Superfood Elixir Juice

An elixir by definition is “a magical or medicinal potion“. I’ve always loved that word. When used in this juice recipe, it implies healing powers. In some ways, that’s true. This superfood juice elixir is as healthy as you can get in the juice world, thanks to the superfoods it’s made with. But, what are superfoods and why are they so “super” for you?

Superfoods” are foods that offer important power-packed nutrients that further enhance healthy eating. These include dark leafy greens, berries, fish, nuts/seeds, olive oil, yogurt, olive oil, cruciferous vegetables, legumes, avocados, and some spices such as turmeric and ginger. Superfoods are said to optimize health and possibly even help with disease prevention.

No single food (not even a superfood) has all the nutrition, health benefits, and energy we need to nourish ourselves. However many believe superfoods offer substantial benefits to the health department. The 2015–2020 US Dietary Guidelines, it recommends “overall healthy eating patterns“.  By this they mean, “combining healthy choices from across all food groups — while paying attention to calorie limits”. This falls in line with my general philosophy overall. While it can’t hurt to include superfoods in your diet, eating a variety of foods in moderation is the goal.

I’m not a huge juice person generally, so I worked on making this elixir more mild for easy sipping. Many prefer kale as their go-to green, but I prefer spinach due to its high levels of vitamins K and A. Another powerhouse ingredient in this recipe is fresh wheatgrass which I prefer over the powder form. Wheatgrass is loaded with vitamins A, C, and E, as well as iron, magnesium, calcium, and 17 different amino acids. Lastly, I added turmeric. Also called “the golden spice”, turmeric is loaded with curcumin, known best for its anti-inflammatory and pain reliever properties.

The bottom line, superfoods themselves can’t do it all, the real goal is eating a variety of nutritious foods every day. But based on what research is continuing to say, superfoods seem to be providing some power-packed nutrients that make them important and worthy in our daily diets.

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