3 Juice Recipes for Great Skin

What we eat and drink really can affect our skin’s appearance. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables will help skin look refreshed, hydrated, dare we say?, even younger. So stop dieting to be skinny and start eating to look and feel beautiful. These three juice recipes in our Juicing 101 series include the five best vitamins for skin, as well as other minerals and nutrients needed to help skin glow from the inside out.

1. Vitamin C Super Juice

I’m calling this one Vitamin C Super Juice. It includes orange, apple and broccoli, all of which are great sources of anti-aging vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for collagen production and also helps to protect skin from UV rays by increasing the effectiveness of sunscreen.

Broccoli might seem like a strange juice ingredient, but it’s absolutely delicious! Be sure to include the stalks, stems and any leaves in addition to the crown. The stalk is very juicy. Use organic, if possible, and make sure the broccoli isn’t dried out or yellowing. Broccoli contains high amounts of vitamin C, and also small amounts of selenium, which scientists believe helps prevent skin cancer by protecting skin from sun damage.

Oranges add another sweet element to this juice, along with B vitamins, copper and potassium, all of which are important for healthy skin. Copper combined with vitamin C works to develop elastin, which helps support your skin’s structure from beneath the surface.

Fresh raw apple juice is full of nutrients besides vitamin C, such as vitamin K and potassium. Vitamin K helps with blood coagulation and repairing wounds and also helps keep under-eye circles to a minimum.

2. Vitamin A Plus Juice

Orange fruits and vegetables, like the ones in this Vitamin A Plus Juice, are high in vitamin A, which our bodies convert to beta-carotene. Vitamin A is one of the most important antioxidants for beautiful skin, and helps reduce wrinkles and acne.

If the juice is too sweet, add a little fresh lemon juice, which will also give it a burst of  vitamin C. Because the cantaloupe and mango are soft fruits and don’t do well in my juicer, I will often juice the carrots first, then add the fresh juice plus the cantaloupe and mango into the blender. It has a thicker, smoothie-like texture, and retains the fiber. It’s a very refreshing juice on a hot summer day.

3. Hydrating Cleanser Juice

This tangy juice is one of my favorites. It’s a hardcore cleansing juice that also hydrates and is full of skin-friendly vitamins and minerals.

Kale is high in vitamins A, C, K and contains smaller amounts of B6, B1, B3, E, and omega-3 fats, all of which are great for skin. Parsley is one of the greatest sources of vitamin K, and also contains moderate amounts of vitamins C and A, folate, iron and copper. Lemon, of course, is very high in vitamin C, which helps the body neutralize free radicals that cause damage to healthy cells and cell membranes.

Cucumbers are not only a great source of vitamins (A, B, C and K) and minerals (magnesium, potassium and silicon), but they are also very hydrating. They are 95% water and contain most of the vitamins needed in a single day. They have anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial for the body inside and out.

9