Winter Protection Juice Recipes

What we all need at this time of year is protection – protection from bugs, hangovers, exhaustion and insomnia, and it’s all here.

Pomegranate Protector

3 Pomegranates
2 Apples
1 Lime
A dash of orange blossom water

Cut the pomegranates in half, scoop all the flesh and white pith into a bowl using a sharp ended spoon.

Wash and cut the apples to fit your juicer. Make the juice, squeeze in the lime juice and add the orange blossom water.

This is full of protective antioxidants in the pomegranate, pectin and vitamin C from the apple, lots more vitamin C from the lime juice and a delicious exotic flavour from the orange blossom. If the flu’s around this is what you need.

Dracula’s Delight

Just the drink to fight off the dreaded Winter cold. Also good for coughs and bronchitis.

My tip – don’t smell before you drink. It tastes great but some people find the smell just too much to bear.

Pectin from the apples helps to cleanse your digestive system.

Celery has a mild diuretic effect which improves the way in which your kidneys work and eliminates the by-products of alcohol.

Finally the garlic protects your heart, lowers blood pressure and kills many common bacteria and fungi, so have some every day.

4 large Apples
3 sticks of Celery with leaves if possible
2 cloves Garlic

Cool as . . .

Here’s a real feel good juice.

Beta-carotene and vitamin A from the carrots will help the skin which is good news if you’re a bit blotchy after too many parties.

The beetroot provides powerful antioxidants that strengthen the oxygen-carrying capacity of the red blood cells and help you feel more energetic.

Cooling cucumber and the feel good essential oils in basil will leave you feeling like a frisky spring lamb and full of energy.

half a cucumber
3 carrots,
1 raw beetroot
1 handful basil

Hot Bananas

You can’t really get juice out of a banana but they’re so nutritious that here’s a real restorative drink to help you sleep, have sweet dreams and ease the aching muscles if you’ve been boogeying the night away

¾ mug of Green and Blacks hot chocolate drink
1 ripe banana
2 tsp honey
pinch of cinnamon
generous pinch of nutmeg

Put it all in a blender and whiz.

All the mind-altering natural chemicals in chocolate.

Energy, vitamin B6 and potassium to restore the jangled nerves from the banana.

Taste from the honey.

Antiviral essential oils from the cinnamon and the wonderful hallucinogen myristicin from nutmeg.