spinach)
  • 1 green apple, cored
  • 1/2 English cucumber
  • 1/2 lemon,  rind removed
  • 1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger root, plus more to taste
  • Pinch of Celtic sea salt

Instructions

  1. Push everything through your juicer.  

Recipe Notes

Recipe from The Decadent Detox 3-Day Juice Cleanse.
Photo by Trent Lanz; styling by Alicia Buszczak

Comments

Comments 4

    1. Thanks! Isn’t that juice bottle cool?! I actually bought a juice from Erewhon Natural Market in L.A and that is what they sell their juice in. I am sure you could find something similar online. But, if you are in L.A check it out. It is my favourite natural market and juice bar in the U.S.

  1. Do any of the green juices or smoothies keep for later? Can any of them be frozen? Or does that make them taste gross?

    1. It depends on the combination of ingredients. Some ingredients like collard greens for example get very assertive when left to sit, throwing the balance of flavors off. But, all juices and smoothies can absolutely be frozen right after making to preserve the nutrients and flavor. Just leave an inch at the top of the jar (I use glass mason jars) to allow for the expansion of liquids when freezing. I don’t leave them in the freezer for more than about 1 month. Then defrost by putting them in the fridge the night before you want to drink them, and shake to revive it. Enjoy.

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