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Table Hopping: Raise a glass to good health at Peeled
“We have something for everyone,” says Benjamin Harvey, general manager at Peeled Juice Bar in Evanston. | Lee A. Litas~Sun-Times Media
Peeled Juice Bar
940 Church Street, Evanston
8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday
(847) 869-PEEL (7335) or see peeledevanston.com
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Updated: March 20, 2013 12:56PM
Juicing is no longer just what you do to lemons to get lemonade.
It’s a movement among a segment of the health-conscious. It’s proponents say drinking juices of fruits and vegetables is better, healthwise, than eating those fruits and vegetables whole. They believe the human body can absorb the foods’ nutrients better because drinking juice eliminates the need for the digestive system to work overtime to break down fiber from the skins.
However others, including dietitians from the Mayo Clinic, argue that the nutritional difference between juicing an apple or eating it whole is minimal, if there is any.
Regardless of which camp you’re in, what is not in dispute is the fact that, while you may be able to grab an apple on the go, it’s far less likely that you’ll grab an apple, several leaves of kale, some shaved ginger and a whole pineapple to wolf down in your car on the way to work.
So to help you out, Peeled opened in Evanston last June with a mission to provide the community with nutritious juices, smoothies, hand-crafted gelato and detoxifying cold-press juice cleanses.
They offer smoothies rich in protein for people who frequently work out or are trying to build muscle, like the “Strong Like Bull.” There are breakfast smoothies that include oats, and decadent dessert smoothies with raspberries and chocolate. And their gelato is hand-crafted on site with fresh fruit.
“We have something for every palate,” said Benjamin Harvey, general manager. He explains that juices are a great way to attain the variety of nutrients necessary for the body in a given day.
“Your body metabolizes juice very quickly and you will find yourself energized (and) rejuvenated with all the raw nutrients entering it,” he said.
For those who have never considered adding fresh juices to their daily health routine, Harvey has this advice: “Start on your own terms with ingredients you enjoy and then eventually pepper in some more densely-nutritious choices.”
When customers enter the brightly-lit storefront of Peeled, the first question they are likely to be asked is: “Do you have a taste for a particular ingredient?” Upon which a juice purveyor will then spend time describing each juice from ingredients to taste profile and nutritional value.
Try the Blue Magic, a rich, dreamy smoothie with blueberries, bananas, mango and pineapple ($6.50). The densely-nutritious Rappers Delight contains kale leaves, mango, camu camu (a powdered version of a vitamin C-rich berry found in the Amazon), raw almond, cinnamon, agave and date water ($6.50).
The spicy Life Support includes carrot, apple, beet, lemon, ginger and kale ($6.50). Or the immensely-popular Forever Young made with kale, apple, celery, lime and cilantro and tastes like a breath of spring with a tangy twist ($6).
“We pride ourselves on providing the community with a healthy, nutritious snack (and) we’re happy to be in the limelight,” said Harvey. Pun intended.
