Photo by Shayla Girardin
A pile of textbooks, a laptop and a glass of juice, you may have noticed the latest accessory that Pepperdine students are toting to class — a bottle of juice. Juicing is a huge trend, so nowadays it’s not uncommon to spot a student sipping their lunch through a straw. Whether cleansing, replacing a meal or just enjoying a fruity beverage, juices are extremely popular.
Local restaurants, including SunLife Organics and Vitamin Barn, offer a variety of juices on their menu that boast various health benefits. If you feel like you aren’t getting enough fruits or vegetables in your diet, juicing is one way to up your intake. And juices are no longer limited to just fruit. Many people prefer to drink their veggies instead of eating them, so various forms of “green juices” are also popular. Spinach, kale, cucumbers — you name it. You can juice just about any vegetable. Nowadays, juices are becoming a popular form of meal replacement.
Senior and “juice specialist” at Juice Served Here, Darlene Melendez, explained the growing popularity of juicing and some of the benefits of a juice cleanse.
“A juice cleanse is an easy and fast way to reboot your system internally, and it’s also really good for your digestion system,” Melendez said. “With a juice cleanse you can re-alkalize yourself, which helps to balance your internal pH.”
Melendez also mentioned that most people are unable to eat the recommended dosage of fruits and vegetables per day, so juicing is one way to make sure you’re getting all your veggies.
On juice cleanses, a person will stick to a liquid diet and drink approximately six juices a day. Many people will incorporate soup or tea into their cleanse as well. No caffeine is allowed. If you’re considering a cleanse, Melendez recommended transitioning into foods that are easier to digest before you begin.
“That way the cleanse isn’t a complete shock on you body and you’re not miserable,” Melendez said.
Just juicing can be a challenge. Melendez said she found the experience beneficial but tiring.
“The first day was fine, but my last two days were difficult. I was hungry,” Melendez said. “It’s more of a psychological thing and you miss the sensation of chewing, because you definitely get full from all the juice.”
Keep in mind that juicing has a price tag. At Juice Served Here, a juice cleanse is $55 per day and individual juices range from $10-$12. However, they do offer a student discount.
While a juice cleanse may not be the solution for everyone, I recommend adding a veggie juice to your diet once in a while to up your vegetable intake. As for myself, I’ll keep on chewing for the most part, but I’ll definitely start incorporating more juices into my meals. Who knows, maybe I’ll even hop on the cleansing craze.
Follow Shayla Girardin on Twitter @shaylagthatsme
