Top 3 Stress Buster Juice Recipes

Fresh juices and smoothies are truly delicious and rich of nutrients, and you can tweak each recipe and adapt it to suit your own taste.
Bursting with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, trace elements and plant nutrients, fresh juices make you feel great and boost your energy levels, ensuring optimal metabolism. Each one has its own specific properties and you can find your favourite combination of ingredients. I have been experimenting a few from Sarah Owen‘s book The top 100 juices and here a selection of delicious, health-giving juices that can help to prevent stress and anxiety.

Apple, Cherry & Blueberry
Apples and cherries contain high levels of health-boosting flavonoids, which have been linked with better lung function and a lower incidence of asthma, which can be triggered by stress. Anthocyanins, the antioxidants in cherries, have been found to block inflammatory enzymes and help to reduce pain. One study found evidence that consuming blueberries can help to relax the arteries and reduce the
risks of cardiovascular disease, often associated with stress.

Ingredients:
4 apples, cut into wedges
25 cherries, pitted
40 blueberries

Method:
Press chunks of apple, and the cherries and blueberries through a juicer. Stir and drink immediately.

Banana, Coconut Milk & Lemongrass Smoothie
This juice helps you to reduce stress-related high blood pressure. Bananas are high in potassium, which helps to maintain normal blood pressure and a healthy heart, two conditions often related to stress. Rich in calcium and magnesium, coconut milk supports the adrenal glands. Lemongrass contains manganese, which keeps the nervous system healthy and helps to keep stress at bay.

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas, peeled
450ml/16fl oz/1¾ cups
coconut milk
1 stalk lemongrass
(outer leaves removed), chopped into chunks

Method:
Whizz the bananas, coconut milk and lemongrass in a blender until smooth, stir and drink immediately.

Cucumber, Watercress & Liquorice
Chill out with this calming and refreshing juice. The inner temperature of a cucumber can be up to 11°C/20°F cooler than the outside air, so this juice is literally cooling during times of tension. Watercress is an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, which help to protect the body from stress-related free-radical damage. A traditional stress-buster, liquorice provides important nutrients for the adrenal glands, helping to build, strengthen and relax muscles.

Ingredients:
1 large bunch watercress
1 cucumber, chopped into chunks
1 large knob (4cm/1½in) liquorice root, chopped into chunks

Method:
Wrap the watercress leaves around chunks of cucumber and liquorice root, press through a juicer, stir and drink immediately.

#nourishbooksjuices

Sarah Owen
The Top 100 Juices
£5.99
Available from Nourish Books
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