WASHINGTON 鈥� December is an endless cycle of eggnog lattes, office lunches, cocktail parties and cookie exchanges. It鈥檚 no wonder so many are left feeling stressed, exhausted and overstuffed during the holidays.
But Shizu Okusa says there鈥檚 a simple way to maintain a sense of balance this season: drink a juice.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great lifestyle addition to get your green vegetables when you just don鈥檛 have time,鈥� she says.
And Okusa knows, firsthand, about limited time. She worked in the demanding field of investment banking in both New York and D.C., and often relied on bottles of cold-pressed juice when grabbing lunch outside the vending machine wasn鈥檛 an option.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e sitting all day, you don鈥檛 digest well, you get ulcers from stress, you only go out to drink,鈥� she says about the 鈥渢oxic鈥� lifestyle that she led.
Two years ago, she bid farewell to the Wall Street grind and launched with former private equity professional Jennifer Ngai. They saw a growing demand for on-the-go nutrition and a void in D.C.鈥檚 juice market.聽(And just to be clear, we鈥檙e not talking about the typical sugary juices that line the shelves of grocery stores. These are juices made from pounds of pulverized fruits and vegetables.)
In November, JRINK opened its fifth D.C.-area location in Foggy Bottom.
Juicing skeptics look at the as a trend that will vanish faster than the fiber from pressed kale 鈥� but it hasn鈥檛 yet. And it鈥檚 been years since juicing made its first splash in health-conscious cities such as New York and Los Angeles.
Okusa says that鈥檚 because juice is not a trend with an expiration date.
鈥淚t鈥檚 different from frozen yogurt,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so health-oriented; it is a lifestyle; it鈥檚 something that you can do every day.鈥�
Cautious consumers commonly associate juicing with 鈥渃leansing,鈥� but that鈥檚 a word Okusa, and many others in the juice business, avoid. 鈥淏ecause we don鈥檛 believe in just washing it away and moving on to the next thing. We don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 healthy to just go up and down.鈥�
Instead, she and others partial to the craze prefer to think about juice less as a swap for solids and more like 鈥渁 salad in a bottle鈥� when you just don鈥檛 have the time to sit and eat a salad.
鈥淚t gives you peace-of-mind nutrition so you can establish healthier habits and know exactly what it is that you鈥檙e putting into your body.鈥�
JRINK鈥檚 menu lists 17 different juices that Okusa and Ngai developed in conjunction with nutritionists. Every day, they press 60 to 70 boxes of produce down to pulp in their Falls Church kitchen to make juices like the Stateside Superfood (made with broccoleaf, wheatgrass, coconut cream, coconut water, vanilla bean, cucumber, pear and lime) and 鈥楾is the Season (apple, pear, sweet potato and cinnamon).
For the adventurous, JRINK sells Black Magic, an all-black juice made with activated charcoal, aloe vera water, grape and lemon. It may look off-putting, but Okusa says it tastes just like grape lemonade and is great for hangovers.
Approximately 5 lbs. of produce go into each 16 oz. bottle of JRINK鈥檚 juices, which helps explain the nearly $10 price tag.
鈥淭o get a lot of juice from kale, you need a lot of kale. There鈥檚 so much stuff that goes in it and everything in handmade and fresh,鈥� Okusa says.
Tips to maintain balance and health during the holidays聽
To keep yourself up to full speed this holiday season, Okusa recommends starting your day with hot water and lemon, rather than coffee, which is less abrasive on the stomach.
鈥淚f you start your morning with healthy habits, I cannot reiterate how much that makes such a difference. It鈥檚 such a game-changer,鈥� she says.
There鈥檚 even room for a healthy boost at the bar. Okusa says if you鈥檙e mixing up cocktails, consider using a cold-pressed juice as a mixer. 聽鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to booze, have some fresh booze with juices.鈥�
She recommends JRINK鈥檚 Sweeten me up, made with pineapple, apple and fresh mint.
And sipping on a juice between sweets and treats, or as an alternative to snacking while preparing a holiday feast, will help you to maintain a sense of balance, both mentally and physiologically.
鈥淗ave your fun 鈥� don鈥檛 be [anti-social]. It just means that everything is in moderation. It鈥檚 much easier to say no to that fifth slice of pie when you have it in your mind already that you have a workout tomorrow because this is your lifestyle,鈥� she says.
