Take the Green Juice Challenge

Green is a color that represents nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green is a calming color, so it should not be surprising that people waiting to appear on TV relax in “green rooms” and hospitals use it to relax patients. It is a color that has been used historically to represent men and women. For example, in the Middle Ages women wore green to symbolize fertility, and dark green is often seen as masculine, conservative, and implying wealth.

Throughout nature, the color green is seen in grass, fruits and vegetables. Many people eat green fruits and vegetables when prepared in traditional ways, but there is sometimes a challenge when those fruits and vegetables are combined and presented in a glass as green juice. A January 2014 survey commissioned by Jamba Juice found that 28% of people are afraid of the green juice, yet that single glass often has more than the daily-recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. In addition, there are many health benefits found in the green foods that can make up the juice.

For example, when adding dark green leafy vegetables to the mix, a person has a disease fighting cocktail at their exposure. Dark green leafy vegetables such as collards, arugla, spinach, broccoli and kale are loaded with vitamins, minerals and carotenoids that act as antioxidants that can inhibit the growth of certain types of cancer. In addition, green vegetables provide health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, increased energy, regulating blood sugar and improving blood circulation.

Green fruits similarly also provide many benefits when you take the challenge. To improve taste, avocados, green apples, green grapes, honey dew melons, kiwi, limes and green pears can all be added  with the green vegetables to create green juice. Most of these fruits are filled with fiber, which helps as a diet aide in weight loss and lowering cholesterol.  These fruits are also filled with antioxidants and potassium, which are good protectors against cancer, high blood pressure, and risks of heart disease. For women, adding  juice from a freshly squeezed lime can help provide calcium and folate, two nutrients needed by post-menopausal women. Lime juice has also been shown to help prevent the formation of kidney stones.

So if you are one of those people who has shyed away from the green juice because of the appearance, we encourage you to look past the appearance and embrace the benefits.

Related articles
It’s Easy Being Green Smoothie
Garden in a Glass Smoothie Recipe
Health Benefits of Pears
Health Benefits of Leafy Green Vegetables