Freshly squeezed juice is almost indescribable. It's nothing like it's relative, the pasteurized juice in a bottle. It is fresh, clean and enlivening. When I drink it, I feel like every cell in my body is being nourished. Juicing also allows the body to ingest a large amounts of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and enzymes quickly, it's like a shot of life straight to the veins. I like to pick seasonal produce to juice. Not only will you save money (hello, $6 1/2 pint of blueberries, I don't think so!) but eating seasonly has so many benefits. For example, the spring is a great time to cleanse the liver and clean out any sluggishness left over from the cold, winter months. Seasonal foods like dandelion roots, asparagus, kale and other leafy greens are growing naturally (at least in Iowa soon) and they naturally flush toxins from the liver. While I wouldn't juice asparagus, my husband and I have been buying bunches of dandelion greens from the grocery store and including them in our morning juice. Dandelion leaves are bitter, but if you add a few apples and a lemon it cuts the bitterness.
When I juice I start by picking vegetables that have a lot of juice (base) and then add some greens, one or two from the sweet category and then throw in some add-in's for the zing. A lemon or lime really tastes great with greens. Keep in mind this list below is what I was drinking this winter, as soon as spring (warmth) and summer come along this list will change. I cannot wait. It's also best not to juice too many sweet fruits (carrots and beets are included in this category as well) because they contain sugar which can spike your blood sugar especially because there is no fiber from the juice. Because of this favor vegetables.
Base:
Celery, cucumber (while not a winter produce this adds a lot of juice).
Greens:
Romaine lettuce, kale, spinach, parsley, cilantro, fennel, and bok choy, and dandelion greens.
Sweets:
Beets, carrots, apples, oranges, grapes, grapefruit (not always sweet) and pears.
Add in's: ginger, lemon, lime, turmeric (whole).
This blog has some great tips and recipes for juicing.
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