The ultra-health conscious and granola-crunching crowd has known the nutritional benefits of juicing for years. Now, with the emergence of mega juice chains and small pressed juiceries all over the country, more people than ever are opting to drink their five to six daily servings of fruits and vegetables through juicing.

What started out decades ago with a few delicious menu items like carrot-orange-banana blends or fresh pressed apple cider, has turned into a craze that calls for gourmet juices containing more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that you can get in an entire meal, or two.

Who wouldn`t want to chug down a day`s worth of kale, spinach, beets, celery, and carrots in one serving, instead of planning and preparing the same amount of veggies to fit into a sometimes-busy schedule? Juice blends can easily be guzzled whether you are running out the door, in the car, at your desk at work, or even, yes, in a traditional restaurant setting.

Some of the best new juice shops and cafes have managed to turn blending fruits and vegetables into an art form, offering gourmet juices with organic produce and a variety of ingredients like green apple, kale, parsley, barley grass, and alfalfa.. Whether you opt to add green apple to a kale-parsley blend or throw a dash of coconut water into a spinach-orange concoction, there are tons of ways to jazz up a plain old juice. The traditional wheat-grass shot is still the Holy Grail for some juice aficionados, but now it is easy to find juice blends containing barley grass, alfalfa, and even parsley.

The best juice establishments know that just eating your veggies isn`t enough to promote good health and keep ailments at bay. When it comes to juicing, buying organic is an absolute "must." After all, who wants a cupful of pesticides along with their wellness tonics?

For those who are new to juicing, it's recommended to start with palatable juices made with mild-flavored produce like carrots, fennel, green apples, and oranges than jump right into the hard-core detox combos like kale, spirulina, cilantro, alfalfa, romaine, ginger, and cucumber.

Some of the most palatable juices for newbies are made with mild-flavored produce like carrots, fennel, green apples, and oranges. Remember, fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, so you may want experiment with just one or two drinks per day at first, until your body has had time to adjust to all of the sweet goodness you are filling it with.

Once you`ve found a few flavors that you like, try adding new ingredients like lemon, ginger, several grasses, and pear. You may find that you start juicing because it leaves you feeling full, then realize that you somehow feel lighter. Invigorated, but with a stable energy that lasts throughout the day. Energized, without the blood sugar spikes and crashes an hour after eating a meal.

And, the really cool thing about juicing is that there are juice combinations that help to prevent and remedy all sorts of health issues like ulcers, digestion problems, high cholesterol, fatigue, and a weak immune system.

Here are 10 great juice fusions to get you started, packed with antioxidants, detoxifying ingredients, and energy-boosting elements:

• Kale, orange juice, spirulina, alfalfa, cucumber, parsley
• Spinach, romaine, celery, green apple, lemon
• Swiss chard, cilantro, barley grass, cucumber, green apple
• Kale, green apple, ginger, filtered water, lemon
• Cucumber, lemon, cayenne, green apple, ginger
• Beet, celery, green apple, ginger, lemon
• Carrot, beet, green apple, ginger
• Green apple, celery, coconut water, kale, lemon
• Carrot, coconut water, pear, beet, cinnamon
• Beet, romaine, carrot, kale, coconut water, green apple, pear

Whatever juice blends you try, whether out or at home, remember to listen to what your body is asking for, choose fresh produce, and consume fresh juices right away. Juicing offers a fun and nutritious way to enhance your well-being.