They are an excellent vegetable to juice. Besides the fact that they hide a multitude of nasty looking green vegetable juices (simply for aesthetic purposes – it’s amazing how you can trick your brain using color!), they hold forever in the fridge (the greens get nasty, though), and they are incredibly nutrient-dense.

Beets contain phytonutrients call betalains which provide anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cell detoxification support. The betanin (a type of betalain phytonutrient) in beets has proven to actually reduce tumor cell growth, especially in colon, stomach, nerve, breast, prostate, and testicular cells. Thus, beets have proven themselves helpful in the fight against cancer. Finally, beet greens (use them before they go bad!) are extremely high in the phytonutrient lutein, which is crucial in eye health and is an excellent anti-oxidant.

An important factor to note regarding beets: if eaten consistently, urine can turned red-tinged. This is called beeturia. It is especially common with people who suffer from iron metabolism problems. So, if you experience this rather scary side effect of eating/drinking beets, you may want to visit with your primary healthcare physician, to test if your iron is being properly metabolized, and to ensure you are not anemic.

I tend to like beets better in tomato-based savory juices, but their sweet, mild flavor matches spinach or romaine-based fruit juices as well.

Aloe Vera as a Juice?

It made me curious, though: how would aloe be if bought fresh and put into a homemade juice. So I bought some aloe (it was surprisingly very cheap!) and started experimenting. I found that it doesn’t juice extremely well, but it blends nicely. Just remember to remove the green exterior skin: it is a powerful laxative, and has shown connections to causing tumors in clinical animal trials.

Medicinal Uses of Aloe Vera

Aloe has been well used for many generations by many cultures for its medicinal value. While in Bonaire, my landlady created a tea out of it for me to drink when I had the flu.

It Also Treats Skin Problems

While at the Chinese supermarket, a chinese woman recommended the aloe to me for improving hair growth, strength , and luster. It’s inner gel (the fleshy pulp) is highly anti-inflammatory, and thus, a perfect relief for sunburn-related inflammation, as well as eczema- or acne-caused redness. Aloe’s fleshy inside is not only beneficial topically, however.

Backed By Professional Studies

A study performed in 2004 proved aloe gel is also very beneficial for people suffering from inflammatory bowel disease. After four weeks of drinking the aloe gel, diluted in water, twice daily, patients had significant “improvement and remission of ulcerative colitis (IBD), compared to those given plain water”. And these improvements were seen without any ill-effects.

Does It Also Help Acne?

Another benefit regarding the consumption of aloe vera juice is acne prevention. Though it does not have the research to back it up like the IBD study, many people on online forums swear by aloe vera juice and its ability to mitigate acne. One acne.org forum member tells her story of clearing acne with aloe vera juice here. I have never had acne problems, so I truthfully cannot say whether it helps heal acne or not (in actual settings), however, knowing that it is anti-inflammatory, high in vitamins and minerals, high in antioxidants, and extremely moisturizing, it only makes sense that it would have curative effects on inflammation and oxidative-damage, which often cause acne.

Start Juicing/Blending Aloe Vera Today!

So, being that it is highly anti-inflammatory, acne and bowel-healing, enjoy a cold aloe juice. I recommend a light, sweet green juice with the aloe pulp added to and then blended.

Cherry Juice Benefits

Luckily, besides their cost, cherries truly are a pretty good addiction. For one thing, they help to better sleep, which is always necessary for a mother of two young boys. Tart cherries naturally contain melatonin, which is used as a supplemental sleep-aid: people who take it sleep more soundly and awake more refreshed in the morning. Definitely my type of fruit. Beyond this, cherries are a good source of the mineral potassium, which has proven especially helpful in eliminating post-workout muscle-soreness and inflammation. Riper, sweet cherries are also rich in antioxidants. Vitamin C, anthocyanin and beta carotene are just some of these antioxidants, which have proven to both prevent and reduce cancer. Finally, cherries help you to lose weight (another important thing for the new mom): anthocyanin, an antioxidant in cherries, has proven to boost the body’s metabolism of fat, as well as decrease fat storage.

So I guess it’s pretty good that they are so addictive. We’ll work on the whole budgeting thing another day… Go to our cherry juice page to get even more cherry juice recipes!

The Other Prune Juice Benefits

HOWEVER, prunes are good for more than just digestive tract ‘maintenance’. Prunes are high in soluble fiber (and with the following juice, this fiber remains in the juice). This fiber helps to regulate blood sugar, benefits digestion, and prevents overeating, as it causes the body to feel ‘full’. This fiber also helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Prunes are also high in insoluble fiber, which helps to maintain normal levels of good bacteria within the intestines: by maintaining high levels of this good bacteria, disease in the intestines – be it cancer, ulcers, or malabsorption – is better avoided. Finally, prunes are very high in antioxidants. Two of their main antioxidants have been linked to protection against oxidative damage on fatty tissue, like brain cells.

So, enjoy your prune juice…not JUST when you have a specific need…

If you are in need of some prune juicing recipes, then you can visit our recipes tab in the menu bar above and categorize your search to prune juice. Enjoy!