Juice Bar Tuscaloosa // A Drink for Your Health

Juice Bar Tuscaloosa // A Drink for Your Health

If I were to think of a restaurant that reflected some of the most common pins I see on Pinterest, it would be Juice Bar. Offering juices, smoothies, a la carte sandwiches, salads, and every other trendy type health food, Juice Bar brings a hipster meets workout nut mesh to Tuscaloosa. Dominating most of the southeast U.S. along with California, Juice Bar states on its corporate website that it is a “I want to eat healthy and feel great” type place.

As a registered dietitian by trade, I decided to finally break down and see what Juice Bar was all about, especially after several encounters over the past few months of both older and younger women in Nike tempo shorts donning a Juice Bar cup in hand. Immediately walking in, I noted most of the staff in workout clothes talking up the juice and smoothie menu with a balanced level of intensity and syrupy enthusiasm. The woman in front of me quickly asked the staff for a consultation for the various juice cleanse programs that the bar had available. The customer listened in as the employee explained that $34-42 dollars per day for a cleanse was a great deal. Realizing that I had been distracted by their conversation, I quickly asked the next employee what the most popular juices and smoothies were. She quickly indicated that the Sweet Greens juice was quite popular with its mix of apple, kale, cucumber, parsley, lemon, and spinach, and that the Green Smoothie was another popular choice with a blend of spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, lemon, organic coconut milk, and organic apple juice. Since I knew this beverage was going to qualify as my “lunch” I opted for the Green Smoothie.

Waiting on my concoction to blend up, I continued to look around the bar and noticed quite the assortment of merchandise from hats, to shirts, to raw protein bars. I also noticed a continued trickling of women in both workout and business clothes, all equally indicating that they take their health pretty darn seriously. It wasn’t long before my name was called and my very green smoothie was brought to me. I took my first sip and was quite pleased with the balance of fruit sweetness and tart flavors lingering in my mouth. The texture was quite good and I felt confident with my decision to opt for a smoothie versus a menial juice.

Overall, I believe that the Juice Bar will continue to do quite well in a town like Tuscaloosa. As long as we continue to have college students and people obsessed with the next social media health trend, juices and smoothies will continue to reign no matter the price point. As a dietitian, I’m not typically a fan of folks basing the majority of their nutrition out of a cup. However, I did find my smoothie to be tasty and refreshing while packing quite a bit of nutrient dense foods in the mix.

Juice Bar Tuscaloosa is located in The Shoppes at Legacy Park and is opened Monday through Friday. Tweet us @ThePlanetWeekly and let us know where you are eating!

     Sheena Gregg, MS, RDN,LD is a registered dietitian and local Filipino Foodie. Follow her on Twitter @TheThriftyRD