Let’s Get Juiced

The Juicers Have Descended Upon Las Vegas

Never has Southern Nevada had the variety of juice options it has today.

Mindy Tatti works with juice bars, restaurants and health coaches in her roles with the Las Vegas Health & Fitness Chamber, Las Vegan Eatz Events and Create A Change Now.

“GrassRoots is a member of the chamber, along with Vanessa Chamberlin, Juice NV, Sari Dennis of My Wellness Counts and other companies that promote juicing,” Tatti says. “With Las Vegan Eatz Events, many of our menus have included fresh juices. MTO CAFÉ – which hosted a brunch a few months ago – has two lovely juices and a few smoothies.” Juicing is “a movement that’s here to stay.”

Downtown Summerlin’s Nekter is one of the area’s newest juicing options. And Summerlin’s Daily Kitchen & Wellness Bar is opening a location in Henderson early this year. The Juice Standard and Juice NV are two of the valley’s other new players on the juice scene.

Even The Bellagio Resort & Casino has added USDA-Certified Organic, cold-pressed juices. The kale, beet and carrot juices are gluten-free and made from organic fruits and vegetables, allowing each juice to be power-packed with flavor and nutrients. The juices are available at Jean Philippe Patisserie, Spa Bellagio, Palio, Palio Pronto, Café Bellagio and Café Gelato.

And the locally owned Honey Salt’s menu features Green Goodness Juice 8, which co-owner Elizabeth Blau calls “salad in a glass,” featuring kale, apples, fennel, cucumber, celery, lemon and ginger.

Elizabeth Blau

MDL Group’s Hillary Steinberg is a commercial real estate executive. She sees an upward trend of juicing firms entering the Las Vegas market. “Increased awareness of the health benefits of drinking fresh juice has had the effect of juice bars popping up in shopping centers all around the valley,” she says. “Well-known national franchises, regional players and mom-and-pop firms are all hoping to gain market share by offering different blends. Plus, there is an increase of organic, vegan and vegetarian food options, with juice choices showing up on their menus.”

Vicki Rousseau, director of marketing for Downtown Summerlin, says juice bars “are very popular right now. And it’s a trend that we see in the valley, as people are more health-conscious and looking to make better choices about what they drink and eat. Having a place such as Nekter Juice Bar fits the active Summerlin lifestyle. It is a natural choice as it fills a demand by our shoppers, and is a great complement of our offerings to our community.”

Honey Salt’s Blau is also co-owner of MADE LV, Andiron, Buddy V’s and Simon. She started juicing after watching a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. “It was a game changer for us. It is about a man who changed his life and many others with his very cool journey into juicing. We went out and bought the Breville juicer and have not looked back. We eat a lot of great food at our restaurants and (while) traveling around the country. So juicing is a healthy balance for us.”

Blau says the juicing craze is at an all-time high in the area, “with some really amazing choices. My favorite right now is the Juice Standard. It is the trifecta for me: organic, cold pressed and glass bottles! Plus, they have great flavors and lots of choices with low sugar content.”

The LEV Restaurant Group’s Michael Vakneen says Jamba Juice recently rolled out cold-pressed juice in California, and it will be making its way to Las Vegas Jamba Juice locations this year. LEV also runs Daily Kitchen & Wellness Bar. “We have a really big juice following,” Vakneen says of Daily Kitchen & Wellness Bar. “Everyone is becoming more educated and using juices to replenish. Juicing is really catching on in the valley.” LEV Restaurant Group also offers homemade lemonade at its LOBSTER ME and I Love Burgers, including a rosemary vanilla lemonade.

Why go to the trouble to purchase juice or juice at home?

Dave Olesczuk of Las Vegas Fit Body Bootcamp at the Lakes says there simply “aren’t too many people that enjoy carrots or kale on a regular basis. Most of us don’t get enough fruit and veggies in our daily diets, and juicing is a great way to get the vitamins and minerals our bodies need. The vitamins and minerals when juicing are highly concentrated, plus it usually tastes a lot better, too.”

LifeFire’s Vanessa Chamberlin makes juicing a big part of her family’s life.

“I personally believe the positive vibe and energy that comes from someone passionate about juicing and health is transferred into every drop of the juice that they produce,” she says. “I will always look to find a locally owned and operated juice bar. I look for organic whenever possible. I prefer to be served cold juice, and I also love the ability to create my own juice with the exact ingredients I want.”

Chamberlin says she transformed her family into juice lovers by involving her daughters in the entire process. “When my children were younger,” she says, “I would take them to the grocery store and allow them to help me pick all of the produce that we would purchase. I treated the grocery experience as if it were a fun treasure hunt, and asked the girls to hunt for some exotic or unknown fruit or veggies to put in our cart and bring home to sample in a new recipe or use in our juice.

“I gave my girls some creative freedom regarding what they actually put into the juice … with one caveat — something green must always be in there. Kids love to wash the produce as well as put the fruit and vegetables down the juicer shoot as it magically turns into fresh juice before their eyes.

“Starting with a bit more sweet produce, like carrots, apple, orange, or pear in the juice, is often the key to getting your kids and other unwilling family members to develop the taste for what I like to lovingly call the ‘nectar of the gods.’ Lastly, placing some ice at the bottom of the juicing pitcher so that the juice is cold is one of the best ways to get your kids to enjoy the taste. … Nothing is less appealing to the palate than a big glass of lukewarm green juice.”

Sari Dennis is a board certified health and wellness counselor for My Wellness Counts. She says that one in 10 Americans eats enough fruits and vegetables. “Juicing is the perfect solution. It is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to ensure my clients receive the required daily amounts, while feeling the wonderful effects immediately on our cells, our energy level and our mood. “

Sari Dennis

Dennis has many busy clients. “One way to ensure they drink their green juice is to make a double batch and store the extra in a glass jar in the refrigerator,” she says. “It is better to drink it 24 hours later than not drink it at all. I also suggest that they make their juice at night rather than in the morning, when they are rushing to get out the door and start their day.” Green juice is a great midday snack, she says. Drink a glass of green juice at 2 p.m., an hour before that mid-afternoon fatigue sets in, to give you a healthy boost of energy and to help reduce cravings for those otherwise unhealthy food choices.

Dennis recommends rotating fruits and vegetables to ensure that you’re getting a full spectrum of nutrients. “Choose produce that is strong, fresh, local, seasonal and organic. Make dark leafy greens abundant in each and every juice. Add a citrus fruit to help assimilate the nutrients in the greens. Add sweet potatoes, beets or carrots for sweetness. Always add one of nature’s super foods like ginger, garlic or turmeric (or all of them if you like) for an extra kick – they are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory. And … always listen to your body.”

Jeff Manning

Jeff Manning of ABG Builders is a construction industry executive and auctioneer. He’s been juicing since he was 17. Manning says his weight fluctuated when he got busy and made work a priority over exercise. Juice was part of his solution to take off the extra pounds. But, he adds, “Juicing alone will not make you lose weight if you don’t have the right diet. You still need to have the right diet and exercise plan.

“We still need to watch our sugar intake,” he says, “and when you drink massive amounts of fruit juice you can still have a sugar impact. However, it is still much better than what most of Americans are taking in on a daily basis. A lot of times I will just only drink vegetable juice and not put any fruit juice in it. I’ve been using celery juice for a long time because hypertension runs in my family, and celery juice helps regulate blood pressure.”

Manning avoids animal products in his diet. “One cup of carrot juice has four times the amount of calcium than is in a cup of milk. For me it’s very important to be high energy and on top of my game consistently,” he says.

Sari Dennis’ Favorite Juice Recipe:

2 oranges (peeled)
2 apples
1 cup pineapple
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup kale
1 cup romaine
¼ wedge green cabbage
6-8 mint sprigs
1 knob fresh ginger
1 knob fresh turmeric

Source: My Wellness Counts

Featured in DAVID magazine

Let’s Get Juiced