Green juices ~ Rainbow juices ~ Next seven days of recipes.

In this post I am going to post my daily green juice and rainbow juice recipes for the next seven days, whilst I'm also working away in the background writing up my other post about toxins, which is taking me a wee while as I try to draft it up in a way that I feel will be most helpful.

There are many reasons why it's important to blitz up a green juice each day. Green juices can help to give you more energy, help your body fight off infection, help with detoxing, maintain healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure, reducing inflammation, boost brain function and your mood.

One small change to your daily routine can make a world of difference! Drinking a green juice daily is one of the absolute BEST things you can do for your health, weight loss, and beauty goals. That's because green vegetables are the optimal food for regenerating, purifying, and healing your body!

Drinking your greens doses your body with a highly concentrated blast of powerful, instantly absorbable nutrition that can have remarkable transformative effects from the inside out.

Who doesn't want 'Healthy Glowing Skin.' That antioxidant blast helps to rid your skin of harmful toxins which may lead to acne, sun damage, premature ageing. Vitamin A which is in pretty much all the juices I do is crucial for cell growth and regeneration.

Leafy green juices are excellent sources of amino acids, the building blocks of protein.

If you do your juice in a Nutri-ninja or Nutri-bullet not only is there no waste from throwing out the pulp but you actually get the benefit of all that gorgeous fibre from the skin which you don't get from the older fashioned juicers. It seriously only takes minutes to do this each day. I tend to have mine mid morning as that suits me better, but I've often heard people say they could do with a boost later and feel a bit sluggish in the afternoon, so if that's you then go for it then, there's no set rules.

Adding a little fat to each juice just helps the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K to absorb better, you could add a little avocado, tsp avocado oil, tsp coconut oil, tsp flaxseeds, tsp nuts or sunflower seeds etc... I always add 2 tsp of barley grass too. I built that up gradually though from half a tsp to 1 tsp and now 2tsp, as it has quite a powerful detox action I feel it's always better to do it gradually. Barley grass is a powerhouse of goodliness! It contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, E, and K. It also has beta carotene, pantothenic acid, and folic acid. It has minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, organic sodium, and phosphorus. Finally, it has a myriad of amino acids, chlorophyll, fibre, protein, and enzymes. It helps to rid the body of heavy metals. It is gluten free for anyone who is worried about that, pure wheat grass and barley grass (just the grass, with absolutely no seeds) do not contain gluten, the protein that is thought to cause reactions in celiac disease and possibly in non-celiac gluten sensitivity. That's because gluten occurs only in the grain, for example the seeds produced by the grass plants wheat, barley, and rye.

The advantages of combining a good variety of fruits and vegetables each day means that it is wonderful for your immune system, nervous system, digestive system, lymphatic system, cardiovascular system, urinary system, exocrine system, endocrine system and musculoskeletal system.

Again as with everything go for organic as often as you can, as not only does organic taste better, they have higher levels of nutrients due to better soil conditions, as pesticides and insecticides are known to strip the soil of important nutrients.

Day One :

This one is made with a pear, quarter cup of cucumber, half an orange, half a celery stick, handful of spinach, couple of slices of avocado, 2 tsp of barley grass, 1 tsp balboa powder and mint, filled up with filtered water. It does about 400 mls (enough for two people).

Cucumbers contain multiple B vitamins, including vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B7 (biotin). B vitamins are known to help ease feelings of anxiety and buffer some of the damaging effects of stress. Cucumbers are rich in two of the most basic elements needed for healthy digestion: water and fibre.

Low in fat and even lower in cholesterol, spinach is high in niacin and zinc, as well as protein, fibre, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese. In other words, it’s loaded with good things for every part of your body! Abundant flavonoids in spinach act as antioxidants to keep cholesterol from oxidising and protect your body from free radicals, particularly in the colon. The folate in spinach is good for your healthy cardiovascular system, and magnesium helps lower high blood pressure. Studies also have shown that spinach helps maintain your vigorous brain function, memory and mental clarity.

Celery contains a compound called L-3-N-Butylphthalide. A recent study showed that this compound may prevent the accumulation of the brain plaques and tangles that cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Modern scientific studies confirm celery's folk medicine profile for lowering blood pressure. This may be due to its potassium content, and the presence of phthalides, compounds that relax muscles around arteries. Coumarin, another antioxidant in celery, appears to enhance the activity of white blood cells. Celery has a diuretic effect, so it can play a role in eliminating excess body fluid.

Pears have superb immune & antioxidant benefits. Pears can help lower inflammation, which is the root of most diseases, plus they're one of the best sources of dietary fibre of all fruits and provide high amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K and boron.

Oranges contain thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, selenium and copper. Because of their high vitamin C content oranges are associated with boosting the immune system. Oranges also contain choline, zeaxanthin, and carotenoids. Choline is an important nutrient found in oranges that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory. Choline also helps to maintain the structure of cellular membranes, aids in the transmission of nerve impulses, assists in the absorption of fat and reduces chronic inflammation.

Mint aids with good digestion and is a palate cleanser. Treats Nausea & Headache. Has been reported to be beneficial with respiratory disorders and asthma. Reduces symptoms of depression & fatigue. Enhances skin Care. And helpful for memory Loss.

Day 2:

This one is half a papaya, wedge of melon, 6 grapes, handful of Kale, couple of tsp fresh parsley, quarter cup of cucumber, 2tsp barley grass, filled up with filtered water (400mls).

Many powerful antioxidants are found in kale, including quercetin and kaempferol, which have numerous beneficial effects on health. Kale is extremely high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that has many important roles in the body. A single cup of raw kale actually contains more vitamin C than an orange. Kale contains substances that bind bile acids and lower cholesterol levels in the body. Raw kale is particularly effective. Kale is very high in beta carotene, an antioxidant that the body can turn into vitamin A. Kale is high in lutein and zeaxanthin, nutrients that have been linked to a drastically reduced risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.

Papaya is rich in antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, flavonoids, and vitamin C, as well as vitamin B, folate and pantothenic acid. It is also a good source of fibre and minerals such as magnesium.magnesium. Together these nutrients can help improve cardiovascular health and protect against colon cancer.