Fresh vs. Bagged

          


I'm not promoting any one brand of baby spinach over another. My observations are purely for the sake of getting the most benefit and bang for my buck when it comes to juicing greens. I've pictured spinach above, but have had the same experiences with kale, romaine lettuce and leaf lettuce.

When I juiced in the past, I would always use bagged spinach. Why wouldn't I? It was the easiest, fastest way to get my juicing done and required no washing. But once I tried the fresh bunches of spinach in the organic section, I will never go back. Sure there's a little gritty sand to wash off, but I can use the same amount of spinach for my juice recipe and get double or more the amount of juice.

That makes sense when you think about it though, doesn't it? All bagged greens have been pre-washed and spun (just like a salad spinner) to remove the water so the greens will remain fresh during packaging and shipment to your store. Lots of water in an enclosed bag = nasty greens when you take them home.

But doesn't it stand to reason that when all of that high-powered spinning to get the greens dry is going on...some of the juice would be lost also?

Yes, I absolutely do recommend organic greens. The cost is usually not that much higher and if you're buying fresh, instead of the bag or box...they are always less per pound than conventional greens in a bag. One bag of Dole salad mix can cost $2.50 or more and will feed me about two salads. One bunch of red or green leaf lettuce is between $1.19-$1.49 per pound and one bunch will last for 3-5 salads. When I'm wanting convenience, I buy the box of organic greens, but we have to use it more quickly than the fresh bunches.

Switching back to my juicing gears. Here are some of the amazing health benefits of juicing your greens:

• Spinach is high in Vitamins A, B2, B6, C, E and K, magnesium, manganese, folate, iron, calcium, potassium, protein (important for a juice fast!), phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids (if you don't want to eat fish!)
• Kale is high in Vitamins C and K, beta carotene, calcium, lutein and zeaxanthin. Plus Kale and broccoli are both high in sulforaphane, a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties.
• Leaf lettuce (with the exception of iceberg) is high in Vitamins A, C and K, potassium, iron, calcium and supplies fiber, carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat. Just remember, the darker the green of your lettuce, the healthier it will be!

Of course, eating your greens are a great way to get all of these benefits, but when you juice, you're giving your body all of those micronutrients in a high dose form, straight into your bloodstream because your body doesn't have to work to break them down.