Want to shake up your usual green juice recipe this January? Open your mind and think outside the (juice) box. While we love our usual combo of market greens and ripe fruits – think kale, cucumbers, spinach, apples – this season we’re resolving to give other powerhouse produce picks a chance. First up on our list? Those tiny, tangled greens on every salad bar. Yep – you can juice pretty much anything, including alfalfa sprouts.

Sprouts are literally the seeds of life, the culmination of every nutrient needed for the growth and maturation of a life form, so it is no wonder that sprouts are at the top of our list to include in a healthy diet. When a seed sprouts, it activates powerful enzyme systems that create extremely high levels of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The interesting thing is that due to this process, sprouts are actually richer in nutrients than their matured counterparts. Mother Nature sure knows what she’s doing!

One of the most accessible sprouts is alfalfa. Alfalfa sprouts, unlike other sprouts, are rich in nutrients, but they are most well known for their saponin content. Saponins are compounds that clinical studies have suggested help protect the human body against cancers and also lower cholesterol levels. Research has also indicated that saponins decrease blood lipids, lower blood glucose response, and can be used in the inhibition of dental cavities and platelet aggregation. That’s a long list of benefits for such a small sprout!

Rich in vitamins C, K, and A, broccoli also has high levels of B vitamins and the minerals manganese and potassium. Broccoli is part of the cruciferous family, which is renowned for a laundry list of health benefits – most notably it’s anticancer properties. It also contains a key component that aids in hormone balance, specifically to have a harmful xenoestrogens found in substances such as plastics and conventional meat, dairy, and soy. Finally, it is a powerful anti-inflammatory and detoxifying agent, and it promotes colon and cardiovascular health.

This green juice recipe comes from Pressed Juicery’s book Juice: Recipes for Juicing, Cleansing, and Living Well. Enter our Pinterest contest to win a copy of your own – plus a slew of other prizes, including an Omega juicer to get you juicing like a pro!