The New Juiceheads
Like yoga before it, juicing has gone from being an activity once reserved for the tree-hugging set to something embraced by the health-conscious and upwardly mobile. Places like New York’s Juice Generation have certainly helped the cause. Founded by longtime juice devotee Eric Helms in 1999, the chain already has five locations in the city and plans to open three more by year’s end. According to Helms, “People are getting more curious about juicing because of people like Dr. Oz and Martha Stewart”—and Salma Hayek, with whom Helms founded Cooler Cleanse, a program of deliverable juices, last year. “The secret is that it’s really hard to make a bad juice.” We’re fairly well versed in the ways of juicing—Christmas made our Breville extractor dreams come true last year—but for those of you who have yet to be converted, Helms has some advice for how to ease your way into the art of drinking your fruits and vegetables. “Start with a green drink, made with apple, kale, and spinach, in the morning before your coffee,” Helms says. “You will notice a spike in your energy level and a big difference in your appetite.” His current favorite on the Juice Generation menu is Hail to Kale, a refreshing blend of kale, watermelon, apple, and lemon.
The more seasoned juicers of the world will be happy to know that Helms has introduced three new beverages to his imbibable offerings this week, all of which are delicious. The Spicy Hemp Milk is a creamy blend of hemp seeds, dates, ginger, and cinnamon; the Sweet Green is a clean, tasty mix of kale, spinach, parsley, watercress, and apple; and the Pineapple Kiwi is as sweet and summery as its namesake ingredients. Should you want some tasty food to complement that tasty beverage, JG has raw creations by local vegan chef Matteo Silverman to satiate you. Standouts include Silverman’s Moroccan carrot salad and the raw apple tart, both of which are available in recently added editions of the Cooler Cleanse, which also include the three new juices. They’re a far cry from cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and maple syrup—and all the better for it.
