Juice! Crimson Cleanser & The Benefits of Swiss Chard

This weekend I was inspired by a gorgeous vegan friend to begin a juice fast I’ve been avoiding. She’s on a 48 Day cleanse right now. Talk about gangsta. When you see how incredibly flawless her skin is, it all makes sense that she commits to this regimen at least once a year. I always know when my body is crying out for a detox. A sure giveaway is the quality of my skin starts to dull a bit. After a few stressful days in New York, eating a few things I shouldn’t have, and also having MAC makeup applied for a fashion show on my skin (which I’ve discovered makes me break out), juicing is the remedy my internal doctor can prescribe without hesitation. So, I’ve been juicing, and when the recipes are not boring, I will blog about them so you can follow my progress. It’s really good, especially in a juice fast to get out of your rut of familiar juice recipes and incorporate others, you never know how much your body needs what a particular veggie can offer. For this crimson juice, I used beet, which is a great blood cleanser and red swiss chard. Funny enough, beets and swiss chard are in the same family. If you know your vegetables, you should know that beet greens (the leaves above the root) look strikingly similar to red swiss chard leaves.

Swiss chard is a colorful dark leafy green that can have stalks that are green, white, red, orange, or yellow. This plant despite the misleading name originated in Sicily, and is one of the most antioxidant rich foods, like, on the planet. Definitely, a nutrient dense veggie, chard is packed with disease fighting antioxidants and also vitamin E, C, A, K, B6, zinc, magnesium, manganese, copper, potassium, iron, fiber, riboflavin and protein. Swiss chard is also great for diabetics or anyone at risk for diabetes because it contains acids that help to regulate the blood sugar levels in the body. This green is also great for people with eye problems and for hair growth. It contains a high dosage of lutein, an antioxidant that is essential for eye health, and biotin, and important vitamin that promotes hair growth and strength. The stems of swiss chard are full of glutamine, which is an amino acid that with give your immune system a boost and help you recover faster from major surgeries or injuries. Besides all the aforementioned benefits, it can also help your body maintain the proper bone density, and can prevent colon cancer. Not too shabby. The next time your carting your way past these rainbow colored greens, I highly recommend you grab a bunch and give them a try. If not, just for the sake of adding some variety to your diet. To get the full nutritional benefits eat them raw and toss them in a salad or juice them. -XoXo Raw Girl

Crimson Cleanser

1 whole head of celery

4 Red Swiss Chard leaves

1/2 beet

1/2 lemon

ginger

Juice all ingredients, strain and serve. Made me a little more than 32 oz of juice. Enjoy!