Day 22:

Juice: Apple Gone Loupey

Apple Gone Loupey:

3 Apples

2 Thick Slices of Melon

1 Small Bunch of Mint

I love this! Again, I am a huge fan of mint in my juice. It is fresh, fun and adds a zing! It also reminds me of summer, especially with the melon added in (my choice being Cantaloupe). I wanted to sip this juice on a porch somewhere.

*Note: I cut the melon in half and spooned the insides (seeds included) into the juicer first before cutting the melon into slices. I like to get as much food value as I can from my produce.

*Also, once the slices are cut, trim the skin off the melon.

Mint. A versatile and well loved herb used to season everything from meat to ice cream or floating in a glass of iced tea. Yum. Mint or Mentha is a part of the Lamiaceae (mint family), a genus of flowering plants that are know for medicinal properties and aromatics. 

Mint has over 25 species. So, it is 'native' all over the world. It shows up in all its forms in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America. Natural hybridization has occurred throughout the centuries a well as purposeful cross-breeding. 

Which should you use for this juice?  I don't think it matters. I think you can take culinary liberty as to which mint species you choose.  Personally, I just grabbed what was in the store. Based on images and description of the leaves, I am guessing it is Water Mint. #1 on the chart below.

Along with its cousin peppermint or our other friendly juice ingredient Ginger, Mint it good for the tummy. It is known to have a soothing effect on the belly. It has been proven relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, including indigestion, dyspepsia, and colonic muscle spasms. (Source)

New research is suggesting that mint (particularly peppermint) may contain cancer fighting effects: 

"Perillyl alcohol is a phytonutrient called a monoterpene, and it is plentiful in peppermint oil. In animal studies, this phytonutrient has been shown to stop the growth of pancreatic, mammary, and liver tumors. It has also been shown to protect against cancer formation in the colon, skin, and lungs." (Source)

Mint, among being rich in vitamin A, B2 and C, fiber, potassium, iron and a whole mess of other phytonutrients, it is also a wonderful diuretic. So, it is very cleansing. Mint has also been shown to improve the skin, ease chronic asthma and respiratory disorders.
AND it really livens up a juice!

Right after juicing.

After it settled.