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This thing called life got a hold of me for the past few months so the inspiration to create new drinks waned for a bit, but now it’s back with a vengeance.
I know that at this point everyone is tired of kale this and kale that, but there’s a reason it’s everywhere. Kale ties with collard greens for being at the top of the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) with a score of 1,000. ANDI assigns a score to a variety of foods based on how many nutrients they deliver to your body in each calorie consumed so you’re able to get a sense of what foods give you the highest nutrient potential with the fewest calories. Check out Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman (developer of the ANDI scores) for a more detailed explanation of ANDI scores.
Not only is kale highly nutritious, but it contains sulforaphane (an organosulfur compound with anticancer properties) and carotenoids, which protect the eyes from excessive exposure to UV light and can help decrease the rick of cataracts and macular degeneration.
In addition, kale helps prevent constipation (oh boy does it…wonder why it’s called ‘surprise’? ha!), high blood pressure, and weight gain.
The trouble with kale is its intense flavor that many people can’t handle. I have to admit that the first time I tried kale juice it was disgusting. However, after trial and error I developed just the right recipes that balanced out the taste of kale so that I was able to actually enjoy the taste of this super-good-for-you juice.
Kaleiwi Lemonade Surprise
1 large bunch of kale (just rinse and juice leaves, stems and all)
2 large carrots
1 large lemon, peeled (Be sure to leave as much as the pith or ‘soft white part’ as it’s highly nutritious, but juicing any of the peel will make your juice undrinkable)
3 kiwis (No need to peel as the peel contains nutrients and is how they’re supposed to be eaten anyway)
3 medium apples
1 Minneola tangelo; orange, tangerines, etc. will also work (Be sure to leave as much as the pith or ‘soft white part’ as it’s highly nutritious, but juicing any of the peel will make your juice undrinkable)
1 celery stalk (Make sure to keep the leaves on if there are any as not only are they tasty but nutritious)
Related Articles
- Kalelicious Carrot Pear Juice (millenialjuicer.wordpress.com)
- The Truth About Kale: Nutrition, Recipe Ideas, and More (webmd.com)
Millennial Juicer 
I keep hearing great things about kale but haven’t worked up the balls to try it yet!
ha! Guess I only replied in my head. Sorry this is months late. Anyway, I was like that about kale and at first it took a bit to get used to it in salads, but now I love it and can eat it any way, even raw 🙂
Seriously, if you like spinach salads you’ll like kale and you get so much more bang for your buck, financially and nutrition-wise, IMHO, of course.
If you have worked up the balls by now, let me know what you think – if not, I can give you some kale-licioius recipes to try out that will help you get started on loving kale.