Are you into juicing?

When it comes to your health, it’s one of the best things you can do.

And, although sweeter juices like apple, carrot, and beet have many health benefits, as do powerful greens like kale and spinach, I’m going to focus here on two lighter choices: cucumber and celery juice.

Both of these pale green juices are light and elegant, yet packed with nutrition. And if ultra-soft skin is your goal, they can’t be beat! Both are excellent for hydrating your cells, which is crucial for youthful skin.

Cucumbers can be juiced either peeled or with the skins on. If you elect not to peel before juicing, be sure to wash your cucumbers well, using vegetable wash to remove the wax, as it tends to seal in pesticides and other impurities. Even organic cucumbers are often waxed.

Celery juice is a nutritional powerhouse. It has a stronger flavor than cucumber juice, and if you drink a lot of it you may start to smell like celery, but the nutritional benefits are well worth it.

For one thing, celery juice is a strong anti-inflammatory. As we age, inflammation harms our bodies in many ways — so the more anti-inflammation foods we incorporate, the better.

Celery juice is also strongly alkaline and is rich in organic sodium.

Here are a few ideas for healthful, satisfying things you can do with cucumber and celery juices:

1. Make a “virgin mojito.” 

Summer is coming up fast, and I’m looking forward to having cucumber juice “cocktails,” served in a chilled highball glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a squeeze of lemon to make an elegant, nonalcoholic “virgin mojito”!

Your dinner party guests will love you for including some non-alcoholic beverages that still delight the senses with the chilled glass, pretty colors, and fresh garnishes. And they’ll be even happier when they learn how healthful it is!

2. Cool inflammation.

Try juicing organic celery with fresh turmeric for extra anti-inflammation benefits — but be careful not to get the turmeric juice on kitchen surfaces or clothing, because it will stain things yellow.

Fresh turmeric looks kind of like ginger, and you can find it in health food stores or Asian markets. It has a somewhat spicy, peppery taste. I grow my own turmeric in my garden.  (For more info on turmeric, CLICK HERE.)

3. Morning drink.

Try starting off your day with 16 oz. of freshly made organic celery juice. One bunch of celery makes about that much.

Drink it right after your Micronized Purple Rice on an empty stomach first thing in the morning to start your day off right. Do this for a week and see how much better you feel!

4. Base for wheat grass juice.

You may have heard of the health benefits of wheat grass juice. It’s loaded with chlorophyll, which helps strengthen the blood, and it’s also packed with vitamins and minerals.

But by itself it’s pretty strong and doesn’t taste all that great. I like to mix it with cucumber or celery juice, both for the health benefits and to improve the taste.

If you want to make wheat grass juice at home, you might need a special adaptor or even a different device, as most home juicers can’t handle it.

But if you’re out and about, wheat grass juice is generally available at juice bars. Ask for it with cucumber or celery juice!

5. Base for probiotic veggies.

If you try making homemade sauerkraut or other fermented vegetables to help improve your gut health (For more on gut health CLICK HERE), you can use celery juice as the liquid.

It works better than brine (saltwater) but has the same effect of drawing the liquid out of the veggies. It also keeps pathogenic (bad) bacteria from growing during the fermentation process.

You can get a starter culture to help the fermenting process along and ensure a rich variety of microbes for your gut health. Starter cultures can be ordered online, and there are websites with instructions on how to ferment.

Do it today, for a healthier gut micro biome!

Have you tried juicing celery or cucumbers? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!