Have you ever wondered what exactly you’re supposed to put in a green juice? Yes, dark leafy greens are the best vegetables to juice, but just which ones?
Cruising the asiles of the supermarket and looking at all of the greens on sale can be a dizzy making experience for anyone. Especially if you’re new to juicing.
So that’s why I have outlined what I consider to be the 5 best leafy greens to juice.
Each one of these greens is both healthy, nutrituous, easy to juice, and readily accessible. These won’t require you to hit the supermarket way across the city that has the special hard to find items. These are all things you can buy at any supermarket or any Costco or BJs.
Without further adieu, here is my list:
The 5 Best Leafy Greens For Juicing
#1 Best Leafy Green For Juicing : Kale
Kale is king, or queen, in the juicing world.
Ask anyone who is into juicing greens what their favoriate one to juice is, and the answer will almost always be “Kale!”
And that hasn’t always been the case. There was a time when that title would have been held by wheatgrass (which also makes an appearence on this list).
But kale took over some time ago and for some good reasons.
First, kale is cheaper and more abundant than wheatgrass. How many stores sell wheatgrass? Well, not as many as those that sell kale. Odds are there are some stores near you (like I said in the intro, I won’t list anything that is impossible for the average person to get).
But kale is still super easy to find. And more importantly, it’s more versititle. You can cook with kale and make breakfast, lunch, and dinner with it. Which isn’t something that you can do with wheatgrass.
For instance, with kale you can make a breakfast fritatta, a kale salad for lunch, and a kale veggie burger for dinner.
The big upside to juicing kale as a leafy green is that it’s such a pleasant and neutral flavor. I will often juice kale and add something such as an apple and not even find any strong “Green” flavor.
The same can’t be said of some other greens where you need to add a lemon or something else pungent.
I advise that you get a dino kale aka tuscan kale. It’s easier to juice and doesn’t wilt as fast as other kale.
#2 Best Leafy Green For Juicing: Spinach
Spinach has been a popular health food supplement for a long time. It’s even a running gag in the cartoon Popeye that spinach makes him strong.
And it is one of the best leafy greens to juice. It shares quite a bit with kale in the nutrient profile.
It’s super rich in antioxidants such as lutein.
This is why people who want healthy eyes are advised to load up on dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach.
I list spinach below kale on my list of the best leafy greens to juice simply because it’s a bit richer in iron and has a bit more oxalic acid.
I covered this somewhat througuly in an article titled Spinach and Oxalic Acid.
The second reason that I like kale better than spinach when it comes to making leafy green juice is that spinach has a stronger flavor.
Kale is more of a neutral flavor. And I don’t think anyone is particuarly fond of either kale or spinach, so I say to opt for the less strong of the flavors.
#3 Best Leafy Green For Juicing: Parsley
What do you think of when you hear parsley? You probally think of a sprig of parsley on your plate when you’re having dinner.
Those tiny sprigs of parsley are left on dinner tables in order to help you freshen your breath. And that’s the extent to most people’s understanding of paresley.
However, parsley is one of the best leafy greens to juice. Why?
Well, for starters, most people don’t eat parsley. It’s not something that you’re going to have in a salad or eat on it’s own. Maybe you will cook falafal with parsley, but if you’re buying a falafal from a store who knows how much fresh parsley they added.
And that’s a shame because parsley is one of the best things you can consume. It all comes down to a compound called apigenin that is found in parsley. This compound has been shown to have amazing cancer fighting properties. Several studies(linked at the bottom) detail how strong this compound is.
I like to add a bit of parsley whenver I am making a juice from leafy greens or fruits. It has a very neutral flavor and it’s an amazing way to get parsley into your diet.
Parsley juice has the added benefits of setteling your stomach and also making your breath smell better.
#4 Best Leafy Green For Juicing : Wheatgrass
Here’s where we come to one of the tough ones. Wheatgrass. The infamous wheatgrass.
Why is it that so much has been written about one single leafy green? You can read up on the best juicer for wheatgrass, how wheatgrass has lots of chlorophyll, and also read endless rants about how strong a taste wheatgras has.
So, why wheatgrass? And why do I put wheatgrass lower on the list?
Well, for a few reasons. First, I do think that wheatgrass is a bit overhyped. It is good for you, but it’s not significaltly better than other greens.
There is no reason to focus exclusively on wheatgrass as opposed to other greens. While it still warrents discussion when talking about the best leafy greens for juicing, it’s not the end all be all.
The big downside, in my opinion, is that wheatgrass has such a strong taste and also it’s hard to find. And when you can find it, it’s darn expensive.
The big upside, at least in my opinion, is that you can get wheatgrass kits and grow it on your windowsill. You can’t do that with kale or spinach.
And if you do end up growing wheatgrass on your own windowsill, you can be sure that you’re getting organic wheatgrass. It will be cheaper to grow your own than buy it in a supermarket health food section.
#5 Best Leafy Green For Juicing : Microgreens
Here’s one that a lot of people end up missing. And they don’t miss them because they are so small!
The reason that many people don’t think of microgreens as a great leafy green to juice is because microgreens are often times sold in the salad asile.
Microgreens are more often than not seen as a salad. And that’s ok because they make an amazing salad. But they are also one of the best leafy greens for juicing beacuse of their compact size.
The reason I love to use microgreens in my juice is that they are so easy to juice. They are simple to wash and prep for the juicer unlike some other things.
The only reason that I list this dark leafy green at the bottom is that it works so well as a salad. I prefer to eat microgreens as part of my salad, but if you happen to have a huge bag of them that you’ve got from Costco or some other place, then go right ahead and juice them.
In fact, microgreens are one of the best all around and versitile ingredients. If you’re adding kale or parsley, then you can toss in a bunch of microgreens to round out the nutrient profile.
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If you’ve found this article because you are planning on buying a juicer, then I suggest that you read my through guide.
I’ve covered which juicers work best for dark leafy greens in my comprehensive guide: The Guide to Selecting The Best Juicer for Leafy Greens.
Hi there everyone!
My names Jason (Jay for short). You can find out more about me and why I started this website here.
Stay healthy and I hope you enjoy the information!