Learn how to fuel and purify your body with this tantalising concoctions from I Love My Juicer...  

Delicious Detoxes

Whether you are going for a detox or just trying to introduce more healthy, fresh ingredients into your diet, juices are a great way to go. The body naturally detoxes itself by eliminating toxins and waste products, but you can give it a helping hand by taking in more plant-based foods, which it finds easier to extract nutrients from. So why are juices so good for detoxing? Well, the organic acids in fruit and vegetables clear out waste and any lurking harmful bacteria that are in our bodies‘ cells. Green leafy vegetables are rich in beneficial acids such as lipoic acid, but other vegetables are good cleansers, too – celery is a natural diuretic that reduces fluid retention, beetroot/beet cleans the blood and cucumber flushes out the system. Fruits are also strong internal cleansers – particularly apples, peaches, prunes and lemons, which all contain malic acid, and, of course, lemon also contains citric acid, as does pineapple, which is a strong cleanser. Fruit juices are high in natural sugars, so drink them in moderation or add them to vegetable juices to dilute them and for a sweeter taste – particularly welcome if you are new to drinking veg! Make just one detox juice a part of your daily routine and you will be giving your organs and digestive system a break from working so hard.  

Carrot Cleanser

Vegetable juices, particularly those made using beetroot/beet or kale, can take some getting used to, but it only takes a couple of delicious drinks like this one to get the taste. Nutrients Beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamins B3, B6 and C; calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur 3 carrots ¼ beetroot/beet ½ apple ½ orange 1 celery stalk, plus extra to serve (optional) 2 large kale leaves Top and tail the carrots and chop any large ones into chunks. Remove the tough stalk from the beetroot/beet but keep the leaves, if you like. Core the apple, removing any tough stalks, and peel the orange, leaving the pith on. Chop up the celery to fit your juicer, but keep the green leafy tops. Give the kale leaves a good rinse in a colander, then tip them into a clean dish towel and pat them dry. Push everything through the juicer, adding the celery tops, beetroot/beet leaves, if using, and the kale with the solid ingredients. Give it all a good stir to combine, then pour into a tall glass. Serve it with extra celery stalks, if you like, so you can stir it up between sips, then eat them at the end for a refreshing crunch!  

Papaya Pure

This is pure Thailand in a glass – whenever you buy a slice of fresh papaya from a street stall in this tropical country, it is always served with a wedge of lime. Nutrients Beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin C; calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur 2 papayas 1 lime, plus a wedge to serve (optional) 120 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup apple juice Papayas are pretty easy to prepare, just peel away the skin, remove and discard the seeds, then chop the flesh into chunks and add them to the blender. Cut the lime in half, squeeze on a citrus press and add the juice to the blender, then pour in the apple juice and blitz everything together until smooth. Give it a good stir to combine, then pour it into a glass. If you like, you can add an extra hit of lime by serving the smoothie with a wedge for squeezing into the drink.  

Green ‘n‘ Pear It

Pear and broccoli juice? Try it, it‘s a surprising winner and a fantastic dose of nutrients. Nutrients Beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamins B5 and C; calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur 8 broccoli florets 3 celery stalks, plus 1 to serve (optional) 2 pears Break up any larger broccoli florets into chunks that will fit through the juicer chute. Chop up the celery to fit your juicer, but keep the green leafy tops and add those for an extra nutrient hit. Remove the tough stalks and the cores from the pears and pop the flesh into the juicer. Once all the ingredients are juiced, give the drink a quick stir and serve in a glass with a crunchy celery stalk or a celery leaf, if you like.

KS Recommends

Carrots are sometimes referred to as ‘poor man’s ginseng’ as they’re loaded with nutrients Papaya, aka paw paw, is best known as a digestive aid Pears  - a single serving of pears provides 18% of the daily requirement for fibre intake       Find Out More

• I Love My Juicer: Over 100 Fast, Fresh Juices and Smoothies, by Natalie Savona. Nourish Books, 2018. Paperback,£12.99. Commissioned photography by William Lingwood.