Nothing says summer like pulling out the juicer. What is better than a mix of fresh, local fruits, vegetables, and herbs?

If you have a juicer, you have to take advantage of these fresh juice combinations that make fruits and veggies shine, but even if you don’t, fear not: just blend it up in a good blender or food processor, then strain in a cheesecloth, squeezing out excess.

Eleven healthy fresh juice recipes

So why juice in the first place?

Juice is like a direct intravenous of important nutrients and enzymes, which help with the various chemical reactions that happen throughout your body. They help with digestion, nutrient absorption, building of body tissue, and energy production. They are top notch for most metabolic activities in the body.

Because the fresh juice is raw, the enzymes are at their peak and not destroyed by heat. In addition, phytochemicals help build and activate enzymes in cell protection from possible damage.

We already know that fruits and veggies provide a bounty of benefits. Citrtus, for example, is rich in vitamin C, carrots are loaded with vitamin A, and greens are chocked full of vitamin K and E.

For those with digestion difficulty, juicing can be a godsend for getting in the nutrients. Juicing removes insoluble fibre, the kind that is undigested by the body, making available nutrients in larger amounts.

Here are some of our favourite combinations to get you started!

Beet, Carrot, Apple, Mint Juice

  • 1 small beet
  • 5 carrots
  • 2 apples
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint sprigs

Go Lots of Green Juice

  • 6 leaves kale
  • 1 cup broccoli
  • 1 cucumber
  • 4 stalks celery
  • 1 apple
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley sprigs

Ginger, Grapefruit, Carrot Juice

  • 2 grapefruits (peel and pith removed)
  • 5 carrots
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

V6 Juice

  • 3 tomatoes
  • 7 celery stalks, including leaves
  • 4 carrots
  • 2-inch piece fresh horseradish
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Carrot, Mango, Orange Juice

  • 8 medium carrots
  • 1 mango, pitted
  • 1 large strip of orange peel
  • 1 navel orange, peeled

Greens, Lemon, Ginger Juice

  • 6 cups romaine lettuce
  • 1/4 cup parsley
  • 4 leaves kale
  • 4 stalks celery
  • 1 cucumber
  • Juice 2 lemons
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

Simple Peach, Mango, Coconut Juice

  • 2 peaches
  • 1 mango, pitted
  • 1/4 cup fresh coconut

Sour Apple Juice

  • 8 Granny Smith apples
  • 4 stalks of celery
  • 1/2 lime (peel removed)
  • 1/4 c fresh mint leaves

Pineapple, Kiwi, Blackberry Juice

  • 1/4 large pineapple, core removed
  • 1 cup blackberries
  • 1 kiwi fruit
  • 1/4 cup fresh coconut

Pear and Pomegranate Juice

  • 2 asian pears
  • 2 golden delicious apples
  • 2 beets
  • 2 carrots (choose any variety!) – I used 2 fuji
  • 5 cups kale

Sweet Berry Juice

  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 cup Strawberries
  • 2 navel oranges, peeled
  • 2 red delicious apples