by Dreama Vance

It has turned cold and gray and rainy where we are in Colorado. When the weather turns cold, cooling raw foods lose their appeal. The last thing I want in the morning is a cold smoothie!

There is hope, however, for those of us still aspiring to increase our raw food intake. It comes in the form of additions to our fresh juices and at the top of the list is fresh ginger. I rediscovered this spice last year at this time and I have been adding it to my green juices and my carrot-based juices for over a year now.

Using fresh ginger warms you all the way through your body and keeps you warm long after the juice is gone. It has amazing health benefits which you can research yourself.

In the last Juice Cleanse event with Jason Vale, we started each day with a Ginger Shot. Just before you start to juice your regular juice, juice half an apple and half an inch (1 cm+) of fresh ginger root. You can pour this into a shot glass and drink it in one swallow, but I like to just drink mine normally. As you get used to ginger, you can add more. If you are timid, you can start out with less ginger. This is a great wake-up in the morning. It is particularly good to replace caffeine. It also gets you started until your normal juice is ready!

Here is another one of Jason Vale’s recipes from a previous cleanse, Lemon/Ginger Zinger. Juice 2 carrots, 2 sweet apples, 1-inch (2.5 cm) of lemon (with peel if organic,) and a quarter-inch of fresh ginger root. I like to add about an inch of ginger. It’s delicious.

My last recipe is a green juice and an adaptation of Lou Corona’s Lemon Ginger Blast. Juice 2 sweet apples (such as Fuji or Gala,) 4 sticks of celery, 1 cucumber, some greens such as Swiss chard, kale, or spinach, 1 lemon (with peel if organic,) 1 inch of ginger root, 1 inch of jalapeno pepper. This is spicy hot and delicious. If you aren’t accustomed to heat, start with less ginger and jalapeno. I like the fresh jalapeno pepper much better than dry cayenne powder. This juice is a power house. Once you have the basic recipe down, then you can add and subtract to it or swap out your greens. You can add dandelion, fennel, and mint or cilantro or parsley. Each ingredient has its own healing properties.

You may never do a complete cleanse and you may never do a juice fast or a water fast. However, if you juice everyday, with your own fresh juice or fresh juice from a juice bar, you will start on a path of good health.

Green juices don’t have to taste yucky. Two sweet apples make just about any green juice palatable. For hardier fare, carrot juice combinations work well.

If you start your day with fresh juice, when the stomach is empty, the juice is quickly absorbed right into your system. You will begin to alkalize and hydrate your body. You will begin to nourish your body with easily accessible nutrients. It is one of the best ways to take charge of your health.

Jay Kordich, a Master of Juice Therapy recommends 32 ounces (equal to one liter or one US quart) of fresh juice a day. I like to get mine done first thing in the morning so I am finished for the day; otherwise, one excuse after another gets in the way. You will be surprised at how nourishing, filling, and long-lasting those 32 ounces of juice are.

If you haven’t made daily juicing one of your steps on the journey of good health, I hope you will be inspired to start!

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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