Green juices: what are they, and their 5 properties and benefits

The frenetic pace that most of us carry causes stress and worries to affect our bodies. Furthermore, we live in a world where pollutants are present in the air, in food, etc. That is why it is worth taking care of our body as much as possible.

Due to its properties and benefits, green juices are an excellent way to give this extra help that our body needs. If we take green juices we are giving our body a food that gives antioxidant and cleansing effects.

What are green juices?

Green juices are nothing more than juices that use vegetables, also known as green leafy vegetables, in addition to fruits and other vegetables.

They are generally obtained by using a blender. This type of appliance allows that, after introducing a vegetable or fruit inside and starting the appliance, we can obtain the juice in the form of juice.

The pulp can be more or less present in the final presentation. Depending on the type of blender we have, we can obtain a more or less filtered juice. You can add "toppings", such as spirulina powder, cocoa shavings, etc.

5 properties and benefits of green juices

Incorporating green juices in our diet has rejuvenating effects. The properties and benefits of green juices are multiple, and below we are going to see the main reasons why it is a great idea to drink at least one green juice a day.

1. Contribution of multiple vitamins and minerals

We all know that we have to eat fruit and vegetables, but the average intake of this type of food among the general population is always insufficient. Although our grandparents ate a lot of fruit and vegetables, in our day to day it is difficult for us to consume the “5 servings” that they have advised us to take at least daily.

We should not stop taking these foods in a conventional way and spend the day drinking juices, but drinking a juice a day can help us a lot. In a green juice we can concentrate many vitamins and minerals; We can add as many pieces of fruit and vegetables as we want and that we would not have otherwise.

We advise, of course, not to consume many fruit juices only; doing so we ingest a lot of sugars without fiber, and this is not ideal for the glycemic index of our blood. We can take as many vegetable juices as we want, and put some fruits on it, but it is also advisable to take the fruit in a conventional way with its natural fiber content.

2. Purifying effect

There are foods that help us purify our body, as they activate the natural process that the body has to detoxify itself. Green juice is one of them, allowing us to clean our arteries and helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Green juices provide us with digestive enzymes, as well as antioxidants, phytochemicals and many minerals and vitamins.. The macronutrients that they provide are basically carbohydrates and simple amino acids that are very easily absorbed, and the most abundant substance is water.

All this makes digestion very grateful for our body. In this way our body can focus on investing its energy in helping our body. A) Yes, green juices allow us to gain health by purifying, repairing tissues and helping to establish a good metabolism that promotes weight loss.

3. It gives us energy and vitality

Those who have tried adding a morning green juice before going to work do not doubt it; green juices give a lot of vitality and they wouldn't take it away for the world.

Forget waiting for your morning coffee to wake up and put so much hope in it to make it through the day. Depending on the coffee our body does not have a good base to function.

In contrast, green juice has a multitude of micronutrients and other compounds. These help our body to have the tools it needs to function optimally. Drinking a green juice also gives us this "kick" of energy that we want to have.

4. Helps us fight aging

Our body is fighting free radicals on a daily basis. These are molecules that are generated when we have stress or that we take in some foods that are not healthy. They damage our cells and cause them to age prematurely.

Fortunately, in some foods we find substances that help us fight free radicals and help our body protect itself. Green juices contain many antioxidants that come from different vegetables and fruits, so they are a magnificent example of this type of food.

These antioxidants have a protective function, making the cells and tissues of our body able to repair themselves. They therefore slow down aging. This allows the skin and hair to have more shine, softness, smoothness and youth in short.

5. It alkalizes us

The pH of food has been scientifically proven to affect our internal pH. This makes the environment in which our cells live can be more acidic or more alkaline, and it has been observed that it protects us from being alkaline.

That is how fruits and vegetables are invaluable, as they are foods with a clearer alkaline effect.

The fact that the fluids in our body have an acidic pH causes the metabolic processes of our body and the general cellular function to be affected. It has implications from the brain to the heart.

In terms of degenerative diseases, it is also clear that alkalinity is very important, since cancer cells reproduce in acid environments but not in alkaline environments. It also helps prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's, sclerosis or Parkinson's.

Bibliographic references

• Ruxton, C.H., Gardner, E.J. and Walker, D. (2006). Can pure fruit and vegetable juices protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease too? A review of the evidence, Int J Food Sci Nutr, 57, 249–72
• Shenoy, S., Kazaks, A., Holta, R. and Keena, C. (2008). Vegetable Juice Is an Effective and Acceptable Way to Meet Dash Vegetable Recommendations. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 108 (9), A104