It’s morning. You just opened your eyes and the only thing you can think of is coffee. Something—anything—to jumpstart your day. Instead of a caffeine jolt, consider taking a few extra minutes to juice in the morning.

Juicing is a healthy alternative that will leave you surprisingly full of energy, without the caffeine crash of your vanilla latté. You may be thinking “Why should I juice when I can just grab an apple on the go?” Without juicing, it can be difficult to reach the recommended daily amount of 3 to 5 servings of both fruits and vegetables. And not only can you pride yourself in reaching the recommended amount; you will have the benefits of these nutrients on your side.

The benefits of juicing are endless. From increasing your metabolism to detoxifying your liver, juicing is just one more step you can take towards a healthier lifestyle. And instead of bolting to the grocery store, stock up on green vegetables at your local farmer’s market.  In the case of juicing, the greener, the better. Green, leafy vegetables, such as romaine or green leaf lettuce, provide the most nutrients to your body. Try pairing lettuce with other green vegetables such as spinach or kale. If the thought of vegetable juice is borderline repulsive to your taste buds, you may want to dabble with an easier combination of fruits and vegetables then build yourself up to the more robust, raw flavor of the green leafy blends. Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Body Cleansing Recipe - Carrot-Cucumber-Beet Juice

• 2-3 carrots
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 beet with greens

Kick your Cold to the Curb! - Immune System Recipe

• 3 carrots
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 apple
• 1/2 beet
• 1/2 handful wheatgrass (you may also use one handful of parsley if wheatgrass is unavailable)
• 1/2 handful parsley