Juicing for the Budwig Protocol

Fresh Juice Every Day

Freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juice is one of the cornerstones of the Budwig Diet. Dr Johanna Budwig recommended drinking fresh juices every day, both on their own and as ingredients in breakfasts, desserts and smoothies.

Fresh juice has a vibrant flavour that bottled juices rarely match. Whenever possible, make enough juice for the day and drink it soon after pressing. If you don’t have time, keep a few bottles of good-quality juice in the cupboard as a convenient alternative. Dr Budwig herself accepted carefully produced bottled juices.

Add Ground Flaxseed

rD Johanna Budwig recommended adding freshly ground flaxseed to every glass of juice. By slowing the absorption of the natural sugars in the juice, the soluble fibre in flaxseed helps reduce blood glucose spikes after drinking

Which Juices?

Dr Budwig specifically recommended juices including:

  • Carrot
  • Carrot and celery
  • Beetroot and apple
  • Grape
  • Blackcurrant
  • Redcurrant
  • Radish
  • Stinging nettle

However, there is no need to limit yourself to these. Almost any fresh fruit, vegetable or leafy green can be juiced, allowing plenty of variety throughout the year.

Quality Matters

Fresh, ripe fruit and vegetables produce the best juice. Organic produce is ideal, especially if you juice the skins, but freshness is more important than organic certification.

Shop-bought juices can be useful as a standby, but choose the best you can find pressed from whole fruit or vegetables, unfiltered and with as little processing as possible.

Juicing Ideas

Experiment and have fun. Try out different combinations to find your favourites.

Some popular combinations include:

  • Apple, carrot and ginger
  • Beetroot and apple
  • Celery, cucumber and lemon
  • Carrot, orange and turmeric
  • Spinach with apple
  • Watercress and pear

Adding herbs, citrus fruits or a little fresh ginger is an easy way to change the flavour while increasing variety. These are especially tasty with brassicas such as cabbage, turnips or broccoli.

Wild Ideas: Nettle Juice

Nettle juice was one of Dr Budwig’s specific recommendations. Fresh nettles can be juiced on their own, although many people prefer to mix them with sweet wild fruits such as blackberries but a squeeze of lemon also does a lot for the flavour.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" – Hippocrates