Are You ‘Green’ to the Green Juice Trend? Starbucks Nutritionist Offers Advice

In the past year and a half, cold-pressed juices have exploded in popularity. We asked Kate Schenk, MS, a certified nutritionist at Starbucks, to provide insights on why more and more people are picking up juice, what to do if you’re “green” to green juices and why people are gravitating toward Evolution Fresh cold-pressed juice as an easy and nutritious on-the-go option.

What are the benefits of drinking cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juice?

We always recommend eating fruits and veggies in their whole form, but that isn’t always feasible. Drinking a cold-pressed green juice provides a great way to get nutrients from fruit and vegetables on the go. For example: if you’re a busy mom, trying to pick your kids up from school and then quickly shuttling them to soccer or piano lessons, it is much easier to grab a bottle of cold-pressed juice for your car’s cup holder than to prep and package the equivalent amount of fruits and vegetables. A single bottle of Evolution Fresh cold‐pressed 100% juice is made from one to two pounds of fruits and/or vegetables.

A great example of a nutritious cold-pressed green juice from Evolution Fresh is Essential Greens with Lime, a juice made from a medley of green vegetables, including spinach, romaine lettuce and kale, and is a good source of potassium and vitamin A. One bottle of Evolution Fresh Essential Greens with Lime, a 100% juice, provides almost two cups of the fruit and vegetables recommended daily by the USDA.

Can you talk about cold-pressed juices using high pressure processing (HPP) – what it is and why it is so important?

Not everyone has a fresh-pressed juice bar around the corner or wants to deal with the prep and clean-up involved in juicing at home, and Evolution Fresh provides greater access to consumers across the country to the nutrients and taste found in a fresh pressed juice.

Evolution Fresh takes a different approach with our cold-pressed juices– we press and squeeze our favorite fruits and vegetables, bottle the juice cold and then use high pressure processing (HPP) for both safety and to help protect nutrients and flavor. HPP is a method of applying an enormous amount of pressure to already sealed bottles of juice. It’s like sending the juice to the deepest part of the ocean and then going even deeper. The result is a delicious juice that is vibrant with flavor.

Fruit juice may provide more sugar than a consumer wants – how do you deal with this?

In recent years, consumers have become cautious about the sugar in some fruit juices and are being more thoughtful about the calories they consume. Evolution Fresh offers a wide variety of juices, from 100% juices like our orange juice and green juices to smoothies and fruit juice drinks. The sugars in Evolution Fresh 100% juices come from the fruits and vegetables used to produce them. Regardless of where someone is in their health & wellness journey, there is an option for everyone.

Finally, for those who can’t get past the thought of drinking a green juice, how should they begin? Is there a “starter” juice?

This is a very common question, and I love introducing people to green juice from Evolution Fresh. We work tirelessly to craft green juices that are not only nutritious, but taste great. For your first green juice, try choosing one that has a fruit forward taste. I always recommend Sweet Greens with Lemon from Evolution Fresh. This juice is a refreshing green juice made with a variety of green vegetables, apple juice, and just a squeeze of lemon. It’s also my favorite in the Evolution Fresh line-up! I find it incredibly refreshing, not too sweet and it has a great citrus finish.

The great thing about taste palates is that you can condition them. By incorporating vegetables into your diet, both in their whole and juice form, we can easily learn to love greens over time.

About Evolution Fresh, Inc.

Evolution Fresh offers juices and natural foods that provide high-quality, wholesome, delicious and accessible nutrition to consumers. Acquired by Starbucks in 2011, Evolution Fresh is one of the few major juice companies in the U.S. using high pressure processing (HPP) for safety and to help protect nutrients and flavor. Evolution Fresh offers an extensive portfolio of bottled juices, available in grocery retailers and select Starbucks® stores on the West and East Coast, and at Evolution Fresh retail stores. Together, Starbucks and Evolution Fresh seek to make incredible nutrition widely accessible. To learn more about Evolution Fresh, please visit us online at: www.evolutionfresh.com or through our social media channel https://www.facebook.com/EvolutionFresh.