Apple, Romaine, Swiss Chard Juice
This mellow apple, romaine, Swiss chard juice with apple and cucumber from The Decadent Detox 3-Day Juice Cleanse is chock-full of minerals from the romaine and Swiss chard to help induce sleep. Parsley purifies the blood, cucumber hydrates and feeds the skin with silica, and lemon alkalizes and cleanses.
The Health Benefits of Swiss Chard Juice
A cousin of beet and spinach, chard—red, green or rainbow—is a storehouse of phytonutrients, boasting health-promoting and disease-preventing properties. Chard figures in cholesterol-control and weight-reduction programs, and is an excellent source of vitamin C, to combat free radicals, maintain normal connective tissue, prevent iron deficiency, and enhance resistance to infectious agents. One of the best vegetable sources of vitamin K for building blood, chard is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin-A, flavonoids, and antioxidants like beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as B vitamins, copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. Regular consumption of chard may help prevent osteoporosis, anemia, vitamin A deficiency, and protect against cardiovascular diseases and abnormal cell development.
This leafy green is cooling and best balanced with warming ingredients like cayenne. The leaves and stalks produce a mild green juice like that of romaine lettuce, but more complex in flavor—it’s sweeter, tangier and a bit earthy. Since chard combines well with almost all fruits and vegetables, like spinach, it’s good company for a first foray into the realm of green juices.
The Health Benefits of Romaine Juice
This flavorful lettuce was believed by the ancient Greeks to induce sleep, so it came into their banquet halls at the end of the meal. The Romans carried on the custom, and it’s from them that the green derives its name. Romaine does more than aid sleep and alleviate pain. It offers compounds that prevent macular degeneration and osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and cardiovascular disease. The leaves are an excellent source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, as well as vitamins K, B, C, and folate, xanthin and carotenes. Romaine reinforces all this with iron—and calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and copper. And with a nice crunch, too, come to think of it.
We use romaine as a natural sedative in evening juices. It is cooling, but as it’s inexpensive and available year-round, we include it in cleanses for every season. Juice the core from which the leaves grow, along with the leaves themselves, for a mellow, slightly bitter, fresh “green” flavor. Pair romaine with any fruits and vegetables; it’s especially nice with lemons and limes. Too much romaine can yield a bitter juice. A pinch of Celtic sea salt helps balance flavor.
The Health Benefits of Parsley Juice
One of the most common herbs, parsley offers a myriad of health benefits. It’s a brilliant blood purifier, and is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which help control blood cholesterol, prevent constipation, and protect the body from free-radical damage. Its essential volatile oils can be used as a local anesthetic and as an antiseptic for teeth and gums. Rich in polyphenolic flavonoids, parsley rates among the richest plant sources of antioxidants. It is also a good source of potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium, and vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, and folates.
As a warming herb, parsley’s perfect for moderating cooling foods, especially in the colder months. We use the flat-leaf variety, as it has a more intense flavor than its curly-leaf restaurant-garnish cousin, with less bitterness. Light as a feather, parsley will throw its weight around in a juice, delivering that aromatic and pungent “clean” taste. In the right amounts, it combines well with leafy greens, sweet fruits like pineapple and mango, as well as apples, lemons, and limes. A handful juices easily, stems and all.
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 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 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.
Other Swiss Chard Juice Recipes For You
Sweet Beet Swiss Chard Juice
Basil Apple Celery Swiss Chard Juice
Beet Orange Swiss Chard Juice
Apple Kale Cucumber Swiss Chard Juice
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