Try Juicing This: Radish

I never thought I would juice radishes…but here I am, juicing radishes.

To me, radish is like the outcast of the vegetable family. You only really use it to garnish things. It’s not like we’re making radish soup or radish slaw…We sprinkle radishes in at the end because of their super strong and bitter taste. For this reason, I knew I could only put a few radishes into my juice; I didn’t want to blow my taste buds off.

Let’s consider for a moment, the health benefits of radishes. There must be some reason they exist, right? Well, did you know that radishes, like many others of the Brassica family, contain sulfurophane, which is an anti-cancer compound? The same way broccoli, cabbage and other stinky vegetables are good for you — so are radishes! They are also great for reducing inflammation of the urinary tract as well as helping to regulate the flow of bile in the liver. Maybe radishes are worthwhile after all!

When juicing radishes you only really need 2 or 3. They are potent little bombs of sulfurophane that will make your juice super spicy and strong, so take it easy at first. For my radish juice combo, I use 3 apples, 2 carrots and 3 radishes. They almost smell like cabbage when they first go through the juicer. Not exactly the best scent in the world, but think of all the health benefits! The juice has a spicy kick to it, but is mellowed out by the apples. The apples are KEY here. When I drink the juice, I know it is doing wonderfully healthful things to my body. I’ve officially converted to the radish side, and it feels so right.

Need some inspiration? Try this simple recipe:

3  medium sized raw red radishes

1 1/2 cups Royal Gala apple slices

2 medium sized carrots

If you do not have a juicer -- blend the ingredients in a high speed blender until pureed and strain through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag.