Spring is the time to reconnect with the season’s green gifts: visually by watching new verdant growth, sensually by spraying green scents, and nutritionally by literally drinking it in. For Earth Month, we took a look at why all this green is good for you.

Benefiting from the green life

Green drinks can improve the immune system, heart health and cholesterol levels, say Keri Glassman, a registered dietitian and owner of Keri Glassman, Nutritious Life, her nutrition consulting practice in New York.

There’s good reason these drinks are becoming increasingly popular. Greens are loaded with antioxidants – substances which fight the free radicals associated with aging, heart disease, poor immune response and other chronic illnesses.

The key antioxidants in the green-vegetable realm are Vitamins A and C, says Glassman, the author of The O2 Diet: The Cutting Edge Antioxidant-based Program that Will Make You Thin and Beautiful (Rodale, 2009).  

Another reason to drink greens is carotenoids, says Glassman, adding that research suggests that carotenoids, which also have antioxidant properties, may promote eye health by filtering UV light. The carotenoid lutein is found in spinach. Zeaxanthin, a carotenoid found in kale, is associated with lowering the risk for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.  

Fresh green juices  

Juicing your own greens at home – or buying these juices at a juice bar – may seem like an extreme regimen to onlookers. But, says Glassman, the health benefits of drinking green juices are also extreme, in a good way, and this makes the expenditure of time worthwhile.  

Several green vegetables are the core of juicing, she says:

• Kale contains the antioxidants Vitamins A and C, the mineral iron, and even some of the essential fatty acid Omega-3. It also contains calcium, which many people associate only with dairy.
• Spinach, which is rich in Vitamins A, C, K and folate, is also full of flavonoids that may help lessen the risk for osteoporosis, heart disease and even cancer.  
• Celery, which contains Vitamin C, is also a source of phthalides, which studies suggest may reduce the systolic blood pressure.
• Cucumbers are rich in Vitamin C and silica, a mineral that’s associated with the health of connective tissues that include muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Many people who green-juice throw in springs of parsley and cilantro, as well as algae powders, like spirulina or chlorella. Glassman calls amino acid-rich spirulina a concentrated form of vitamin and minerals.

Sweeten It Up

For novice green drinkers, a bit of sweetness – adding a sweet root vegetable like a carrot or beet to the juicer – may make the strong flavor of the greens more palatable. “If the drink is sweeter, you might be more inclined to start drinking them,” says Glassman. Some people may prefer a small amount of apple, “just enough to make the drink palatable,” she says.

The calorie content of green drinks is not generally high, and tends to be lower than a typical smoothie drink. However, says Glassman, calories can add up with too many sweetening agents, even if these extras are healthy vegetables and fruits or fruit juices. Glassman suggests having juice one green juice a day, not one at each meal.   

Green Juices as Replacement Meals

A vitamin-and-mineral-rich green juice – in an 8 to 16 oz. size – and a handful of raw or roasted nuts that contain fat and protein is a great occasional meal replacement, says Glassman. She notes that green-drink powders – “great for people who’d never juice on their own” – are readily available, from many manufacturers, at health food retailers. Glassman advises consumers to read these ready-to-mix products’ labels, to review the list of vegetables and other ingredients’ nutritional numbers, rule out the addition of artificial sweeteners, and check out the caloric content.

Bottom line: Although ingesting healthy green drinks is a healthy lifestyle pursuit all year round, spring is an ideal time to begin incorporating green drinks into your life. Why? They’re tasty, easy and, best of all, good for you.

Coeli Carr is a health and fitness writer in New York City.