Zest for life
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Calizumos
Raised on natural vegetable and fruit juices in sunny California, 27-year-old Jonnathan Courtney came to Barcelona for the second time in 2015, with a desire to spread his mother’s love of juice and promote healthy living. Calizumos does just that with fresh, cold-pressed vegetable juices. Each one is made to order, and whilst they predominantly contain vegetables, they embody Courtney’s belief of getting all the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients without compromising on taste. Ninety percent vegetable, the 10 percent fruit (either orange, lemon or apple) adds a little zing. All of the fruit and veg is delivered fresh from local farms just outside Barcelona, with the exception of a few high quality imported ingredients as required. Calizumos also offers free monthly bootcamps to really kick-start a healthy year.
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Fruiteca
Under the Beatles-inspired slogan ‘All You Need Is Juice’, Fruiteca, in the Eixample, combines high quality fruit and veg to produce more than 20 colourful cold-pressed juices, purées, smoothies and milks. Built on the experience of three generations of greengrocers, the Tordera family opened the juice bar to get the best out of natural ingredients. By using cold-press technology—a hydraulic process that relies on pressure to extract the maximum amount of liquid from fresh fruits and vegetables—Fruiteca ensures that each juice is packed full of nutrients. Keeping in tune with their slogan, all their juices are named after classic throwback songs: ‘Karma Police’ (a vibrant purple blend of kale, beetroot, carrot and lime), ‘Common People’ (an immune system booster with orange, apple and carrot) and ‘Beautiful Day’ (an anti-aging mix of carrot, pineapple, apple, banana and cinnamon), to name just a few.
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Hammock Juice Station
The quirky and inviting set-up of suspended hammock seats in the Eixample is a no WiFi zone, perfect for detoxing both mind and body. Radiating a sense of calm and relaxation away from the modern-day frenzy—‘just like in a forest’, as a sign points out—the vegan and raw snack bar serves a selection of organic juices, smoothies and healthy treats. It takes a simple approach to juice: the majority contain three or four key ingredients; some are made from fruit only, like the sharp ‘Sun-Kissed’ (pineapple, apple and lemon) and zesty ‘Vitamin Sea’ (grapefruit and orange), while others give classic juices an unusual twist, such as ‘Mom’s Apple Pie’, which incorporates a hint of cinnamon. To satisfy a sweeter tooth, there’s a selection of smoothies that seem indulgent, but actually don’t stray too far from your New Year health regime. The ‘Salted Caramel’ smoothie (peanut butter, banana, dates and vegan milk), for example, has Himalayan salt, which is known to detoxify the body by balancing blood pH.
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Teresa's
This fast and healthy flexitarian hotspot in the Born uses primarily raw, organic fruit and veg in its juices. The cold-pressed juicing process employed at Teresa’s avoids aggressive conventional treatments, such as pasteurisation and high pressure processing, which lead to the inactivation of healthy microorganisms and enzymes. Keeping juices at between zero and four degrees Celsius preserves the natural vitamins and nutrients for up to three days. Each concoction contains a wide range of ingredients, from the vibrant ‘Green Medicine’ (pear, grape, cucumber, spinach, kale, lemon, parsley and dandelion) to the purifying ‘Virus Killer’ (a blend that includes raw honey, echinacea and té de Roca) and the superfood-fuelled ‘Detox’ (carrot, cucumber, beetroot, romaine lettuce, celery, spinach, kale and nettle). Should juice not quite do the trick, try a cold-pressed purée, plant-based ‘mylk’ and snacks made from organic, local produce.
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The Juice House
Caracas-born owners Luz Cortázar and Dani Luzzatto opened The Juice House in 2014 to share their love of clean, lean recipes. The Sant Antoni space boasts a colourful mural, exposed brick walls, industrial light bulbs and rustic wooden tables that create a cosy atmosphere in which to enjoy a fine selection of punchy juices. Most notable are the ‘Hardcore Green’ (kale, spinach, fennel, apple, pineapple and ginger) and the ‘Ginger Shot’ (ginger, either honey or agave syrup, lemon, and black and cayenne pepper). The latter is perfect for those looking for an immunity boost, as ginger is known to help digestion, while also containing anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. For the sweeter side of things, the smoothies—‘Juicy’, ‘Strawberry Fields’ and ‘Right Side’—come with the option of adding superfoods such as açai and chia, which have a wealth of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients proven to reduce oxidative damage to cells.