Ahhhhh, it is almost here!  I am almost ready to start juicing for real!  Time to decide what my first juice in my brand spanking new juicer will be.

Should I do Kale? Carrots? Romaine? Beets? Cucumber?

How do I sweeten it?  Lemon?  Apple?  Berries?

Do I put anything extra in it? Wheat grass juice?  Aloe Vera?

The Healthy Green Drink Diet has some great recipes and also some lists of foods to juice!  The below lists are taken from the Healthy Green Drink Diet – Although these lists are not all inclusive, but they give us new juicers a great place to start.

Common green foods that are juiced:  Arugula, Basil, Beet Greens, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Celery, Chard, Cilantro, Collards, Dandelion Greens, Kale, Lettuce (or mixed greens), Mint, Mustard Greens, Parsley, Spinach, Turnip Greens, Watercress,

Common veggies that are juiced and are not necessarily “green”: Tarragon, Fennel, Radishes, Mizuna, Kohlrabi, Purslane, Green Onion, Radicchio, Brussels sprouts, Carrots, Oregano, Beets

Commonly added fruits (remember, use sparingly): Apricot, Apple, Bell Pepper, Berries, Cherries, Cantaloupe, Cranberries, Cucumber, Grapes, Grapefruit, Guava, Honeydew, Kiwi, Kumquat, Lemon, Limes, Mango, Nectarine, Orange, Papaya, Pear, Peach, Persimmon, Pineapple, Plums, Raspberries, Star Fruit, Tangerine, Tomato, Watermelon

Commonly added super foods (stay tuned for more blog posts on super foods!):  Acai Berries, Aloe Vera, Bee Pollen, Cayenne Pepper, Flaxseed oil, Garlic, Ginger, Wheatgrass, Sprouts.  Some of these are added after the other veggies have been juiced.

Commonly added sweeteners (remember, use sparingly): Agave Nectar and Honey

Whew, now that I have all of my choices, where do I begin?

The Mercola Website suggests beginning your juicing journey with vegetables that you enjoy eating.  It stands to reason that if you enjoy eating the vegetable that you will enjoy drinking it.  Makes sense to me.  They also recommend starting with cucumber (peel if not organic), anise, and celery (should be organic if possible) as these are the easiest to digest.  Along with adding a little lemon or lime for taste.  Although, I am not quite sure what anise is….it is not a common ingredient in the Minnesota grocery stores.  Here is the wikipedia link to anise.  I’ll have to keep my eyes out for that one.

Once you get used to cucumber, anise, and celery they recommend adding in lettuce, spinach, escarole, and endive.

Lastly, once those are handled with ease then you can add in cabbage, bok choy, and or herbs.

Where is Kale you say?  I thought the same thing.  Apparently, Kale is pretty strong after it’s been juiced so it is best saved for a couple of weeks into your juicing journey.  I am not sure I am going to be able to hold off though…maybe I’ll have to toss a leave of this nutritional powerhouse into my juice after a couple of days 😉

So……my first juice will be…..drumroll please…..

Cucumber, Celery, and Lemon/Lime it is! I may or may not add an apple to sweeten it, I think cucumber and celery is pretty sweet so may hold off on the apple until I start doing lettuce and kale.