We all love a healthy juice at breakfast — and now’s the time to boost our immunity — but humble orange is out of favour.
Days after revealing she wore a Hazmat suit on a plane to protect against catching the coronavirus, supermodel Naomi Campbell has shared how she starts the day with an ‘artichoke cocktail’ featuring artichoke powder, vitamin C, pomegranate paste, half a banana and ice, among other ingredients.
While of course these measures can’t stop you getting Covid-19, it doesn’t hurt to give your immune system a boost. So say hello to the latest wellness trend — the ready-made juice shot: a fast way of cramming in micronutrients.
Ideally, a shot is a concentrated dose of goodness, with no chaff, and fewer natural sugars than a large glass of normal juice.
Anna Maxted rounded up a selection of the best ready-made juice shots for boosting your vitamin and mineral intake. Pictured: Plenish B12 Blast Juice Shot
Nutritional therapist Sian Baker, head of wellbeing services at 24/7 Nutritionist, says: ‘It’s the perfect way to greatly increase your intake of minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients [antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds produced by plants].’
If your diet doesn’t normally include ‘highly beneficial ingredients’, such as turmeric, cayenne pepper and ginger, she adds, a juice shot is the perfect solution.
The choice is huge. But be warned: several are high in sugar and the flavours of some require grit and numb tastebuds.
So, which to buy? We round up six of the best.
GET THE ULTIMATE ORANGE BOOST
Plenish B12 Blast Juice Shot, 60ml, £1.99, ocado.com
Containing cold-pressed orange juice (47 per cent), pineapple, ginger, lemon, turmeric (4 per cent) and cayenne pepper, this has a fiery kick and lists only 4 g natural sugars.
Sian says: ‘Vitamin A was once called the “anti-infective vitamin” due to its importance in immune system function, and cayenne pepper is a good source. Vitamin C, in orange, lemon and pineapple, is an antioxidant, and helps stimulate the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.
‘Ginger also has antioxidant properties, and turmeric contains immune-system-stimulating curcumin. This shot provides 100 per cent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin B12, which supports immune system function.’ 5/5
BROCCOLI FOR THE BRAIN
Broc On, 55ml, £75 for 30, victoriahealth.com
Anna revealed Broc On (pictured) activates antioxidant production and enhances liver function, with just 2g of natural sugars per serving
This is made of broccoli sprouts, kale sprouts and Daikon sprouts.
All the nutrients of the adult plants are concentrated in a tiny shoot, so 30 g of broccoli sprouts gives you as much antioxidant, calcium and vitamin C as more than 1kg of broccoli.
Broccoli sprouts are packed with sulforaphane, which protects the brain, boosts brain function, may protect cells from mutation, and aids heart health thanks to anti-inflammatory properties.
It also activates antioxidant production, and enhances liver function. And there are just 2 g of natural sugars per serving.
The downside? Yuck. It’s supposed to be pineapple, lime and hibiscus flavour, but it’s like drinking from a muddy puddle.
You mix a powder with water to make a brown liquid — just down it in one and think delayed gratification.4/5
VITAMIN SHOT FOR SUPER SKIN
Erbology Skin Organic Aronia Berry Shot, 40ml, £32.99 for 12, erbology.co
Anna said Erbology Skin Organic Aronia Berry Shot (pictured) has a delicious flavour and boosts intake of vitamin C
This juice shot has a glorious crimson colour — in fruit and vegetables this indicates a high level of polyphenols, which are produced to protect the plants and have health benefits for us, too.
This has a delicious, mildly astringent, sweet flavour. Aronia berries are rich in vitamin C — which aids heart health, collagen synthesis, and iron absorption — and purple and red pigments called anthocyanins, which protect from free radical damage.
They have anti-inflammatory effects and support cardiovascular health. They also promote good digestion, and are great for skin. One shot contains a modest 3.12g of sugar.
Sian says: ‘Aronia berries are packed with antioxidants making them a good ingredient for a skin-nourishing juice.
‘They help shield skin from UV rays and pollution, which cause wrinkles and skin ageing.’
She adds that Aronia berries have been linked to other health benefits, such as helping to reduce blood pressure, protecting against heart disease, boosting the immune system and reducing insulin resistance.
What’s not to like? 5/5
BEETS FOR BLOOD PRESSURE
Willys Apple Cider Vinegar with Beetroot, 50g, £37.50 for 15, willysacv.com
Anna suggests Willys Apple Cider Vinegar with Beetroot (pictured) for reducing blood pressure and boosting potassium intake
The juice of a whole beetroot is contained in this 50ml fermented shot, love it or loathe it. But the apple cider vinegar, teeming with gut-friendly bacteria, is a smart move for digestive reasons.
Furthermore, its acidity cuts through the muddy sweetness of the beetroot, rendering the taste almost pleasant. It’s also astonishingly good for you.
An analysis of six studies, published in PubMed Central, a database from the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., suggests vinegar can lower blood sugar levels, including in people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers also noted ‘a remarkable reduction in total cholesterol’.
This shot contains 2.6g of natural sugars per portion.
The NHS website notes that a small study has shown some reduction in blood pressure with beetroot juice. It’s also a good source of potassium and vitamin C. 4/5
TURBO-CHARGED TURMERIC
Moju Turmeric Cold-Pressed Booster Shot, 60g, £1.85, sainsburys.co.uk
Anna said Moju Turmeric Cold-Pressed Booster Shot (pictured) is gorgeous and tastes sweet, despite having just 4.5 g of naturally occurring sugars
This gorgeous, bright orange shot contains 22 per cent turmeric juice (20g of raw turmeric root, which is more effective than turmeric powder) plus apple juice, lemon juice and powdered black pepper.
It tastes surprisingly sweet, yet contains only 4.5 g of naturally occurring sugars. This is excellent because, if your stomach recoils when you drink a very sugary shot, it will put you off ever drinking it again.
Sian says: ‘Turmeric and black pepper are a powerful combination. The piperine in the black pepper enhances the absorption of the curcumin in the turmeric by up to a whopping 2,000 per cent, making this an excellent option to reduce inflammation in the body.’ 5/5
BIOACTIVE AND GOOD FOR THE GUT
Plenish Pomegranate Apple Cider Vinegar Gut Guardian, 60ml, £1.99, ocado.co.uk
Anna said the raspberry in Plenish Pomegranate Apple Cider Vinegar Gut Guardian (pictured), complements the apple cider vinegar
Here, Plenish strikes a balance between goodness and taste.
This cold-pressed juice shot is made with pomegranate (40 per cent) and raspberry (10 per cent), plus apple, lime, apple cider vinegar, and bioactive cultures.
The raspberry complements the apple cider vinegar — and 3.48 g of natural sugars sweetens the taste.
Sian says: ‘I love this juice combination. Probiotics, present in the form of bioactive cultures, and polyphenols, from the raspberry and pomegranate, can boost the composition of gut microbiota, and apple cider vinegar aids digestion.
‘The health of the gut and its microbiome is linked to our immune system function, mental health, heart health and lowering the risk of developing diabetes, therefore we need to keep the gut well nourished.’ 4/5
