Northgate Juice Joint educates with organic menu | Life & Arts

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Juice Joint’s mission is to provide healthy food and educate the public while doing so.

Located on University Drive, Juice Joint serves organic drinks and snacks to those in the Bryan-College Station area using locally grown ingredients. The restaurant provides educational opportunities for those interested in learning more about sustainability and cultivates some of the ingredients in their urban garden.

Lisa Bradway, co-owner of Juice and Class of 1982, is a former business professor at Texas A&M. While spending time working in her husband’s physiotherapy office, Bradway said she noticed flaws in America’s healthcare system and decided to make a change.

Bradway, who has battled type 2 diabetes for many years, said her idea for Juice Joint came from juice fasting, which helped her avoid insulin.

“I realized we need to take more responsibility for our own health,” Bradway said. “I am a perfect example of all the people who take drugs and do nothing. I may not be tiny, but I can control the medications I need to take for my health.

According to Bradway, Juice Joint is one of nine certified green restaurants in Texas. Bradway said this was determined by the Green Restaurant Association through the use of electricity, sustainability and waste conversion.

“All of our pulp is collected by Brazos Valley and recycled in their composting,” Bradway said. “All of our cups are compostable, with the exception of our straws. Ninety percent of what we have [in our urban garden] is reused.

Morgan Cook, senior sociology and deputy director of Juice Joint, said the shop focuses on lists published by the Environmental Working Group, whose goal is to educate the public about pesticides in food.

Items on this list are either Dirty Dozen, which are foods with high pesticide residues, or Clean Fifteen, which are foods unlikely to contain pesticide residues. Juice Joint tries to focus on the items on this list when preparing its recipes.

“The things on the Dirty Dozen are things that have all the chemicals, bug spray, and pesticides and stuff like that,” Cook said. “These are the foods we all get organic.”

In addition to drinks and snacks served on site, Juice Joint offers juice cures. These come in sizes of 40 ounces and 80 ounces per day.

“The point of a cleanse is to have all that you consume for how many days you do it are vitamins, minerals, enzymes and clean water,” Bradway said. “That way your body can use all of it to start detoxification, which it mainly does for the first couple of days.”

Education is an important component of Juice Joint’s mission. This is done through on-site information courses, such as making perfumes with essential oils, as well as speaking at events.

“We want to show people that you can do it in a very small space,” Bradway said. “It’s really to try to make people understand that there are things you can do easily to take care of your health, and you can’t trust the government to do it for you.”

Jordan Lesmeister, a junior in communications, said she tried to eat healthy while in school. She said the vibrant colors of Juice Joint’s urban garden make eating healthy and enjoyable.

“Watching what I eat and eating healthy is something I really try to do, although it can be a challenge sometimes in college,” Lesmeister said. “I really like the way my body feels and how clear my mind is when I eat healthier.”

According to Cook, working at the juice store taught him about the nutrients used in the foods served.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize all the junk food that’s in your everyday food, your fast food, and your tropical smoothie spot,” Cook said. “I just think if you want a smoothie or a snack on the go, it better be something pure and really good for you.”

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