Restaurant Review: Juice RX, my opinions on eating raw and cleanses

Hi all!  Last week, my running group and I paid a visit to Chicago's Old Town location for Juice RX for our discovery run.  We ran to the establishment and ran back.  When I looked up the company ahead of time to see what it was about, the website did not do it justice.  It seemed purely like a cleanse establishment, so I was a little weary.  As soon as I walked in the door, I knew that this place had SO much more to offer.

Dean and Johnny had samples ready for us to try as soon as we arrived, and everything I tried was great.  They were so friendly and welcoming that I recommend stopping in if you need to meet a friendly face alone!  Everything they offered was raw and vegan, and I love finding new places that make vegan food actually taste great (which, trust me, is not an easy feat).  They had us sample a plethora of juices, my favorite being the green juice.  Then, they had us try their kale chips in every flavor (garlic, curry, et cetera).  As you all know, I eat kale chips on the regular, and I loved theirs!  Afterwards, they had us try their pesto pasta made of kelp noodles.  It was incredible!  The garlic flavor was to die for, and you would have never guessed it was made of kelp.  I was really impressed.  Finally, they had us sample a "dessert", their chocolate pudding.  It was made of maple, coconut meat, cacao, and a few other natural, raw ingredients I cannot recall.  Overall, it was kind of like chocolate pudding 2.0.  It was extremely sweet, even though there was no added sugar (just a hint of maple), and extremely chocolate-y.  The texture was really smooth and creamy, too.  Everyone loved what they sampled in my running crew.

Some of us left with a few bottles of juice to run home with in each hand, and I,of course, ran home with vegan candy.  It was a raw "peanut butter cup".  It was actually made of almond butter encased with pure cacao, and I could not wait to try it later.  Trust me, running with this treat in my hand without just stopping to walk to eat it was harder than keeping pace with my group (I'm the slowest, lol).   (FYI- My crew is super supportive, always looks out for me, and encourages me, too.  I love showing up to each meeting because every time I leave I am happier, stronger, and pushed to be a better runner.  Thanks, CRW!).  Trust me, the "candy" did not disappoint.  It was very low sugar, just a bit of cane added to sweeten the cacao, and the almond butter was amazing on the inside.  Not only was my chocolate fix fulfilled, I felt good about what I was eating, which was the most important part.  It provided many great fats and antioxidants through a dessert, of all things!

The owner of this Juice RX, Dean, had a wonderful thing to say about eating raw.  He shared with us about how eating raw changed his life by improving his health.  In order to keep his privacy, the short version is that he was suffering from a disease, and eating raw was what worked best for him.  Pure, wholesome foods helped him the most, and he was motivated to start this store because of this.  He wants to show the public that incorporating raw foods in your diet can make a huge difference.  My favorite thing that he said was that it is all about balance, which I am all about.  Being healthy isn't about eating a straight, pure raw food diet or a straight juice cleanse.  If that is what you choose to do, great, but you do not have to to lead a healthy life.

I completely agree with this.  Allow yourself to indulge in some unhealthy choices when you crave something, but try to eat as clean as possible in the meantime.  I eat as well as I can, but the reason I eat well is because when I feel like having that cookie, going for frozen yogurt, or snatching some fries from my brother's plate, I do it.   Some things I avoid because of my stomach sensitivity, which I am working on by incorporating certain things (i.e. red meat) in small amounts every so often, but what I can do to keep my food balance, I will. 

My amazing running group posing with owner, Dean! 

Thank you for having us as your guests, Dean and Johnny! Click here if you want to visit their website.

My opinion on juicing/raw eating(just in case you don't want to hear it/aren't interested-lol):

I am not a huge fan of juice cleanses or eating only raw food as fulfilling one's diet alone, to be honest.  For those of you that are not familiar with raw foods, it means you are eating food that is not processed in any way (i.e. being heated in any way or modified through processing and additives-and yes, that means baking).  Even baking your own kale chips is not considered raw (I encourage people to incorporate greens in any way they want, though!  It does take away a few nutrients, though).  True raw kale chips are dehydrated.  Eating raw keeps all the nutrients intact and leaves food in the most basic form possible.  I think that using juices or juicing, if you are having natural juices with wholesome additives, is a great supplement to a healthy eating regimen.  I am not a fan of only drinking juice instead of eating food for an extended period of time (i.e. a week).  I personally do not endorse either, though. I've only tried the eating food part...to be honest.  I have never done a juice cleanse.  I have read a lot of literature about it, and the pros did not outweigh the cons.  I believe it is everyone's right to do what they want with their bodies, though.  If you try a juice cleanse, I think that it is important to be educated on it as much as possible, like the risks or benefits.  I am not saying one way is better than the other, nor am I saying anyone should try a juice cleanse or not.  I am just stating my personal stance on it.  If I were to try juicing, I would balance it with wholesome and clean foods to supplement it.