Introduction
Joe’s Mean Green Juice has become an extremely popular juice cleanse in recent years. This nutrient-dense juice contains a powerful combination of fruits and vegetables that provides a mega-dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. But many people wonder – just how many calories are in this bright green elixir? In this article, we’ll take a close look at the calorie and nutrient content of Joe’s Mean Green Juice. We’ll also provide some tips for turning this juice into a satisfying, low-calorie cleanse.
What is Joe’s Mean Green Juice?
Joe’s Mean Green Juice was created in the early 2000s by Joe Cross, the creator of the popular documentary “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” This juice contains a simple blend of 6 ingredients: kale, celery, cucumber, green apples, lemon, and ginger.
Cross designed this juice to be an easy, nutritious option for anyone looking to improve their health through juicing and cleansing. The bright green color comes predominantly from the kale and celery. These powerhouse vegetables provide the juice with a mega-dose of nutrients like vitamins A, C, and K, antioxidants, and important minerals like calcium and potassium.
The tart green apple, lemon, and spicy ginger add tons of flavor to balance out the more vegetal tastes. Cucumber makes the texture smooth and provides hydration. Overall, it’s a refreshing, energizing juice that provides a major nutritional punch.
Nutritional Breakdown of Joe’s Mean Green Juice
So what exactly are you getting from a serving of Joe’s Mean Green? Let’s take a look at the nutritional facts:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 122 |
| Total Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 126 mg |
| Potassium | 1012 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugars | 18 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Vitamin A | 377% DV |
| Vitamin C | 207% DV |
| Calcium | 22% DV |
| Iron | 14% DV |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
As you can see, one serving of Joe’s Mean Green Juice contains only 122 calories. This makes it a great low-calorie option if you are looking to reduce your daily caloric intake.
It provides 26 grams of carbohydrates, 5 of which come from filling fiber. So there are 18 grams of natural sugars, predominantly coming from the green apple and lemon.
With 5 grams of protein and tons of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, this juice packs a serious nutritional punch for a low calorie count. Vitamins A and C are present in sky-high amounts, providing over 300% of your recommended daily intake.
Important minerals like potassium and calcium are also abundant. Overall, it’s a nutrient-dense beverage that offers tons of nutritional benefits for very few calories.
Calorie Count Compared to Other Juices
To put the 122 calories in Joe’s Mean Green Juice into context, let’s compare it to some other common juices:
– Orange juice: 112 calories per 8 oz
– Apple juice: 114 calories per 8 oz
– Cranberry juice: 137 calories per 8 oz
– Grapefruit juice: 96 calories per 8 oz
– Vegetable juice: 50-80 calories per 8 oz
As you can see, Joe’s Mean Green Juice has a similar calorie count to other fruit and vegetable juices. It’s on the lower end for fruit juices, likely due to the high volume of low-calorie produce like celery and cucumber. It’s actually higher in calories than straight vegetable juices, due to the inclusion of fruit.
Compared to high-sugar drinks like soda or sweetened iced tea, Joe’s Mean Green Juice has about 3-4x less calories per serving. So it’s a much lower-calorie option in that regard.
Overall, the calorie count is quite reasonable for a nutrient-packed green juice. It provides a happy medium between straight vegetable juice and fruit juice.
Tips for a Low-Calorie Juice Cleanse
If you are doing a juice cleanse with Joe’s Mean Green Juice to lose weight or reset your health, keep these tips in mind:
– Drink it slowly. Sip your juice over 30-60 minutes to prevent blood sugar spikes. This allows your body to fully absorb all the nutrients.
– Combine it with straight vegetable juice. Alternate Joe’s Mean Green with lower calorie, low-sugar vegetable juices to reduce your overall caloric intake.
– Add protein. Blend in plant-based protein powders like pea, hemp, or rice protein to help fill you up.
– Include other cleansing foods. Eat things like broth, herbal tea, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds to get additional nutrients and fiber.
– Don’t cleanse for too long. Stick to 1-3 day cleanses to prevent fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, and metabolism issues.
– Exercise daily. Light activity like yoga, walking, or stretching helps manage hunger and facilitates detoxification.
Following these tips will allow you to get the most out of your Joe’s Mean Green Juice cleanse while keeping your calories in check.
Health Benefits of Joe’s Mean Green Juice
There are many excellent health benefits associated with drinking Joe’s Mean Green Juice:
– Improves digestion – The combination of hydrating cucumber and anti-inflammatory ginger soothe the digestive tract. The fiber helps promote healthy bowel movements.
– Aids in detoxification – The potent antioxidants bind to toxins in the body and help flush them out through the kidneys and liver.
– Boosts energy – B-vitamins and minerals like potassium provide sustained natural energy without crashes.
– Supports immunity – High doses of vitamins A and C strengthen the immune system and help fight infection and disease.
– Builds strong bones – Calcium and vitamin K prevent bone loss and reduce fracture risk as we age.
– Benefits skin health – Antioxidants fight skin damage caused by pollution and sun exposure for a healthy glow.
– Aids in weight loss – The low calorie count and fiber help induce a calorie deficit to promote fat burning.
Regulary consuming Joe’s Mean Green Juice provides a mega-dose of nutrition that can benefit nearly every aspect of your health. Just be sure to enjoy it as part of a balanced diet.
Potential Downsides of Juice Cleanses
While Joe’s Mean Green Juice is very nutritious, there are some potential downsides of extreme juice cleansing to be aware of:
– Hunger – Lack of protein and fat can leave you feeling hungry between juices
– Fatigue – Your body may not be getting enough calories to support its normal energetic processes
– Nutrient deficiencies – An extended juice fast provides very limited iron, calcium, vitamin D and omega-3s
– Blood sugar crashes – The natural sugars in the juices can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes
– Loss of lean mass – Your body will start to break down muscle in addition to fat when calorie deprived
– Metabolism issues – Severe calorie restriction can slow your metabolic rate as your body tries to conserve energy
To avoid these downsides, be sure to only juice cleanse for 1-3 days at a time. Support your cleanse with other healthy whole foods and don’t attempt to do extended fasts of 7+ days.
Conclusion
Joe’s Mean Green Juice contains a modest 122 calories per serving. This low-calorie count makes it a great option for incorporating into a healthy diet or juice cleanse geared towards weight loss.
Compared to other juices, it sits right in the middle – more calories than straight vegetable juice but less than fruit juice. It provides tons of nutrition including antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber with very little sugar or fat.
Drinking Joe’s Mean Green Juice offers many benefits related to detoxification, digestion, energy, immunity and more. Just be mindful of limiting your cleanse duration and pairing it with other whole foods.
Overall, Joe’s Mean Green Juice is a nutritious, low-calorie beverage that can be enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle. Try adding it to your routine and see the benefits for yourself!
