Any parent with young children two-years-old and up will agree how tough it is to ask their kids to eat fruits and veggies – particularly the later. One thing I’ve learned as a parent these past three years is that we have to be creative in terms of how we serve these. In our case, my son loves soup, so what we do is chop spinach (or any vegetable) into really small pieces. That way he won’t notice that it’s in the soup, but he’ll still eat it and benefit from the nutritional value.
Another way to encourage our kids to consume more fruits and vegetables is to serve them in liquid form or as a juice. No, I’m not talking about buying orange juice from the supermarket. I’m talking about making your own juice from fresh fruits and veggies!
Why make your own juice?
Store bought juices, while advertised as “natural” contain preservatives and added sugar to make them taste better and extend their shelf life.
Let’s look at the nutrient content of Minute Maid for a moment to show you what I mean:
A small 8 ounce serving contains around 24 grams of sugar – yes, 24 grams of sugar! I’m sure you don’t stop at just one cup because at the back of your mind you think it’s healthy – but it’s not. Drinking that much sugar is a recipe for obesity, high cholesterol and type-2 diabetes.
One more thing to remember about store bought juices is that they are pasteurized, which means they are heated to kill all potential bacteria. Unfortunately, the side effect of pasteurization is that it also kills the live enzymes and microorganisms that are present in fresh produce.
A much healthier alternative would be making your own juice using fresh fruits and vegetables. Juicing is healthier because it is fresh, unpasteurized and it doesn’t contain any added sugars. In short, it is all natural and when you drink it, your body will benefit from the live enzymes and nutrients.
One important thing to remember about making your own juice is not to add too much fruit. For active kids who burn a lot of calories, you can add a little more fruit in there because you know that they’ll burn it off when they run around.
Here’s the great part. You can actually add in green leafy vegetables like kale or spinach and they won’t even taste it! It’ll look green, but when they taste it they won’t know it’s there. The flavor of the green leafy veggies will be masked by whatever fruit you put in.
Adults also will benefit from drinking green juice – and depending on what you put in, you can help treat a condition like type-2 diabetes or hypertension. If you’re just looking for a jolt of energy, just add a beet and some ginger in your juice recipe and you’ll have a drink that’s better than coffee, minus the caffeine.
Another benefit that juicing has is that it acclimates our taste buds to the flavor of natural foods. You’ll notice that when you get used to drinking juice, your cravings for soda or store bought juices will dissipate.
Now, I’m not limiting you to just plain juices. If your kids love smoothies, try adding a few leaves of collard greens or spinach to make it a healthier drink.
Remember not to add table sugar or any artificial flavoring because we want to avoid added sugars in our drinks. Instead, try using fruits like lemon, apple, strawberry or blueberries.
Here are some recipes that you and your kids can try.
Popeye’s Delight
19 strawberries
3 Fuji apples (large)
A few handfuls of spinach
4 romaine lettuce leaves
This recipe is actually one of my favorites because it brings back memories of my childhood, when I drank a lot of strawberry shakes. It really tastes like strawberry juice (minus the artificial sweeteners) even though it doesn’t look like it.
This recipe alone will make around 1.3 liters of juice! So everyone in the family will get a sip. The best part is your kids will satisfy their sweet tooth and also get the nutritional benefit of spinach and lettuce.
Gluten Free Strawberry Juice
9 strawberries
A handful of spinach
3 celery sticks
2 apples
1 large carrot
You will notice that this recipe has celery in it and I’ll admit to you, I hate celery and I’m pretty sure all kids don’t like it, so this is one of the best ways to consume it.
Between the strawberries, apple and carrot, you’ll not really taste the strong flavor of celery which means your kids will pretty much like this.
Red Veggie Juice
1 beetroot (small)
2 Fuji apples
1/4 pineapple
2 celery sticks
A handful of spinach
Half a cucumber
This is another tasty drink because it contains apple and pineapple. Now here’s the best part. It also contains beet, celery and spinach, three of the most nutritious vegetables you’ll find.
It beats buying the canned pineapple/apple juice.
One side note on beet: this root crop helps improve your aerobic performance so this is a great drink to have before doing exercises or playing with your kids in the playground.
Moms and dads take note.
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Garrick started juicing when his mom gave him a juicer. He documents his juicing journey through his blog Juicing with G where he shares the mistakes that he made, recipes and other health related topics to inspire others to clean up their diets and live a healthier lifestyle. You can also follow him through Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
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