Juice
bars, serving freshly squeezed fruit juices along with some delicious fruit-based
smoothies and milkshakes, are currently a thing in Goa, with a number of juice
bars opening up everywhere in the state. While it’s always better to have a
whole fruit, instead of converting it to any other form, fresh juices are definitely
the better option than the fired snacks and fast food we usually munch on. Juices,
healthy and refreshing, not only provide you with vitamins and minerals, but
also keep you hydrated and at times can also satiate your hunger.
Asiya
Karim of Juice Trip, a juice bar in Panjim, says that it was her wish to
provide people with something healthy that made her come up with the idea of
opening a juice bar. “Juice bars are a very common thing abroad. While
travelling to other countries, I noticed people, including youngsters, roaming
around with ‘juices to go’. Used to seeing youngsters carrying cans of aerated drinks
here, this was a pleasant surprise. That’s when I decided to open a juice bar.
Now, I knew that this trend is yet to click in our country, and not many people
would come to a place that sells only fruit juices. So I tied-up with Havemore
ice creams and combined my juice bar with an ice cream parlour. However, when
people come here for ice creams, I urge them to have fruit juices instead. Our
Sitaphal milkshake and Avocado milkshake were an instant it,” she expresses.
“Fresh
juices are extremely healthy, especially when they are unstrained and consumed
immediately after they are squeezed,” states dietitian Sheryl Afonso e D’Souza.
She adds that unstrained juice contains pulp, which is fibre that is very
healthy and necessary for our body. But delay in consumption could lead to the
loss of vitamins and minerals present in them.
“You
can have them for breakfast, as most juices contain Vitamin C that is helpful
in the absorption of minerals. You can also drink fresh juices whenever you
feel slightly hungry through the day, instead of eating oily, unhealthy snacks
like samosa or vadas. Also, always have the juices without any added sugar.
Juices can be consumed at any time of the day,” she adds.
Asiya
too stresses on having juices without sugar: “Fruits have their own natural
sugars, which are easy to digest. Sugar that we eat is made from sugarcane, but
it’s heavily processed. Having sugarcane juice is healthy. However, the moment
you add something processed to it, it becomes unhealthy.”
Minesh
Sequeira, who has recently opened juice bar Straight from the Fruit, says that
it’s mostly the older people who acknowledge the benefits of juice and come to
places like these. “Youngsters today are mostly fond of fast food. Fast food is
delicious, but it gives all wrong kinds of fats to your body. Fruits are a
healthy option. To attract youngsters, along with fresh fruit juices, I try to
introduce items like smoothies, which will ensure good taste along with good
health. For today’s youngster, health isn’t the only USP. It also has to taste
good, in order to be popular among them,” explains Minesh.
Dylan
Rodrigues from Margao, who is health conscious and very careful about his diet,
opines, “I find that consuming fresh juices is an easy way to provide your body
with the necessary nutrients. As you consume them in liquid form, the body is
able to absorb these nutrients even faster. Secondly, if you are on a diet, one
can rest assured that you won’t take in any added sugar from the fresh juices
that might add to your calorie count; something which cannot be assured for the
packaged juices.”
As
she concludes, Asiya asserts, “With the kind of stress we face in today’s world
and the lifestyle that we follow, consuming healthy food is the need of the
hour, and fruits and fresh juices are one of the best options we have.”
