I thought I would write up a brief article regarding the calories in raw homemade spinach juice, as we get so many inquiries on the subject. To get right to it, there are generally about 60 calories to every 2 cups of plain raw spinach juice, or 30 calories to every cup. This figure can obviously vary depending on the species of raw spinach that you use, and how much low nutrient density water the spinach contains. However as a general rule, I think you'll find that the figure quoted above is a very accurate average. To generate a 60 calorie glass of spinach juice, usually you will only need one large fresh crisp bunch of spinach. However if your spinach is even a little wilted, or not so fresh, then you might need to juice two to three bunches of it to get the full two cups worth. I buy all of my spinach from local farmers markets, and then usually juice it the same day. I find that the plant in this ultra fresh raw state will hold the most juice or spinach liquids.
For those of you counting calories, or attempting to slim down, spinach juice is one of the best things that you can consume. Despite only containing roughly 60 calories per two cups of juice, it's literally one of the most nutrient dense beverages on the planet, aside from maybe fresh juiced wheatgrass. Spinach juice is absolutely loaded with iron, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, folate or vitamin B9, and many others. One of the things that keeps spinach juice fairly low on calories, is that it doesn't contain much sugar, making it a very low glycemic beverage. So if you are dieting, be sure to start drinking raw spinach juice. What many dieters do, is they make the mistake of eating very few low nutrient rich foods to lose weight. The best way to lose weight however, is to consume high nutrient, low calorie foods, such as green vegetables like spinach, broccoli, leafy lettuce, kale, plantain, and others.
We also get many inquiries regarding the calorie content within spinach juice made with canned or frozen spinach. I was actually surprised by this, as the thought of drinking spinach juice made with anything other than raw spinach sounds like it would be an extremely unpleasant thing to have to drink. Generally speaking, I would say that spinach juice made from frozen spinach would likely have less calories in it than juice made from raw fresh spinach, as it would have more water content due to the freezing process. So an educated guess would put it at roughly 45 to 50 calories per serving, or per two cups of juice. With regard to spinach juice made from canned spinach, I'm not even going to calculate that number, as I have a very hard time believing anyone would drink such an awful concoction, which literally sends chills down my spine just thinking about it. I would advise everyone to drink fresh spinach juice only, as it's the best.
As plain raw homemade spinach juice is very low in calories, it makes a great base for adding in other fruits and vegetables, while still keeping the overall calorie count low. Even if you juice carrots or strawberries with spinach, you're still only going to land around maybe 80 to 90 calories per serving at the very highest, which is substantially less that what you would consume drinking store bought juice. So if you aren't particularly sensitive to high glycemic fruits and vegetables, then try juicing oranges, apples, peaches, carrots, and tomatoes with your spinach. You'll find that some of these juice blends are just absolutely divine. I usually don't drink just plain raw spinach juice, as I like to broaden my nutrient consumption by adding in other produce. If you still want to keep the beverage low in calories, try spinach juice with celery, parsley, cucumbers, radishes, ginger, aloe vera, kale, plantain, or beets. That concludes this quick juicing article.
