Cool Cucumber

Cucumbers are available during late spring and throughout summer. Cucumbers are 95% water, so during summertime when our body requires more than it's usual intake of liquids, they hydrate and cool the body whether eaten whole or juiced. They replenish the body with vitamins and electrolytes, adding many essential nutrients lost during dehydration. The high water content and dietary fiber in this super vegetable is very effective in ridding the body of toxins from the digestive system and aiding in digestion. Daily consumption of this vegetable is good for constipation, reduction of bad cholesterol and controlling blood pressure.

I don't regularly add tomatoes to my cucumber juice but this particular tomato (pictured above) looked so delicious that it was just aching to be juiced! To my usual combination of cucumbers and lemon I top with a few mint leaves and a touch of black rock salt. If you're extremely serious about your juice add a spoonful of spirulina powder for a double dose of nutrients. Personally an addition of spirulina tastes incredible with the cucumber and mint mix.

It’s best to leave the skins on when juicing most fruits and vegetables as this is where most of the nutritional value lies. Seeds and skin are a great source for essential oils and nutrition that are sadly neglected from juicing. Avoid apple seeds as they contain small levels of cyanide which isn't particularly harmful if you ingest a few seeds now and again. For juicing to happen on an optimum level I advise investing in a good quality juicer. A great  juicer should have the capability to juice leafy greens. If you can find one that does then it will be a friend for many years as juicing greens more than fruits is the secret to your vitality and health.

Cool cucumber juice blend:

2 large cucumbers with skin

1/2 lemon/lime with skin

a few mint leaves added later to the glass of juice

touch of black sea salt

1 tablespoon spirulina powder (if you like but not necessary)