How to make the best juice recipes for gut health? And what are 6 best juice recipes for gut health?
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- Ahara Dinacharya (the 28-day gut healing journaling SYSTEM from A Gutsy Girl)
- A Gutsy Girl’s Bible
- Test with the Viome gut microbiome health test. (Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save $30 off your own testing kit OR get $30 off your first month on one of their monthly health plans.)
- A Gutsy Girl supplement line, guthealingsupplements.com
- Just Thrive Health Just Calm (Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15% off anything from Just Thrive, including the Just Calm.)
- Juicing for Gut Healing
- Apple-Kale Juice (PDF download)
- How to Make Celery Juice (in a blender) (PDF download)
- Top 13 Gut Healing Boosts for Smoothies (and/or juices)
Don’t Miss These Thoughts
- A simple update (warning: a little personal)
- 9 things I’m doing and one I’m NOT doing in 2023 (another warning: also a little personal, you here for it?!)
- All about juices and some of my fave juice recipes
- Why juice and how not to do it
- Juices vs Smoothies
Best Juice Recipes for Gut Health {Episode 67, Bites #15}
Click HERE to save the best juice recipes for gut health for later.
You may have heard about a recent rise in the idea of juicing. Whether it be green juice, juice shots, or any sort of “cleansing” juice, these drinks have become a staple in the health food industry.
While you all know that I do not feed into classic “detoxing,” I do think that these juices have their place on a gut health journey.
They can be extremely healing and easy on the digestive system, which makes many of them great choices for all my Gutsy girls.
Today I will be walking you through picking the RIGHT juice as well as some of my favorite gut-healing juice recipes.
This will help make sure you are confident in finding (and making) juices that are truly healing in nature.
Let’s get started.
Juice vs. Smoothie
Now you may be wondering, what is the actual difference between a juice and just a plain smoothie?
Juices take out a lot of the fibrous components of fruits and vegetables, while smoothies leave them in.
This makes juices less filling but a whole lot easier on your gut.
Fiber is tough for the human body to break down, so removing that part alleviates some of the process.
Especially for those with Gutsy issues, fiber can be very taxing on the body. This can lead to some uncomfortable symptoms such as abdominal pain, gas, and bloating.
So, while juice may be slightly less filling and nutrient-dense, it is a lot easier to digest. It gives you the nutrients you need without sacrificing good digestion.
Source: HERE
If you need more on fiber, read about the differences between soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.
Why are Juices so Popular?
Part of the reason juices are increasing in popularity is due to the detoxifying label attached to many of them.
Many people believe in the idea of juice cleanses, where you only drink juice for an extended period of time.
This is claimed to help clean your digestive tract, but it actually can be very harmful in the long run.
However, many companies have taken this idea and completely run with it. They promote ideas of weight loss, gut cleansing, and detoxification through their cleanses.
While this idea is inherently unhealthy and wrong, the juices themselves can actually be helpful.
IF used in a healthy way.
How Does Juice Benefit Gutsy Girls?
Click HERE to save the benefits of juicing.
The process of juicing actually helps to pre-digest most of the ingredients, which makes it much easier on the digestive tract.
Juicing breaks down some of the harder to digest fibers in the fruit and vegetables, which alleviates a lot of the pressure on the GI system.
Juicing also helps the body quickly absorb nutrients. Since many juices include a combination of diverse fruits and vegetables it may also help your body get some nutrients it is lacking in.
This is KEY for anyone with gut issues, as micronutrient deficiencies are incredibly common.
Juices are often fairly high in micronutrients such as:
- vitamin C
- vitamin A
- vitamin K
- folate
- calcium
- iron
- potassium
Having optimal levels of micronutrients creates a strong foundation for any sort of gut healing.
Whole fruits and vegetables are truly some of the best foods to incorporate in a gut-healing plan.
Source: HERE
Making Your Own Juice
Click HERE to save these tips for making your own juice for later.
My favorite way to enjoy juice is actually to make it myself. This ensures that it is fresh and only contains ingredients that have a positive effect on my health as a whole.
Here are some of my favorite tips for juicing.
Add in gut-healing ingredients
Juicing is the perfect way to add in some of those gut-healing ingredients that you can’t really eat on their own.
This includes things such as aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, and ginger.
Anything that helps to promote and soothe the stomach lining are powerful ways to boost that juice.
I have a linked to a ton at the beginning of this post via my Top 13 Gut Healing Boosts for Smoothies (and/or juices).
The NUMBER ONE supplement to add to juices and smoothies. And, good news! This supplement already comes in powder form, with no flavor profile, which makes for the perfect addition.
Use code AGUTSYGIRL at checkout to save 15% off your entire purchase from guthealingsupplements.com
Be conscious of sugar content
Although fruit is INCREDIBLE for us it also is extremely high in natural sugars.
Pathogens such as yeasts, parasites, and bacteria can feed off of sugar and reproduce, something none of us want.
The key to a good juice is moderation- try to limit the amount of overly sweet fruits you put in your juice.
Some of these high-sugar fruits include:
- mango
- pears
- bananas
- apples
Opt for lower sugar fruits such as:
- avocados
- raspberries
- cantaloupe
- strawberries
This will ensure that you are getting a diverse range of micronutrients while feeding the bugs as little as you can!
Load up on those veggies
Although it may be tempting to splurge for fruit juices, you really miss out on the full potential of juicing.
Vegetables are incredible for juicing and contain so many micronutrients key to gut healing. Vegetables contain so many health benefits without the sugar content of fruits.
They are KEY for reducing inflammation as they contain high amounts of antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Some of my favorite vegetables to add include:
- celery (celery juice is popular for a reason)
- kale
- spinach
- arugula
- broccoli
Green leafy vegetables are a great addition as they contain high levels of vitamin A, which has so many functions across the body.
It helps with vision, the health of the immune system, and overall cell health.
Opt for FRESH fruits and vegetables
The fresher, the better.
If you can get entirely fresh produce, do it. This means zero processing and optimal nutrient content!
Since they haven’t gone through any sort of alteration, these fruits and vegetables have the most bioavailable vitamins and minerals.
This is a great way to make sure you are optimizing your micronutrient intake.
By the way, do healthy juice recipes have to include only organic fruits and vegetables? No. The way to approach this is to know and adhere to The Dirty Dozen + Clean 15 lists.
Grab those lists HERE.
CLEAN YOUR FRUIT
I can not emphasize this point enough.
Raw fruits and vegetables, while extremely nutritious, can sometimes contain parasites or other live critters.
Make sure to properly rinse off all of your produce before juicing it to avoid any potential pathogens.
I personally run my produce under cold water for a couple of minutes, but you can also soak them in apple cider vinegar for a full-on cleanse.
What to Juice With?
Now the big question- what do you even use to juice?
The obvious answer, juicers.
These are machines literally designed to just leave the juice of the fruit. It makes juicing super simple and quick.
However, if you do not have a juicer, not all is lost.
You can just use a blender!
This does take more work as you have to cut off all of the peels as well as adding an additional step of straining.
After blending some “pulp” will remain so you want to filter that out with some sort of mesh strainer.
It’s one extra step but it saves a lot of money if you don’t want to splurge on a juicer!
Favorite Juice Recipes
Now comes for the fun part- the best juice recipes for gut health.
All of these are fairly easy and great for those with digestive issues.
The steps are fairly straightforward on all of them. Gather the ingredients, juice (or blend and strain), and enjoy.
All of these have anti-inflammatory properties, which is CRUCIAL for battling digestive disorders.
Chronic inflammation is one of the most common root causes of any sort of GI distress.
Apple-Kale Juice
This one is directly from A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut
If you like to have graphic handouts like this to accompany the recipes, then you’ll love the 21-day Quick Gut Detox!
Gut Loaded Juice
{via Absolutely Flavorful HERE}
This juice is packed with micronutrients, antioxidants, and contains many digestive aids such as ginger and apple cider vinegar.
This is an all-around great juice for anyone trying to work towards a healthy gut.
If you have a very sensitive stomach, you may want to swap out the apple for something else, as it can sometimes cause bloating and gas in people with irritable bowel syndrome.
Ingredients:
- 1 apple (small)
- 3 carrots (medium)
- 1/2 beet
- 1 lemon
- 1 cucumber
- 4 celery sticks
- 1/2 cup parsley
- fresh ginger to taste
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
This recipe is one of the most simple ones, yet incredibly good for your GI tract.
Celery is extremely anti-inflammatory in nature due to its high antioxidant content and is naturally very anti-parasitic.
This is great for anyone with gut issues as parasitic infections are often an underlying cause.
Celery Juice
{The below recipe comes from The Roasted Root HERE}
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds organic celery stalks
- 2 large organic cucumbers
- 1 large navel orange
- 1/2 lemon
For some people celery can be slightly irritating, so start with a smaller amount and then work your way up to a full glass.
And yes, this is true despite what Medical Medium preaches.
If you want my personal Celery Juice DIY, it’s right HERE.
Pineapple and Cucumber Juice
{Recipe via HERE}
This smoothie is extremely helpful for digestive upset, as pineapple contains numerous digestive enzymes.
These can help break down food and relieve digestive distress. Cucumber helps hydrate the body with its high water content, which is important in moving food through the digestive system.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole pineapple
- 1 cucumber
- 2 yellow bell peppers
- 1 lemon
- 1 ginger thumb of the root
Immune Support Juice
{This recipe comes from Liv Holistic HERE}
Who doesn’t like a recipe that helps your immune system? This recipe is high in both vitamin C and vitamin A, which both play key roles in regulating the immune system.
It has a bit of a tropical punch, which makes it delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pineapple
- 2 oranges
- 1 lemon
- 15 grams ginger
Pomegranate Juice
{Recipe via HERE}
Pomegranates are incredibly good for your overall health.
They contain loads of antioxidants that help prevent inflammation. They also promote healthy bowel movements, which help detoxify the body of toxins.
Ingredients:
- 5 large pomegranates
- 1 medium lemon
- 1/8 tsp. salt
*If blending make sure to pulse the seeds, instead of blending them right off the bat. Blending them will make an unpleasant texture. Once you have pulsed them, strain the pulp and enjoy.
All of the above recipes can also be altered to your liking. For the ginger, in particular, feel free to play around with different levels. Ginger can be a bit overpowering for some people, so find a balance that works for you.
Buying your Juice
If you are someone who wants to buy pre-made juice, I entirely GET IT. Not everyone always has the time to go in the kitchen and whip up some homemade juice.
The key to buying juice is fully understanding the ingredients.
I recommend picking juices that have a minimal number of ingredients and are made from unprocessed sources.
The trick I use is to make sure I can pronounce every ingredient before buying.
Here are some good brands to start with:
- Suja Uber (very clean ingredients)
- Vive Organic
- AllWellO
- Pure Green
All of these companies have very few ingredients and contain very little additives or preservatives. They are the closest thing you will find to making your own!
You can also find fresh juice places near you that make their own juices. These are easy ways to get juices that are catered for different purposes.
Any option is truly better than nothing!
Juices are truly a great way to promote digestive health and ensure you are getting all the micronutrients you need.
Let me know if you enjoyed these tips and have fun whipping up these recipes.
If you liked this post on the best juice recipes for gut health, you might also enjoy:
- Supergreens {daily servings for your gut}
- Broth vs Soup {Episode 63, AGG Bites #13}
- Glowing Green Smoothie
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
Xox,
SKH
Janie Greene is