Healthy Green Drinks: Mint Julep

Hi, my name is Jaspreet Saroya. For my quarter 2 IRP book, I chose the book called, The Healthy Green Drink Diet by Jason Manheim. I chose this book, because I want to start a healthier lifestyle and incorporate more vegetables in my diet. For my first drink, I decided to make the Mint Julep.

                  Ingredients:

                  1 stalk celery

                  1 handful mint leaves

                  2-3 handfuls spinach

                  1 apple

Now the process for making juices or smoothies is pretty simple. First, I grabbed the broccoli and washed it so that it was clean to put into my juice. Next, I did the same with the mint leaves. Then I also grabbed a couple handfuls of spinach and washed those then put them into the blender. My last step was to wash the apple and cut it up into a few pieces so it would be easier to blend. Even though the recipe did not say, I also put in some water so the juice wouldn't end up being too chunky. Then, I just turned on my blender and let it run until I was content with the consistency of the juice.

The different types of vegetables and fruits used in this drink have many different benefits. First, the celery is what caused the juice to be a little salty. According to the author Jason Manheim, he says that celery is also very rich in the vitamins K and C. Which means that celery is great for your immune system. For me, I am currently sick so when I had this drink it refreshed me and made me feel a little bit better knowing that this would help my immune system. Next, the main ingredient for this juice was mint. Mint is very good for helping an upset stomach by waking you up. Mint also adds a burst of flavor that is very refreshing and the aroma of it can also cure headaches and nausea. The next ingredient in this drink was spinach, which is one of the world’s healthiest vegetables. "Spinach is rich in vitamins A, C, B2, B6, E, and K" (Manheim 24). Knowing that that spinach is so healthy, I started eating more spinach that I ever did before. Also about half of spinach is all protein though it is not safe to only take in spinach because it does contain oxalic acid, but to take in many different types of greens. The last ingredient in this drink is apples, which are great antioxidants and contain a lot of dietary fibers which are absolutely great for your health. They also help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.

This drink isn’t something I would typically have. It was different because I am not that used to drinking juices with too many greens in them. Though I have to say, it was pretty was not that bad. It definitely refreshed me and helped me wake up. It also made me feel much better than I was before because I wasn’t feeling too good around the time I made it. Even when I was sick, which is when I sometimes get a bit picky I would still highly recommend this drink to people who want a burst of refreshing flavor.

What’s your favorite type of vegetable to include in your juices and why?

Manheim, Jason. The Healthy Green Drink Diet. New York, Skyhorse, 2012.