How to Get the Benefits of Juice Without the Calories

Want to experience the benefits of a juice cleanse without consuming all that excess sugar? Juice shots, such as wheatgrass, have been popular for years– and it’s no wonder, as they offer a fast and intense influx of nutrients in condensed form. But what about other superfoods? Can’t they also be condensed for maximum benefits without the excess calories?

Luck for us, the answer is yes. Try these prescriptive juice shots formulated with adaptogens (foods that help your body to adapt to stress) and bio-hacking foods that add additional benefits and new flavors for delicious, targeted healing.

Nettle Ginger Shot For Joint Health

Italians have long loved nettle throughout history. Roman soldiers carried it on long war campaigns to ease joint and muscle pain during intense treks by foot. It’s still used today as a folk remedy to soothe rheumatism and is even used in culinary preparations.

Nettle contains a long list of naturally occurring antioxidants and other beneficial compounds that you’ll also find in both superfood greens like kale and green tea, from quercetin to catechin. Plus, nettle is easy to find in tea form. Use leftover tea bags as your new detox bestie, which can be served hot or iced.

Nettle Ginger Shot (For Joint Health)

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Nettle Ginger Shot (For Joint Health)

10 min; Easy

Ingredients

• Makes 2 shots
• 1 nettle tea bag
• 2 large kale leaves
• 1/2 apple
• 1-inch piece ginger root
• 2 teaspoons flaxseed oil

Preparation

1.

Brew the nettle tea bag in 1/4 cup hot water for 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2.

Juice the kale, apple, and ginger root. Divide between two shot glasses. Divide the nettle tea and flaxseed oil between the two glasses and serve.

Astragalus Beet Raspberry Immunity Booster

[easyazon_link identifier=”B000ABCYGM” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Astragalus root[/easyazon_link] has been used for centuries by Chinese Medicine doctors to help lessen the symptoms of diarrhea, fatigue, heart disease, and cancer, to name just a few ailments. It’s no surprise, then, that astragalus root had so many uses as it is in the class of adaptogens or special medicine plants that help your body to balance and reach homeostasis as it contains immune modulation compounds.

Enjoying nettle in concentrated tincture form, instead of the tea, is best for these shots, to help support overall immunity. Shop for the tincture at your local farmer’s market herbalist stand or order the tincture online at the link above.

Astragalus Beet Raspberry Immunity Booster

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Astragalus Beet Raspberry Immunity Booster

10 min; Easy

Ingredients

• Makes 2 shots
• 1 large beet peeled, quartered,
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1-inch piece ginger root
• 2 teaspoons hempseed oil
• 4 drops astragalus tincture

Preparation

1.

Juice the beet, raspberries, and ginger. Divide between two shot glasses and divide the hempseed oil and astragulus tincture between the two shot glasses.

Salted Chocolate Shot For Brain Health

Rethink the way you eat chocolate! Unsweetened chocolate has been used as a medicinal food for centuries, and modern research now confirms that it’s not only a superfood, but it has serious medicinal benefits. Chocolate is an incredibly popular of food when it’s processed with sugar, but the benefits come from the bitter from bioactive alkaloids like theobromine, which can boost mood and fortify your brain in many ways. Chocolate contains other neuroprotective compounds in the form of flavonoids that also give the bean it’s distinct flavor while boosting your brain health, as they increase cerebral blood flow (CBF).

To get the best, high-octane source of chocolate, use unsweetened cocoa powder that is made from 100% real cacao beans, simply roasted and ground. Pair it with a simple bio-hacking food, [easyazon_link identifier=”B00SHXE7VK” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]L-glutamine powder[/easyazon_link], a naturally-occurring amino acid in powder form, which can help ward off depressive moods and even help mend gut issues.

Salted Chocolate Shot (For Brain Health)

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Salted Chocolate Shot (For Brain Health)

10 min; Easy

Ingredients

• Makes 2 shots
• 1 ripe pear
• 1 tsp L-glutamine powder or pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil (such as MCT coconut oil)

 

Preparation

1.

With the motor of the juicer running, add the dry cocoa powder then immediately add the pear.

2.

Add a few tablespoons of cold water to the juicer to capture additional dried chocolate.

3.

Divide the mixture between two shot glass and divide the L-glutamine powder or pinch of salt and coconut oil between the two shots and stir well. Serve immediately.

Watermelon Bell Pepper Fatigue Fighter and Metabolism Booster

Fatigue can come on for a myriad of reasons from a sluggish liver to low iron counts. Red bell pepper is one of the top sources of vitamin C, a mega antioxidant that also helps to boost your iron absorption while it improves immunity.

Sprinkle this shot with [easyazon_link identifier=”B01E67SEC8″ locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]spirulina[/easyazon_link], a highly nutritious powdered algae, that carries with it loads of liver protective power. Ginseng, a root in the panax plant family, contains perky compounds to foster mental and physical alertness and adds a subtle sweet spice to this shot. [easyazon_link identifier=”B0014AY7LS” locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Shop for it online[/easyazon_link] or search out the tincture in your local health food
store.

Watermelon Bell Pepper Fatigue Fighter

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Watermelon Bell Pepper Fatigue Fighter

5 min; Easy

Ingredients

• Makes 2 shots
• 1 cup cubed watermelon
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded
• 2 teaspoons liquid ginseng or ginseng tincture
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered spirulina

 

Preparation

1.

Juice the watermelon and red bell pepper. Divide the ginseng between the two shots and sprinkle with the spirulina. Serve immediately.

Want more superfood hacks? Check out our easy recipes for making healthy probiotic pickles.