Growing up in a warm country, a prerequisite for a blistering hot day – about 10 months out of the year – was to pay a visit to the juice bar around the corner from our flat.
The proprietor would stack the counters up with colorful pyramids of oranges, beets, mangoes, guavas and pomegranates, depending on what was in season. Vases filled with rods of sugar cane and long carrots anchored the artful arrangements to create an edible landscape.
Once the juicers started to whir, the sweet scent of freshness would dance through the steamy streets, luring customers in like a pied piper. He’d create his own signature fruit and veggie ‘cocktails’, mixing beet with orange, carrot and mango, a soulful blend of sweet and savory. At a time when soda made it to our side of the globe, juicing was just pure refreshment.
Now we know that fresh juice provides us with invaluable nutrition in a glass. Yet, most of the juice you purchase at the store has been heat pasteurized, which destroys bacteria along with many of the beneficial nutrients.
If you make it at home, you’ll not only preserve a bevy of vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids and good carbohydrates, you’ll also ensure its safety of the fruit and vegetables when you buy and wash them yourself.
Added bonus…you get the best of the fruit, including fiber and concentrated nutrients, while reaping the benefits of quick-release energy in a flash – a great pick-me-up before and after your yoga workout.
Cool Cuke and Honeydew Fizz Recipe
Tip: Use Eat Cleaner wash or wipes for all veggies and fruit in this recipe to enhance safety and flavor.
Why You Should Indulge: Cucumber is a good source of folic acid, potassium, vitamins A and C and is a natural anti-inflammatory, maintaining overall health and wellness. Honeydew melons are also chock full of vitamin C and are naturally low in calories. Combined with sparkling water to give it a fun fizz, Cukes and Honeydews are the perfect mates.
Makes approx. 16 ounces
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cups cubed honeydew melon
1 cup sparkling water
1 Fresh lime
In a blender, pulse cucumber and honeydew until smooth. Add sparkling water and blend thoroughly. Pour over ice or chill and finish with a squeeze of lime.