This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission when you place orders using our links.
I was recently sent a box of Daily Greens juices to try, and it got me thinking about my choices when it comes to drinking juice.
If you’ve seen any documentaries about superfoods or juicing (like this one) you already know about the benefits of drinking your greens. I’m personally not a proponent of juice cleanses, but do think that green juices can be a great addition to your diet.
When I do buy green juice, here are the 3 things I always keep in mind.
These are my personal choices – take what serves you and leave what doesn’t.
1.Is it non-GMO?
The quality of veggies used to make green juice make all the difference. Research shows that organic crops “contain significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus” than conventionally grown crops. If you can’t get your hands on organic produce, at least try to make sure it’s non-GMO. Another budget-friendly option is to buy organic only for produce on the “Dirty Dozen” list, which is the Environmental Working Group’s assessment of the foods that are likely to contain the most pesticides. Stay on the clean side with the dirty dozen chart below.
2.How much sugar is in it?
Sugar from fruit is still sugar. The less sugar in a juice, the better. Some conventional green juice contains over 40 grams of sugar (10 teaspoons, the same as in a can of soda), that’s around what’s recommended to consume daily! I try to go for juices that have under 10 grams of sugar per serving, like the Daily Greens Purity juice with cucumber, pineapple, celery, kale, lime, cilantro and jalapeno. If I do drink the sweeter greens, I make sure to indulge it with some protein and healthy fat (see below).
3.Healthy Fat Is Your Friend
As functional medicine doctors at Parsley Health explained to me, having a sweeter green juice with a fat and protein reduces the glycemic load, making sure you don’t have that “sugar crash” after. Healthy fat is essential for energy, digestion, the absorption of nutrients.
That means you can either blend your green juice with almond butter, tahini, coconut oil or avocado, or drink it with a handful of nuts on the side. This way you’ll get lasting energy as opposed to a short-lasting sugar spike. I also personally like having green juice with breakfast (starting with the juice on an empty stomach for better nutrient absorption).
If you want more info about drinking green juice, I find this post helpful: “5 Things You Didn’t Know About Drinking Green Juice.”
Daily Greens passed my test as they have low sugar juice options, are USDA organic certified and non-GMO, have no preservatives or artifical flavoring, taste great and are affordable ($4.99 per bottle).
Each bottle has 4.5 pounds (7 servings) of raw, organic produce. My favorites were Purity (cucumber, pineapple, celery, kale, lime, cilantro and jalapeno and Himalayan pink salt) and Renew (watermelon, cucumber, celery, spinach, pineapple, lime, spearmint, dandelion Greens and himalayan pink salt).
Check out Daily Greens juices at www.DrinkDailyGreens.com and grocers near you such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, Safeway, Costo or Target!
This post features sponsored products and is in collaboration with Daily Greens. All opinions, as always, are my own!