Spring is in the air! For many of us this brings a steer towards cleanse, clean and clear, which includes our bodies.
In December’s Juice Blog, we enjoyed ‘The Beetrootini’, aka ‘the liver lover’. This month I not only want to cleanse the liver but the kidneys and gallbladder too, all vital organs involved in the detox process.
Our liver is the largest internal organ and one of the most important when it comes to detoxifying the body, filtering blood, excreting toxins and creating and secreting bile.
Our kidneys are the body’s most important sites for eliminating toxins, and are instrumental in maintaining a healthy acid-alkaline balance.
Our gallbladders store bile until it’s needed by the small intestine. Bile acids are essential for digesting fat, and keeping cholesterol soluble so it doesn’t form gallstones*.
This refreshing juice provides the tang of citrus and the kick of ginger with the soothing flavor of cucumber.
Don’t worry if you don’t own a juicer – use a blender, and a sieve to strain the juice.
For one serving (3/4 of a cup):
Ingredients
1 cucumber ¦ 1 orange ¦ 1 piece of fresh ginger
Preparation
1. Wash cucumber, peeling it if not organic, and slice lengthways to fit into juicer ¦ 2. Peel orange, leaving as much white pith on as possible and slice into pieces to fit into juicer ¦ 3. Peel ginger ¦ 4. Juice all ingredients, alternating between different types ¦ 5. Stir, pour into a glass and enjoy!
Top tips
If your orange is a bit hard roll it on the work top (I do this with all my citrus fruit to soften them and increase the yield of juice)
White pith has nearly as much Vitamin C content as the flesh.
Peel the ginger with a teaspoon; you’ll just remove the skin.
If you buy organic and want to save money, consider ‘the dirty dozen’ and ‘the clean 15’ see www.pan-uk.org and look for the study ‘Pesticides on a Plate’
Happy juicing!
Why are we using these ingredients?
Cucumber health benefits
Cucumbers are natural coolants. The juice is said to be good for the complexion, and may promote hair and fingernail growth and even prevent hair loss. As they contain 96% water, they help regulate the body temperature and are a natural diuretic, helping to promote urination and therefore flush toxins from the body.
Orange health benefits
Oranges are rich in Vitamin A, aka Retinol, which assists immunity. They help cleanse and tone the gastrointestinal tract and alkalise blood, which may be overly acidic, and therefore returning balance to the body.
Ginger health benefits
Ginger is made up of phenolic compounds** known to help relieve gastrointestinal irritation, stimulate saliva and bile production.
* Gallstones are small stones, usually made up of cholesterol, that form in the gallbladder.
** Phenolic compounds are a class of chemical compounds, of which natural ones derive from plants.
Recipe from ‘The Everything Juicing Book’ by Carole Jacobs and Chef Patrice Johnson.
