Ever since Joe Cross shared his Mean Green Juice recipe on Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, it’s quickly become the go-to green juice recipe for juicers across the globe looking to lose weight, detox, boost immunity, and keep a happy, healthy body.
And ‘though I absolutely love the simple, delicious original Mean Green Juice, you can’t drink the same old recipe every day, right? So I’ve rounded up my own collection of mean green juice recipes – and whipped a little guide to help you make your own.
3 of the Best Mean Green Juice Recipes
Actually, these are the mean-est green juices i’ve ever sipped on. Doesn’t mean they’re bad-tasting – but they’ll kick your butt into gear!
So here goes…my top 3 favorite mean green juice recipes!
An Energizing, Stamina-Boosting Mean Green Juice
This is one potent green juice recipe to supercharge your mornings. It might be a bit strong if you’re new to green juicing – in which case, I recommend you save this for the afternoon.
The ‘Queen of Greens’ – kale – gives this juice recipe a load of vitamins and minerals, as well as protein and omega-3 fatty acids to help curb cravings and hunger pains. It’s also been found to have at least 45 different antioxidants that all work together to give you anti-inflammatory and cell-protective benefits.
Chard isn’t too shabby, either – this red-stemmed beauty contains phytonutrients known to boost your metabolism and keep glucose levels steady, further helping to ward off cravings.
Betanin-laden beets help gently detox your body and fight inflammation while anti-oxidant-rich blackberries add a welcome sweetness (with very little caloric content) to the recipe. As for ginseng, this potent root boosts energy, cognitive function, and metabolism.
What else would you want to have for breakfast when you can get all that in a glass of juice?
A Powerful Green Juice Recipe for Hardcore Juicers
There’s nothing like this potent green juice recipe to really perk up your digestive system and get your metabolism going. And you’ve got that throughly-detoxing, appetite-numbing wheatgrass here again, to further kick up the detox and metabolism-boosting factor
This brilliant green juice can also help clear up bad breath, water-retention based bloat, and urinary tract infections or other kidney problems. It’s the best juice recipe to sip when you’re feeling under the weather – it’ll get you back to your old vibrant self faster than a makeover or a night on the town (or falling in love :)).
The phytonutrients in this mix are no sorry set either: they can help prevent cancer, stop heart disease, and block the progression of diabetes. Not bad for a cup of green goodness, huh?
An Energy-Boosting Mean Green Juice
This mean green juice is for When You REALLY mean business. Jolt yourself into action with this delicious, vitamin-packed cup of goodness. With this nutrient-dense cup of juice, you’ll get enough focused energy to tackle any job ahead of you. With a tinge of brain nourishing lemon and ginger, this juice also contains blood-pressure regulating cucumber and cancer-preventing watercress, and that ‘small handful’ of immune-boosting alfalfa sprouts gives it a load of antioxidants and a slightly nutty taste that’s delicious.
The broccoli in this recipe is also a great anti-inflammatory agent, helping you get over any potential allergy reactions you might meet with throughout the day. That same little half cup of flowerets offers great heart health benefits and will help you lower your cholesterol as well. Happy juicing!
…And the Original Joe Cross Mean Green Juice Recipe
Of course, you can’t have a post about mean green juice and not include Joe Cross’s original recipe. So here it is (you can find it on his website):
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cucumber
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 apples
- 6-8 leaves kale
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 in (2.5 cm) piece of ginger
How to Make Your Own Mean Green Juice
Mean green juice recipes are an absolute juicing staple for weight loss and energy, not to mention overall health perks. Which is why the sooner you learn to make your own, the better off you’ll be.
After all, you don’t want to drink the same old few mean green juices when you can have access to a veritable variety of mean green goodness, right? Right. So here’s how to craft your own.
Choose a Mean Green
By mean, we mean it should be bad to the toxins but not mean to the tastebuds. Here are our favorites to use in a mean green juice.
Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is an essential for green juicing your way to a slimmer waistline. It’s loaded with vitamins. It’s got protein and calcium. And the beautiful red stems of its leaves are loaded with phytonutrients known to boost your metabolism.
These greens are also ideal for diabetics as they contain a phytonutrient called syringic acid that inhibits an enzyme that distrupts and spikes blood glucose levels.
Collard Greens
Like most leafy greens, collards are chock full of vitamins and minerals that help keep your eyesight healthy, boost your immune system, and strengthen your bones.
Collard greens are also packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants that have been shown to inhibit the cellular damage caused by free radicals.
Dandelion Greens
Dandelion greens are a great leafy green to blend for your skin, especially if you’re prone to acne.
Just 100g provides over 200% of your daily requirement of vitamin A, 17% of iron, and 17% of vitamin E – all important nutrients for preventing acne.
But dandelion’s real benefits lie in its detoxification powers – these greens are known to contain active phytochemicals that help detox and support your liver, blood, and gastrointestinal organs.
Cabbage
Cabbage does not boast anywhere near the vitamin and mineral content that most other leafy greens do. But cabbage makes up for it as its rich in glucosinolates, sulfur-containing compounds that your body converts into isothyocyanates and indoles, which then eliminate carcinogens from your body.
The enzyme that does the conversion is destroyed by heat so its best to have your cabbage raw – like in a mean green juice!
Select a Base
Cucumbers make a perfect juice base – they’re high in water content and they have a light, barely discernable taste. This is why they’re a staple in so many juice recipes.
And because they’re also low in sugar and high in nutrients, you can use cucumber as a base in all your mean green juice recipes. But of course, you can also choose to switch it up.
Some alternatives? Celery, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, and green papaya. Watermelon rinds are also perfect for this so don’t toss the white parts out, they make a great base for any juice recipe.
Pick a Sweetener
Drinking a straight up mean green juice without any sweetness is not nice on your palate – at the same time, you don’t want to go overboard. After all, liquid calories count too!
Enter a sweetener. Apples, carrots pineapple, and watermelon will add plenty of water to dilute any bad juice recipe as well as a load of sweetness to take the edge off the bad taste. A couple grapes are great too.
Optional: A Little Extra Kick
A little extra oomph is what adds the “mean” to a mean green juice.
Lemons, limes, ginger, even a tiny bit of chili peppers are good. But they are strong taste overtakers. Just a little bit can go a long way to add flavor – “little bit” being the operative words here.
And there you have it – your very own mean green juice recipes that you can make forever and a day. Happy juicing!
