The Best Juice for Your Health Woes

SHAPE magazine

By Faye Masterson

Bad skin? Always tired? Try one of these juice recipes today to get rid of your pesky skin woes. Plus, it's an easy way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables!

1. The best juice for healthy skin: "Fruit and vegetable juices, prepared in the right combination, can help you to remove crud from your blood and tissues and restore alkalinity and balance to your system," says Noelle Swatland of GreenLemonade.com. "You see the benefits of this crud removal in younger looking skin and greater energy."

Swatland's favorite skin booster? Cucumber. "Consisting of over 90-percent water, cucumbers are a naturally cooling and hydrating food," she says. Plus, they're rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and silica, which is believed to improve complexion and youthful radiance of your skin .

Ingredients:
1-2 Cucumbers
For a touch of sweetness, add a small piece of apple.

2. The best juice to fight aging: When stress , free-radicals, and lack of exercise and sleep attempt to age your skin, Patty James, certified natural chef and author of More Vegetables Please!, recommends fighting off Mother Nature with antioxidant-packed fruits and veggies that can easily be juiced.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups liquid of your choice (water or any kind of milk)
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 large leaf kale (thick stem removed)
1/2 medium beet

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3. The best juice for your immune system: Sip on this to stay well all year! "Broccoli is very high in vitamin C, which increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells," Judita Wignall, author of Going Raw, says. "Garlic contains sulfur-containing compounds that have powerful immune-boosting antimicrobial properties."

Ingredients:
1 small beet
3 carrots
8 stalks celery
1 stalk broccoli
2 cloves garlic


4. The best juice for all-day energy: Instead of reaching for a coffee, try a green juice instead. "Chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, helps oxygenate the blood, creating increased brain function and physical energy," Wignall says.

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
8 stalks celery
Handful of kale
Handful of spinach
Handful of parsley
1/4 lemon with rind (if organic!)
1-inch piece of ginger

RELATED: Which Drink Has Fewer Calories?

5. The best juice for your sex life: While oysters and chocolate are a delicious way to get you and your partner in the mood, they're not so appealing juiced. Thankfully, James' top libido-boosting foods are also delicious in liquid form. "Celery contains an ingredient that increases those well-known pheromones in men that send out signals to women saying 'here I am'," James says. "Watermelon helps to relax the blood vessels that increase sex drive, and avocados contain a B vitamin said to boost male hormone production."

Ingredients:
2 cups coconut water
2 stalks celery
1/2 banana
Ginger (a small piece)
1/2 Avocado
Basil (a handful)
3 figs

More on SHAPE:
Top 11 Smoothie Recipes
15 Creative Alternatives to Coffee
3 Tips to Lighten Up Your Coffee-Shop Order