Juices to Drink for a Healthy Gut: Expert Recommendations
I've been hearing a lot about probiotics, gut health, and microbiomes lately. From Netflix documentaries and celebrities with gut health issues to fitness influencers, everyone is emphasizing the importance of gut health and its impact on every aspect of our lives. They highlight how the gut microbiome affects our mental health, including depression, as well as weight loss, metabolism, allergies, heart disease, and even cancer. They also point out that these effects vary for each person based on their upbringing, diet, and environment. Let's dive deep into this whole gut health topic.
Maintaining a healthy gut is essential for overall well-being, influencing digestion, immunity, and even mental health. One effective way to support gut health is through the consumption of juices that contain beneficial nutrients, enzymes, and compounds.
Effective ways to support gut health include modifying our diet to incorporate foods rich in beneficial microbiomes that our bodies need or may be lacking, taking probiotics, and consuming juices that contain essential nutrients, enzymes, and compounds.
The Importance of Gut Health
The gut microbiome, a diverse community of trillions of microorganisms in our digestive tract, plays a critical role in many bodily functions. A balanced gut microbiome aids digestion, enhances nutrient absorption, supports the immune system, and protects against harmful pathogens. Disruptions in this balance can lead to various health issues, including gastrointestinal disorders, metabolic diseases, and even mood disorders. Different things in your internal and external environment can affect your microbiomes, including: Antibiotics and antimicrobial agents. Other drugs and medications. Smoking and alcohol use. by infectious illnesses, certain diets, or the prolonged use of antibiotics or other bacteria-destroying medications
Let's explore expert-recommended juices for a healthy gut, backed by scientific research and practical advice.
Top 5 Juices for a Healthy Gut
Ginger Juice
Ginger juice has many benefits icluding powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It can help alleviate digestive discomfort, reduce bloating, and improve overall digestion. Ginger also stimulates the production of digestive enzymes, aiding in nutrient absorption. A review in Phytotherapy Research highlights ginger's effectiveness in treating nausea and improving gastrointestinal motility.
Drink a small glass before meals to aid digestion. How to make ginger juice.
Recipe from Immaculate Bites
Recipe Ingredients
Ginger – The key player in this recipe, ginger is both delicious and healthy!
Mint provides a bright, herby flavor to the juice.
Lemons add a little extra zest and a Vitamin C boost.
Sugar or honey delivers a touch of sweetness and balances well with the tangy ginger.
How to make
Wash the ginger, then peel it using a knife or spoon to remove the skin.
Prepare Mint – Crush mint in a small bowl using a small mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Chop the Ginger into rough chunks, but small enough to easily blend in a blender or food processor. An alternative would be to use a microplane or fine edge of a grater. Don’t cut ginger into chunks if using a grater to grate the ginger.
Boil Water – Bring about 7 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or pot.
Blend – While the water is heating up, place ginger into a blender, cover it with 1 cup of water and blend until the ginger is thick and pasty.
Mix the ginger paste in a large bowl with mint and boiled water.
Strain – Sieve ginger using cheesecloth over a large bowl or cup, then squeeze the juice from the ginger and let it drain into the bowl. Discard the remaining paste.
Flavor – Stir lemon juice and sugar into ginger juice until the sugar dissolves, and serve garnished with mint leaves. Serve hot or cold over ice!!
Carrot Juice
Carrot juice is high in beta-carotene, fiber, and antioxidants. It helps maintain the health of the mucous membranes in the digestive tract, promotes regular bowel movements, and supports overall gut health. According to research published in Nutrients, the antioxidants in carrots, including beta-carotene, can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the gut .
Drink a glass of fresh carrot juice in the morning or as a mid-day snack. How to make carrot juice. Recipe from Dassana's veg recipes
Recipe Ingredients
Carrots – The key player in this recipe, carrots are both tasty and healthy! It pairs well with other vegetables and fruits like ginger, apple, or spinach.
How to make
Prep Carrots - First, rinse the carrots very well. Dry them with a clean kitchen towel or allow them to drain naturally, and peel them. After they are dried completely and peeled off, chope the carrots.
Blender method
Add the carrots to the blender.
Add ¼ to ½ cup of water, or as needed. Be sure not to add too much water as this will thin the juice.
Only add water as required to help the carrot to blend in the blender or mixer-grinder.
Blend until smooth and fine, making sure there are no visible chunks of carrots left.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, pour the blended carrot mixture onto the strainer to strain the juice.
Press it gently with spatula to extract as much juice as possible.
Pour the carrot juice into a serving glass and serve immediately!!
Juicer method
Add the chopped carrots in the feeder tube of your juice and extract the juice.
Serve the carrot juice straight away!!
Beet Juice
Beet juice is a fantastic source of fiber, folate, and antioxidants. It helps stimulate the production of digestive enzymes and supports liver detoxification, essential for maintaining a healthy gut. A study in Nutrition Research Reviews found that dietary nitrate from beet juice can promote gut microbiome health and enhance cardiovascular function .
Drink a glass of fresh beet juice in the morning and again in the evening before dinner, start with a small amount if you're new to beet juice, as it can be potent.
How to make beet juice. Recipe from Aphafoodie
Recipe Ingredients
Beetroots – The key player in this recipe, beetroots are naturally sweet and have an earthy flavor! It pairs well with other vegetables and fruits like carrot, apple, or cucumber.
How to make
Prep beetrot- first, wash the beets well, fill a bowl with water and brush away any dirt with a vegetable brush then rinse them well Chop the beets into 4-8 pieces, depending on their size (small enough to fit your juicer chute).
Blender method
Add the chopped beetrots to the blender.
Add ¼ to ½ cup of water, or as needed. Be sure not to add too much water as this will thin the juice.
Only add water as required to help the beettoot to blend in the blender or mixer-grinder.
Blend until smooth and juicy, making sure there are no visible chunks left.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl.
Pour the blended beetroot mixture onto the strainer to strain the juice.
Press it gently with spatula to extract as much juice as possible.
Pour the beet juice into a serving glass and serve!!
Juicer method
Add the chopped beetrots in the feeder tube of your juice and extract the juice.
Serve the beet juice straight away!!
Pineapple Juice
Pineapple juice contains bromelain, an enzyme that helps break down proteins and aids digestion. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce gut inflammation. Research in the Journal of Medicinal Food highlights bromelain's role in improving digestive health and reducing inflammation .
Drink a glass of fresh pineapple juice after each meal. It pairs well with other fruits like orange or ginger for a tropical twist. How to make pineapple juice. Recipe from Foodviva
Recipe Ingredients
1/2 ripe pineapple (regular size) or (1½ cups chopped fresh pineapple)
1-2 teaspoon sugar or honey for taste (optional)
1/2 cup water
5-6 Ice cubes (optional)
How to make
Prep pineapple - first, wash the pineapple and remove its outer skin using a long knife. Chop the pineapple into two halves, take one half and chop into pieces. Keep another half for other purpose.
Blender method
Add the chopped pineapple to the blender.
Add ½ cup of water in the blender or mixer-grinder.
Blend until smooth and juicy, making sure there are no visible chunks left.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, pour the blended pineapple mixture onto the strainer to strain the juice.
Press it gently with spatula to extract as much juice as possible.
Add ice cubes and stir for a minute, taste the juice and if you like, add sugar, or honey into a mix and stir for a minute.
Pour the pineapple juice into two serving glasses and serve!!
Celery Juice
Celery juice is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is known for its ability to reduce inflammation, promote healthy digestion, and support hydration due to its high water content. A study in Phytotherapy Research indicates that the antioxidants in celery can help protect the digestive tract and support overall gut health.
Drink a glass of fresh celery juice on an empty stomach in the morning for optimal benefits. It pairs well with cucumber or apple to enhance the flavour.
How to make pineapple juice. Recipe from California Grown
Recipe Ingredients
Celery the only one thing you really need to make this recipe
A slice of lemon (optional)
How to make
Prep celery- first, remove the end, slice off the root end of the celery and separate the stalks. Thoroughly rinse the celery stalks to remove any dirt.
Chop the celery into 3 or 4 pieces each, remove the leaves or keep them on, either way is fine. (the leaves make the juice slightly bitter, so if you are sensitive to that, you might want to take them off)
Blender method
Add the chopped celery to the blender, a couple of handful at a time
Add ½ cup of water in the blender or mixer-grinder.
Blend until smooth making sure there are no visible chunks left.
Keep adding more celery a couple handfuls at a time blending until smooth before adding more. (to prevent the blender from getting stuck)
Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, pour the blended celery mixture onto the strainer to strain the juice.
Press it gently with spatula to extract as much juice as possible.
over ice with a lemon wheel on the side.
Add ice cubes and lemon slices and stir for a minute.
Pour the celery juice into serving glasses and serve!!
Turmeric Juice
Turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound. Turmeric juice can help reduce gut inflammation, improve digestion, and support a healthy gut microbiome. A review in Frontiers in Pharmacology underscores curcumin's potential in treating digestive disorders and enhancing gut health .
Drink a small glass of tumeric juice after each meal. Fresh turmeric juice can be strong, so mix it with other juices like carrots, ginger, pineapples or apples. How to make pineapple juice. Recipe from Foodviva
Recipe Ingredients
5 carrots
1 medium apple
1 thin slice fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2/3 cups water
How to make
Prep your ingredients - first, wash your apple and carrots, peel off the ginger roots and the carrots outer skin. Chop the apple, carrots and ginger into small pieces that will fit easily into the blender.
Blender method
Add all the ingredients to the blender.
Add 2/3 cup of water in the blender or mixer-grinder.
Blend until smooth and juicy, making sure there are no visible chunks left.
Pour the tumeric juice into a serving glass and serve immedietetly !!
Incorporating these gut-friendly juices into your diet can significantly enhance your digestive health and overall well-being. Consistency is key, so enjoy these juices regularly as part of a balanced diet rich in fiber, lean proteins, healthy fats, and probiotic fermented foods (yoghurt, kimchi, kefir, kombucha). While these juices can improve gut health, it's important to listen to your body and adjust your intake based on how you feel. If you experience persistent digestive issues, consult a healthcare professional for personalized advice and treatment.
Here's to a healthier gut and a happier you!!
