This is the green juice I actually keep making. Kale does the work, the apple keeps it drinkable, and the cucumber stops it turning into something thick and grassy. Ten minutes, and most of that is chopping.
I started making it because I wanted the calcium and vitamin K that greens like kale are good for, and I wanted it to be a habit rather than a punishment. The lemon and the ginger are there for the same reason. Without them it tastes a bit flat and green for the sake of being green.
Why these ingredients work
Kale is one of the better greens for bones because it is low in oxalates, which means your body can use more of the calcium in it. The handful that goes into this juice gives you roughly 45mg of calcium and about 120 micrograms of vitamin K, and vitamin K is what helps your body hold on to calcium in the first place. The green apple adds around 4g of sugar per glass, which sounds like plenty until you compare it with a bottled green juice, and it brings vitamin C along with it.
Cucumber is mostly water, so it stretches the juice out without adding much else, and the lemon and ginger cut through the bitterness of the kale. One thing worth knowing: if you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, keep your vitamin K intake steady week to week and have a word with your GP before you make this a daily habit. That applies to any green juice, not just this one.
FAQ
Can I use spinach instead of kale?
You can, but spinach is high in oxalates, so you absorb far less of its calcium. If bone health is the reason you are drinking it, stick with kale, or try pak choi or watercress, which behave more like kale.
Do I need to peel the apple and the cucumber?
No. The peel holds most of the fibre and a good chunk of the vitamin C in the apple. Wash both well and cut the core out of the apple, that is all.
Can I make it the night before?
A day at most. Fill a sealed glass bottle right to the top so there is barely any air in it, keep it in the fridge, and shake it before you drink because it separates. After about 24 hours the flavour goes flat and dull.
More bone health recipes: see the full Structure collection.
Kale, Apple and Cucumber Juice
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
Juice
- 3 large kale leaves about 60g, stalks removed and roughly chopped
- 1 green apple about 150g, cored and cut into wedges
- 0.5 cucumber about 150g, cut into rough chunks
- 0.5 lemon peeled
- 2 cm fresh ginger about 10g, peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
- Rinse the kale and shake it dry. Tear the leaves off the thick stalks and chop them roughly. Leave the stalks out, they turn the juice bitter and stringy.
- Core the apple and cut it into wedges that fit your juicer's feed chute. There is no need to peel it.
- Cut the cucumber into rough chunks, then peel the lemon and the ginger.
- Feed the kale through first, then the apple, cucumber, lemon and ginger. Sending the apple and cucumber through after the kale helps push the last of the green out of the machine.
- Stir the juice, pour it into a glass, and drink it within 20 minutes if you can. It holds in the fridge for a day in a sealed bottle, though it separates, so give it a shake.
Blender method
- Chop everything the same way, then tip it into a high speed blender with 150ml cold water.
- Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds until there are no green flecks left.
- Pour it through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve and squeeze the pulp to get the liquid out. It takes a couple of minutes and the texture is much better for it.
- Serve straight away, over ice if the weather calls for it.