Admittedly, I am biased - I am a huge fan of cucumbers. I love their delicate flavor, their watery consistency, and their culinary versatility. Cucumbers make regular appearances in my green juices, salads, and other recipes. English and Japanese cucumbers are my favorites for making spiralized vegetable pasta, along with zucchini and gold bar squash, whereas slicing cucumbers are mainstays in my green juice recipes. Last weekend, I planted three of my favorite varieties of cucumbers in our garden: English, Japanese and lemon cucumbers:
Many of our Science of Raw Food nutrition students have mentioned that they have thought of cucumbers as being a “filler” ingredient in juices and recipes, and not a nutrition powerhouse. Judge for yourself, here is a nutrient analysis of one 8 ¼” long cucumber:
| One cucumber | Adult Daily Values | |
| Calories | 45 | |
| Calcium | 48.2 | 1000 – 1200 mg |
| Iron | 0.85 | 8 – 18 mg |
| Zinc | 0.60 | 8 – 11 mg |
| Magnesium | 39.1 | 310 – 420 mg |
| Potassium | 442.5 | 4700 mg |
| Protein | 1.96 g |
Considering that one cucumber is only 45 calories, the nutrient per calorie ratio for the nutrients stated above is definitely notable, particularly for both calcium and potassium.
When I make green juice, I generally use 3 large cucumbers in addition to the other ingredients:
| Three 8 ¼” cucumbers | Adult Daily Values | |
| Calories | 135.5 | |
| Calcium | 144.5 | 1000 – 1200 mg |
| Iron | 2.53 | 8 – 18 mg |
| Zinc | 1.81 | 8 – 11 mg |
| Magnesium | 117.4 | 310 – 420 mg |
| Potassium | 1327.4 | 4700 mg |
| Protein | 5.87 g |
The amount/percentage of these nutrients that actually makes it into the juice is not yet known, but I am looking forward to seeing studies done on the nutrient content of fresh juice versus the ingredients used to make the juice sometime in the future. This would be great information for juicing enthusiasts to know! Until then, I will continue to enjoy my green juice.
For one of my green juice recipes, see the celery post on this blog.
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Light Green Juice
A family member recently asked me about green juice, and expressed an interest in recipes and tips for making it tasty. I LOVE green juice and have many recipes that I enjoy, which I am happy to share. There is one challenge, this family member does not like the taste of dark leafy greens: raw, steamed, juiced, in a green smoothie, etc. This is by no means unusual, since I have met many people over the years that are turned off by the taste of greens, especially when they are new to healthy eating.
I can understand that the strong taste of such greens is often an acquired taste, and may take some “getting used to”. Since this loved one is just getting started with juicing, I shared a recipe for “light” green juice with milder-tasting ingredients, such as celery, lemon, and cucumber. This is actually the base juice that I use for my green juices with more ingredients. Here is the recipe:
5 stalks of celery (12” long)
1 lemon, peeled
1 medium cucumber, 8” long
This recipe makes about 2 cups of juice. Here are some of the nutrients found in these ingredients:
| Light Green Juice ingredients | Adult Daily Values | |
| Calories | 120.7 | |
| Calcium | 198.0 | 1000 – 1200 mg |
| Iron | 1.99 | 8 – 18 mg |
| Zinc | 1.07 | 8 – 11 mg |
| Magnesium | 81.05 | 310 – 420 mg |
| Potassium | 1390.39 | 4700 mg |
I love the lemony taste, but there is much one can do with green juice – the sky is most certainly the limit. I have sampled many creative and delicious green juices over the years. This one is quick and easy to make, I spend about 20 minutes from start to finish, including set up and clean up time!
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