Last year I began watching TED talks. Too many TED talks. Many pointed to the nutritional benefits of whole foods, which I absolutely believe in. The problem is that getting my kids to eat a green bean is extremely unpleasant. You may have seen then gobbling peas out of the shell but if you cook those peas, then it’s as good as poison. They certainly did not get their dislike for vegetables from me. So how to get the good stuff into them? Another TED talk turned my attention to juicing. So we got a green juice recipe and began.
Of course the kids wouldn’t drink it. It actually took months before the kids would try it. They’ll drink my whole glass now (so about 3/4 cup per kid), so persistence is key!
We did alter the recipe for palatability though. We add pineapple, which is a great source of vitamin C so an obvious addition anyway.
I’m not going to lie here, I thought green juice was hideous. I’d drink it all in one gulp so I didn’t have to taste it. The pineapple helped and you do grow to appreciate the flavor, so I like it now. Stick with it through that first week!
The effect has been pretty amazing though. We are healthy. Really healthy. Before green juice we’d end up at the ER with incredible fevers. We got every sickness you could possibly get. Don’t even tell me you have the flu over the phone because I swear I could catch it that way.
I don’t mean to mislead you, we have been sick. We all caught a cold around Christmas. We were over it within a few days and it was never that severe. We rarely go to the doctor anymore. I haven’t had to buy any medication for anyone for a year now. It’s mind blowing the difference juicing has made for all of us.
The kids share a glass. It helps encourage them to drink it when it’s a race.
Our recipe is for 4 people, 2 of them being very small children. This recipe makes a quart of juice.
- 1/3 pineapple
- 3 medium apples
- 2-3 kale leaves
- 1/3 head of romaine (5-6 leaves)
- 1 cucumber
- 1 lime
- 3-4 stalks of celery
We purchase our juicing stuff weekly. The average cost is $30 per week.
As far as health stats. Our green juice recipe should have the following vitamins and minerals:
That link is a pdf document.