Summer is upon us. Normally, this means spending lazy days out in the sun, snacking on hot dogs and having backyard parties, splashing in the pool with a horde of friends with drink-breaks in-between.
Not this summer.
This summer is all about social-distancing and being a responsible citizen. This hot season requires you to keep to yourself as much as you can so you can keep yourself and everyone else safe from the coronavirus. That doesn’t have to mean that you can’t have a good time within the confines of your house, though. What you can do is stay at home, spend the whole day sunbathing, sipping a tall drink of…juice!
Natural juices are one of the best things you can do for your body, as they provide antioxidants and fill you with energy. Let’s take a look at the 10 best juices you can make for yourself, as you’re stuck at home anyway. But before that, let’s understand the science behind mixing juices.
Juice Mixing Guide
Having a glass of juice made with just one fruit/vegetable item is just about as boring as watching paint dry, and it can also make you feel like a toddler who has been given a sippy cup of diluted juice. What you can do to have a great drink is mix things up a bit. You can mix different fruits, or vegetables, or a bit of both. For some extra zing factor, you can add some spices or some ginger.
Mixing a very sweet juice with a very tart one can deliver a yummy combination. Similarly, adding some fruit to green juices can make it that much easier to get some leafy greens into your system. A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be difficult!
Also, having a good machine can really go a long way when looking to make yummy juices. True, you can always deseed pomegranates and use a blender to get the juice, but you will also end up blending some of the seeds which will lend a strange, bitter flavor to your drink. It’s always better to have a juicer.
Now, let’s take a look at some juices.
1. Pomegranate and lime
The very sweet juice of the pomegranate is balanced out superbly by the lime. Instead of wasting your time in deseeding the pomegranates, just cut them in half and put them in a juice press. When you have your pomegranate juice, put it in a blender along with lime juice, a few sprigs of mint, and your choice of sweetener. Since pomegranate juice is already very sweet, I’d advise you to skip the sweetener, but if the tartness of the lime doesn’t sit well with you, you will need a bit of extra sugar power.
You can serve this with ice cubes, or you can simply add the ice while blending the juice so it crushes and integrates well. Pour in glasses, and enjoy a refreshing glass full of antioxidants and vitamins.
2. Pineapple and pear
Sweet pears and tangy pineapples go really well together. Add in some mint and lemon and you’ve got a refreshing glass that packs a hefty punch of vitamins. Make sure you remove the rind completely off the pineapple and chop it up in small pieces so its long fibers don’t clog your juicer.
For a bit of extra sweetness, you can even add in an apple or two in this fruit combination. Serve with ice and a slice of lemon!
3. Cucumber and Pear
This juice makes for a great, healthy glass of juice that is extremely hydrating and refreshing. It is especially great for those people who find cucumber juice alone to be too mild. The neutral juice of the cucumber mixes with the sweetness of the pears to balance everything out very nicely.
Pass everything through a juicer, including a few sprigs of mint, squeeze in some lemon, and enjoy!
4. Carrot and orange
This juice is really great as it offers a lot of beta carotene and vitamin C, and makes for a wonderful breakfast juice. But there’s a catch; you might need to take this in moderation as an excess of this causes heartburn in some people. Ideally, mix half an orange with two carrots to make a healthy blend. You can add some ginger for a bit of zing.
Make sure you wash your carrots very carefully before passing them through the juicer. This juice has sweetness from both carrots and oranges, so you don’t need any extra sweeteners. Win-win!
5. Pomegranate and cucumber
Cucumber juice on its own can be a bit bland for some people, so if you’re looking for its hydrating qualities but find it a bit hard to drink, look no further. All you have to do is mix it with some sweet, tart pomegranate juice and you will find yourself coming back to this fruit combination over and over.
The mild cucumber balances out the tartness of the pomegranate very well and is aided by its sweetness. You can also add a knob of ginger to give it a little extra something.
6. Carrot and apple
Apple juice is a very sweet juice that is extremely rich in iron. Some people might find it a bit too sweet to drink a full glass of just that, and mixing it with the beta carotene-rich, slightly bitter juice of carrots will be just the thing.
The not-very-sweet juice of the carrot is balanced out very well by apple juice and is, simply put, packed with things your body will love you for ingesting.
7. Kale and apple
Everyone and his brother will tell you to take some quantity of leafy greens as an essential part of your lifestyle. The trouble is, greens like kale are a bit hard to eat. What you can do is, juice the leaf out of the green like there’s no tomorrow. Toss your kale along with some apples into the juicer, and enjoy a great glass of refreshing juice sweetened just so by the apples. Using Granny Smiths will give the juice a tart factor that will go well with kale.
To make it more fibrous, you can blend the kale with the apple juice in a blender. Taking kale has never been easier!
8. Kale and pomegranate
Kale again. If you want to enjoy the highly-absorbable calcium of kale but don’t care for its slightly bitter taste, don’t worry. Pomegranate has you covered! The very sweet and tart juice of the pomegranate will balance out the bitterness and intensity of the kale, and you’ll be able to enjoy a glass of juice that is not only extremely refreshing but is also very good for health.
You should juice the pomegranate in a juice press, and then blend the kale with the pomegranate juice in a blender for best results.
9. Celery and apple
Celery juice is great as it is said to fight infections, inflammation, and reduce bloating, among other things. But drinking celery juice straight up might not be everyone’s cup of tea – or better said, glass of juice. A great way to ensure you take celery juice as a regular part of the diet and make it so enjoyable that you can sip it slowly while sunbathing out in the yard, is to add in some apples and maybe a knob of ginger to spice things up a little.
10. Kale, pear, and cucumber
You can mix mild cucumber, strong kale, and very sweet pears to make a glass of juice that will freshen you up and energize you for the day ahead. The sweet pear juice balances out the intensity of the kale, while the large water content of the cucumber gives the juice a liquid consistency that is easier to drink.
You can add some ice while you blend the kale with the pear and cucumber juice to crush it. Alternatively, you can have it with some ice cubes. Squeeze in some lemon if you feel like some extra tartness.
So there you have it, folks! 10 yummy fruit and veg combinations to try this summer for some next-level juices. Now make yourself a glass of chilly, refreshing juice, and go sit in the sun!
