We all know the saying: 5 fruits and veggies a day keep the doctor away. However, while studies worldwide affirm this saying, only 7.4% of the US population reported consuming more than two fruits and veggies per day.
Why is this so hard to do even when we know the health benefits? Well, for many of us, it’s either that we lack the time or don’t know how to prepare recipes with the recommended amounts. Wellness shots might just be the solution we need.
Experts recommend consuming uncooked fruits and vegetables for better absorption of vitamins and nutrients, and having a quick shot packed with all these raw fruits and vegetables makes life easier and your body healthier.
While wellness shots can be found in stores and juice bars, there’s no better way to consume them than homemade. That’s why we’ll show you how to make them at home with a slow juicer and ensure you are getting your daily fruits and veggies.
Do Wellness Shots Work? The Science Behind
Yes, wellness shots work because they are packed with essential natural ingredients. Common fruits, vegetables, extra condiments you add, and roots – like ginger, fresh turmeric, orange, kale, and broccoli – have proven to maintain a healthy brain and keep energy high.
Due to the concentrated amount of essential nutrients found in a single shot, you get bigger energy boosts and better nutrient absorption.
One of the advantages of a wellness shot is that you can prepare it however you want. Just give your favorite ingredients a good run through your juicer, and drink up.
Depending on your health goal, there is a recipe for you, especially when you integrate these healthy ingredients below into your mix.
The Essential Ingredients for Wellness Shots
Wellness shots need key ingredients that make them rich and packed with nutrients, like any type of green, citric fruits, roots, and more.
Depending on your health goal, you can adjust and try different combinations, but these are some of the basics of wellness shots.
Citric Ingredients
Examples: Lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and limes.
Citric fruits are the go-to source of vitamin C, a strong antioxidant that leads to better immune health function, collagen production, and skin health. These fruits are great in digestive wellness shots: the acidity of citric fruits stimulates digestive enzymes, promoting healthy digestion. Besides, they give you quite an energy boost and are super refreshing.
Greens
Example: Kale, spinach, broccoli sprouts, wheatgrass, celery.
Greens are packed with vitamins (A, K, folate), minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium), and fiber. They reduce oxidative stress and support the body's natural detoxification processes. Greens can help balance your body's pH levels, and dark greens like kale contain chlorophyll, which is known to help with oxygen transportation in the blood.
Roots Vegetables
Example: Beets, ginger, carrots, turmeric root.
Roots usually support liver health. They give you grounding energy and a wealth of nutrients for various bodily functions.
Other Condiments
Example: Turmeric powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, rosemary, black pepper.
In addition to giving a kick of flavor, condiments have therapeutic benefits that make wellness shots more effective. For example, they help your body absorb the powerful nutrients more efficiently.
Best Homemade Wellness Shots Recipes
Now, you can mix and match the ingredients above. You´ll have nutrient-packed wellness shots in a matter of seconds – especially if you’re using a high-quality cold press juicer. However, if you’re looking for specific recipes, these are our favorite ones.
1. Immunity Wellness Shot Recipe
The best recipe for the cold season. Prepare for the winter season with this immunity shot! Protect and boost your immune system to prevent seasonal flu.
Ingredients (makes 3 servings)
Directions
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If you don’t have a Hurom juicer or a food processor, first, we recommend to shred your ginger.
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Peel your orange and your lemon (yes, we will use the entire lemon).
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Remove all the seeds from your citrus.
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In your Hurom, food processor or blender, add all the ingredients and mix.
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Strain in case of using a blender or food processor (a mesh strainer will provide better results).
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Serve and enjoy.
2. Digestion Wellness Shot Recipe
Tired of drinking a spoonful of apple cider vinegar each morning for gut health? Try this wellness shot instead. Full of flavor and spice, this recipe will aid your digestive system. It’s perfect to start your morning or after a full meal.
Ingredients (makes 3 servings)
Directions
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Peel your apple.
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Cut your cinnamon into small pieces (you can skip this step if using a slow juicer).
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Add your ingredients to your juicer or blender.
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Straining for a smoother texture is optional, but since this will have a more liquid consistency, it is not necessary.
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Serve and enjoy.
3. Wheatgrass Wellness Shot Recipe
Feel refreshed, energetic, and upbeat with this wheatgrass recipe. This shot is perfect for a long, busy day, and it’s also a great option to batch-make and keep drinking throughout the day or even the week. After all, the ingredients used keep this recipe fresh for longer.
Ingredients (makes 3 servings)
Directions
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Wash and disinfect your wheatgrass.
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Cut your celery into small pieces if you are using a blender.
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Peel your lemon.
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Peel your ginger (optional).
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Juice all your ingredients.
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Serve and enjoy.
4. Red Winter Wellness Shot Recipe
This is another great recipe to make your immune system strong and healthy throughout the cold season. It’s perfect for the little ones due to the sweet, sweet taste or for a quick pick-me-up treat.
Ingredients (makes 3 servings)
Directions
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Peel your beetroot.
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Peel your orange and grapefruit.
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Remove the seeds.
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Add all the ingredients to a juicer and mix.
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Serve and enjoy.
5. Refreshing Green Wellness Shot Recipe
This green wellness shot is an excellent source of freshness! This is the perfect recipe for the hot summer days, after a long run on the beach or right before a heavy workout.
While this leans on the lighter side of shots, it is still packed with nutrients, but it feels super lightweight and easy to drink. This is THE wellness shot for beginners or for those who don’t really enjoy strong flavors.
Ingredients (makes 3 servings):
Directions
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Peel your lime and remove all the seeds.
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If using a blender, cut your celery into smaller pieces.
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If you’re using a juicer, just peel your pineapple and cut it into smaller pieces.
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Add to your juicer and mix.
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Serve and enjoy.
Note: We recommend not peeling your cucumber.
6. Sunrise Citrus Wellness Shots
For the citrus lover, this shot goes well with a big, heavy meal! It’s easy to make and has all year-round ingredients. In fact, you might even have them in your fridge right now. This citrus wellness shot is convenient for any occasion and loved by everyone who tries it.
Ingredients (makes 3 servings):
Directions
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Peel your lemon, orange, and tangerine.
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Remove all seeds.
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Add all your ingredients to your juicer and mix.
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Serve and enjoy.
7. Wellness Shot for Weight Loss
Wellness shots are a perfect aid for weight loss because they can control your appetite and improve your digestion. Of course, you should also maintain a consistent diet and an active lifestyle, but a wellness shot will take your routine to the next level! This recipe is made of leafy ingredients that are light and keep your hunger at bay.
Ingredients (makes 3 servings)
Directions
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Boil your water and prepare your tea. Do not leave the bag in the cup for more than 4 minutes. Let it cool and set it aside.
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Wash your spinach and parsley.
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Peel and cut your pineapple.
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Juice all the ingredients
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Serve and enjoy.
How to Make The Perfect Wellness Shot
While these colorful recipes are our top favorites, that does not mean it all ends right there. One of the amazing things about shots and why we love them is that they are versatile and convenient. You can even improvise and create brand-new recipes with what’s left in your fridge.
And while there is no “perfect” wellness shot recipe, some tips help you combine flavors like a pro:
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For freshness: Combine leafy greens like spinach or kale with celery and a touch of cucumber for a hydrating and nutrient-dense shot.
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Enhance the “spicy” flavor: Always pair turmeric with a pinch of black pepper powder. The piperine in black pepper significantly enhances the absorption of curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, and it gives it a very interesting kick.
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Sweet and tasty: Combining sweet flavors like orange or carrot with cayenne pepper balances out the flavors.
Hurom: Your Key to Nutrient-Rich Wellness Shots
If you want to go the extra mile and make your shots even tastier and more nutritious, then investing in a slow juicer is a must.
Hurom juicers utilize a patented slow, cold-press technology called Slow Squeeze. This method gently extracts juice by crushing and pressing ingredients, minimizing heat and oxidation.
This is crucial for preserving heat-sensitive vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants, which are often the main compounds in wellness shot ingredients.
Additionally, Hurom's Slow Squeeze Technology gets even the last drop—efficiently separating the juice from the pulp—crucial when making wellness shots with concentrated flavors.
How to store wellness shots properly
Making batch shots for the whole week is time-saving and convenient. However, you need proper storage to maintain their freshness and keep the nutrients alive. Here's the best way to store your wellness shots.
First, remember to always refrigerate your shots immediately after making them. The cold temperature slows down oxidation and bacterial growth, preserving the nutrients and flavor. Keep the temperature consistently between 34°F and 40°F for more freshness.
Store them in an airtight container, preferably made of glass, and store in a darker room. The point is to protect the shots from light, which can degrade specific ingredients like vitamin C.
Freshly made wellness shots are best consumed within 72 hours, though cold-press juices can resist in the fridge for up to 7 days. While they may still be safe to drink after this time, the nutrient content and flavor will diminish.
If this is not possible, then freezing might be a better option. Yes, it can also affect the texture and some nutrient content, but it will make them last for months.
Pro tip: Some ingredients freeze better than others.
Citrus and ginger shots tend to freeze well, while greens can take a funny taste and texture. We recommend freezing, especially when using organic ingredients, since they tend to have a shorter shelf life and are chemical and preservative-free.
The main ingredients matter most for preservation. But the right tools and equipment also affect the taste and shelf life of your shots. So now, we would love to share our favorite tools to make the best wellness shots.
The Best Tools for The Perfect Wellness Shot at Home
Let's start with the most important equipment and the star of the show: the juicer. You can make wellness shots with a blender and even a food processor, true; but a juicer will ultimately be the best and easiest way to get a good quality shot.
For starters, you won’t need to strain your drink. Of course, high-quality juicers have many other benefits.
In the same way coffee lovers invest in a good coffee machine, a healthy enthusiast who loves juice will invest in a Hurom juicer.
Hurom H320
For strong and healthy wellness shots, we recommend our H320 juicer because of its low pulp production. It extracts every drop, leaving only dry pulp behind, so all the healthy nutrients stay in your shot.
Besides, this juicer includes a coarse strainer so you can prepare fiber-full, rich smoothies. Or you can stick to the original strainer to get a more smooth and shot-like liquid consistency.
Small Shot Container
For batch shot juicing, you can never go wrong with the Hurom Jar Set, which is made with durable BPA-free glass that will maintain the flavor and freshness of your drinks without any unwanted odors. You will be able to store 6-8 shots in this container.
If you prefer to store your shots individually, then we recommend any high-quality glass bottle containers.
Wax Towels
Lastly, beeswax towels will become your best friends, especially since a lot of these recipes call for halves and quarters. Properly storing your ingredients to keep freshness is essential to maintain the quality of your next shot.
That's why these towels are so amazing; these will make all these ingredients last longer, so you can make a good-as-new shot as if you just cut the ingredients again.
Common Myths of Wellness Shots
Now you are a wellness shot expert. You know how to make the freshest shots and how to store them properly, as well as the best juicer to make them with: Hurom.
But to be a genuine expert, you must learn the hidden truths about wellness shots and all the myths surrounding them. Like any other popular healthy practice, people are skeptical about shots. That’s why we’d like to take a moment to go over some of the most common myths surrounding them.
1. Wellness Shots Are Cures.
Yes, wellness shots are fantastic, but like any food, they're not going to solve every problem or cure every illness magically.
Wellness shots do not need to be seen as a cure but as an aid to your diet and doctor-prescribed medication – a sidekick, if you will.
2. Wellness Shots Can Detoxify Your Body.
Detox shots can support detoxification processes in your body, but they don’t actually do it themselves.
That’s because they're full of antioxidants and nutrients that regularly support your body's natural cleansing process.
Your body is already an amazing self-cleaning machine, and these shots give it a little nudge in the right direction.
3. Wellness Shots Will Make You Lose Weight Fast.
This is probably the biggest myth out there, so let's talk about weight loss. The reality is that there´s no quick fix or easy route to weight loss. Besides, this journey is very different for everybody.
So the quick answer is no, wellness shots alone do not make you lose weight. Wellness shots increase satiety and energy and have anti-inflammatory properties that assist natural detoxification. All this is essential for weight loss and a well-balanced diet.
Wrapping It Up
Remember, wellness shots are a fantastic addition to a balanced lifestyle, not a replacement for it. But with the right slow-press juicer and ingredients, they can take you a step closer to the healthy lifestyle you dream of.
If you're looking to take your homemade shots to the next level, get your Hurom today and feel what true energy tastes like.
FAQs
How many wellness shots can I take in a day?
One shot per day keeps the doctor away! Since these shots are highly concentrated, it's easy to overdo it. The right amount depends on the ingredients and your tolerance, but one to two shots a day is a good place to start.
Are wellness shots actually good for you?
Yes, especially when homemade. Homemade wellness shots are made with fresh ingredients, and they are a healthy way to get your daily dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Do gut shots actually work?
Yes. Gut shots usually contain essential gut-healthy ingredients like ginger, apple cider, and turmeric. These promote a healthy gut microbiome and maintain your general gut health.
What are the best health shots to take?
The best shot is the one that includes the ingredients your body needs the most. It could be a berry shot or a green shot; some people will prioritize antioxidant and inflammatory properties, while others might need energy-boosting shots.
What goes in a wellness shot?
Common ingredients for wellness shots include citrus fruits like lemon, orange, and grapefruit for vitamin C. They also tend to contain kale, spinach, and celery for vitamins and minerals. Besides, roots like ginger, turmeric, beets, and carrots are popular additions to a wellness short recipe.
When to drink wellness shots?
The best time to drink wellness shots will depend on your goals, time of year, and ingredients in season. For energy and to kickstart your metabolism, we recommend drinking them during your morning routine.
After a workout, they help with recovery and muscle repair. And for better digestion, take them after a meal. But if you're focusing on immune health, you can have them anytime.
