Why Green Juice Is Good For Digestion

Why Green Juice Is Good For Digestion. I love my green juice.

First thing in the morning, as an afternoon treat, or as a mocktail in the evening. There is no bad time for a green juice in my book!

Before my cancer diagnosis, you would rarely catch me with a green drink. It just wasn’t my thing and I didn’t know about the abundant benefits of green juice. Now?! You will see me drinking green juices all the time! They are a part of my normal lifestyle, and I have to tell you they make me feel so good when I drink them.

One of the greatest benefits to drinking green juice regularly is how great it is digestion. With so many people having trouble with their gut health, I feel it’s relevant to bring light just how healing and powerful drinking green juice on a regular basis can be.

How Green Juice Is Good For Digestion

1. Juicing ensures you are getting a TON of phytochemicals.

Phytochemicals are so important to the body! They are plant (meaning phyto) chemicals, which are compounds in plants (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes) that play a role in giving plants their taste, color, and smell. For instance, they give plums and eggplants and carrots their vibrant hues, they give parsley their spicy taste, they give oranges their strong scent. Phytochemicals are edible, in fact they are found in all parts of the plant. Even the peel and skin. (Often the skin is one of the healthiest parts to eat!)

Research shows us that a variety of phytochemicals in our body is important. It helps our gut flora and overall helps us function better in general. Read up on most scientific analysis on the subject, and you will note the importance of varying phytochemicals in our diet and how doing so can even prevent disease (and many diseases start in the gut.)

One of the easiest ways to get a variety of phytochemicals into our diet is through incorporating green juice. Did you know that some of these 12oz bottles of juice have a few pounds of produce in them? Incredible!

2. Green juice instantly increases energy

Now why does energy come into play here? Well, typically we see that slow digestion = stagnant energy. Because the body is a holistic being, we see that the opposite is true, those with great digestion often have an abundance of energy.

A quick way to get your energy levels up is through getting in more fruits and vegetables. Sometimes a meal can be heavy, or sometimes it’s simply impossible to get all the plants in that we need! Studies have shown that the more antioxidants in our body, the lighter and happier and more energetic we will feel.

Green juice is quick way to gain energy and thus improve digestion!

Do keep in mind that we are not talking about juice cleanses here- which there is no scientific evidence to support a vast improvement in health (when you only drink juice) but moreso what will help is rotating in some green juices in the week along with your fiber-full meals.

3. Juice can be easier to digest than whole vegetables and fruits

Many people dealing with digestive struggles know that eating whole fruits and vegetables can be TOUGH on the digestive tract. They want the nutrients, but it can be hard for them to absorb! Fruits tend to be easier, but many people have a hard time with vegetables. Raw vegetables can feel nearly impossible, and sometimes even cooked vegetables are tough. That is where the beauty of juicing comes in!

When you juice fruits and vegetables, you’ve already taken a step out of digestion making it easier for your gut to absorb the healing nutrients.

There are certain processed foods out there that claim to give you full servings of vegetables and fruits while being easier on the digestive system, but keep in mind, you lose a lot of nutrients with processed foods! Juice is still easy on the digestive tract and being fresh- gives you so much more bang for your buck when it comes to nutrients.

Smoothies are also a great option, however many people with GI problems have a very hard time digesting fiber because they don’t often have the proper enzymes.. Unlike smoothies, green juice isn’t going to cause the bloating/discomfort associated with a high-fiber smoothie.

4. Green juice can help with leaky gut

If you have leaky gut and problems with your intestinal walls, there are certain vegetables that can be great to juice and extra beneficial to the gut. These vegetables would normally be tough to digest, but when juiced, it’s easily absorbed and the nutrients can be retained at an optimal level.

Take broccoli for instance. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and it has been shown to reduce digestive issues caused by leaky gut. It can also promote a beneficial balance of friendly bacteria in your gut and can improve gut barrier function. There are chemical compounds in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables known as indole glucosinolates and these compounds can break down into indolocarbazole (ICZ) in your gut, which as Dr. Amy Meyers states, “activates the Aryl hydrocarbon receptor in your intestinal lining.”  This can help seal your leaky gut.

5. Juicing can boost the immune system

This matters because over 70% of the immune system lives in the gut! When you are drinking juice and can quickly absorb the nutrients, you are getting high quality natural vitamin C straight away that your immune system absolutely loves. In green juices, the vitamins and minerals are concentrated and can have a positive, regulative  impact on the immune system. Toxins, food particles that didn’t get digested, and other microbes that get into your bloodstream (if you have a leaky gut) can cause an immune reaction that we don’t want. What’s worse, if this happens often it can turn into an autoimmune condition.
Green juice is useful because it has raw vegetable enzymes that give the immune system a helping hand, a needed boost! Juicing regularly (especially vegetable juice) can help with a lot of symptoms that go hand in hand with gut issues that later turn into immune system issues. Frankly, gut issues are immune system issues to begin with. So here is to good health and many days ahead filled with green juice!

To leave you with a few relevant articles to further this topic, check out my research done on kale (a wonderful vegetable to juice), why I chose a plant-based diet to fight cancer and prevent it, and a green juice recipe I often go back to again and again! It’s so good, and full of great nutrients!