Love Your Ovaries (aka Antioxidant Powerhouse) - Juice Recipe

Earlier this month  I saw an episode of a TV show called "The Doctors." The whole show was about 50 Dos and Don'ts for your health - with many alternative, do it yourself, methods for self care. 

The show seems like it's trying to cater to a mainstream, pop culture audience, so I was really excited when they started talking about cures, remedies, and prevention protocols using food! In particular, they cited recent studies which showed that parsley and celery can help in the prevention of ovarian cancer.


Since these are two of my favorite juicing ingredients, this episode inspired me to make a vitamin-packed, ovary friendly, cancer-fighting drink. I rounded out this antioxidant powerhouse by adding other goodies known to help prevent ovarian cancer: blueberries, spinach, collard, and beet.


I talked about the benefits of dark, leafy greens here and beets here. So, now a bit about blueberries.


Blueberries, with their dark, blue-purple color, reportedly have the highest antioxidant (cancer-fighting) capacity of all fresh fruit. Further, a study at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center suggests that blueberries may help reduce belly fat and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Blueberries have also been shown to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 40 percent in women. Ladies, I think that alone is reason enough to include them in your diet. Plus, they are, of course, amazing tasting on their own but they really give a great taste to drinks --and for whatever reason it's just fun to drink something purple. 

A side note on blueberries: Although I won’t knock anyone who wants the thick creaminess that yogurt gives to a smoothie, if you're including blueberries in your drinks for cancer prevention, there's something you should know. I was really shocked to find that "milk destroys the antioxidant benefits in blueberries!" (See info here.)

The skinny on this juice -  with the exception of the pear (which is great for fiber), all of the ingredients in this juice have been shown to be packed with ovarian cancer fighting nutrients. Of course these fruits and veggies have other health benefits - so guys, you can drink some too - but I think us ladies should definitely take some time out to focus on loving our ovaries. Enjoy!

 Love Your Ovaries - aka - Antioxidant Powerhouse Juice


1 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen, because that's what I had)
1 pear
1 cup spinach, packed
1 cup collard greens, destemmed, packed
1 cup parsley, packed
3 ribs of celery
1/2 beet
 1 cup water

Run all fruit and  veg through your  juicer and mix with water. If making in blender, place all ingredients in blender, strain through fine mesh and serve!



Tip: I'd classify this as an intermediate juice. For some, it might be getting out of the realm of the familiar, but I think it's quite tasty and refreshing. So if you're adventurous, go ahead and give it a try as is. If you are new to juicing, but still want to get some of the benefits, you might want to decrease the amount of beet to 1/4 and perhaps use only 1/2 cup of collards - this should cut down on the earthiness.



Peace and Greens, from the Diary of a Smart Black Woman


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