Author: <span>Jen Chase</span>

Facts About Fructose

April 6, 2016 By Jen Chase

If you’ve read this blog; met Jamie and Marcella and heard them wax poetic about health; or if you’ve visited any TJS location in person and have talked ingredients with our Bees beehind the counters, you know that no matter the health concern, we beelieve there’s a healing juice for everything that needs some healing. That’s why whenever we hear folks bestowing green juice with bountiful accolades (which it deserves) and poo-pooing juice with some fruit in it (which they shouldn’t), we worry. We worry, because fruit being considered “unhealthy” couldn’t and shouldn’t be further from the truth.

TJS juices do contain naturally derived fructose—also known as “fruit sugar”—and when consumed in mass quantities, like everything else in life, too much can certainly cause harm. But all TJS juices are in fact healthy (assuming you maintain a healthy lifestyle in the first place).

How?

1) According to this journal article by the National Institutes of Health (and others), we humans were born to detect sweetness…so to some extent, we probably shouldn’t defy nature, right? Our tongues have receptors all over the place that get great pleasure from a drippy bite of watermelon, the sweet-tart pop of ripe berries or the crunch of a crisp apple. And all of that makes indulging in fruit—like, for instance, a chewy date—just as satisfying and so much more healthful than opting for a processed candy bar.

2) Fructose or not, fresh, unprocessed fruit is filled with vitamins, minerals and nutrients. In moderation, fresh fruit is as healthful as it is satisfying.

3) For folks with metabolic issues or conditions that require living in a high-calorie world, TJS’s fruit-forward juices provide a perfect balance of healthy calories and nutrition by serving up two-to-three pounds of produce in every bottle…along with the absorbable vitamin and mineral bennies that come from lovin’ on your fruit.

4) All it takes is 15 minutes (or fewer) for the blood to start absorbing nutrients without having to break down and digest fibrous food to get to the goods. And that makes cold-pressed juice a huge help to people with diabetes, or anyone else with a condition that requires quickly raising sugar levels because the body absorbs juice so fast.

Cold-pressed Juice with Fruit In It: 1

Haters: 0

With all this fruit love, let’s dial it back to the green stuff for a sec so we can remember something important:

TJS’s lowest-sugar juices—ones that are mostly vegetable?—can equally be a part of someone’s healthy diet for the way they won’t send someone down an unhealthy path thanks to their low fructose content.

So, see? TJS juice proffers a win-win for everyone. Every TJS juice is beneficial. And if you’re an otherwise healthy person, the calories and healthy fat in a full bottle of nut milk is never going to be like the calories in a burger, either.

Calories are calories. But for sure, some choices are better than others.

With Our Cold-Pressed Cocktails, Less Is More

April 6, 2016 By Jen Chase

A few choice ingredients added to some tried-and-true Singletons is all it takes to create our newest menu additions (cocktails) at our newest location (The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas). What makes them truly swoony? That Marcella’s recipes allow their juicy and nut-milky bases to shine-shine-shine.

Haven’t had ‘em? Time to meet The Juice Standard’s cold-pressed cocktails.

What: Happy Russian

What’s in it? Bee Happy (think chocolate milk), vodka, kahlua, and choice of optional Crème De Menthe or peppermint oil and/or an espresso shot to make it (and you) “wired.”

Reminds you of…a riff off the best White Russian you’ve hadn’t even dreamt yet.

What: Queen/King for a Day

What’s in it? Bee Royal (think spicy lemonade), bourbon and ginger beer

Reminds you of…a Dark & Stormy with a side of citrus attitude. Perfect fuel for your night on casino or dance floor.

What? The Heart and the Fist

What’s in it? Bee Resilient, gin, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, lemon juice, pink Himalayan salt, hot sauce

Reminds you of? A (spicy garden) party in your mouth.

What? WHealth™ Maker

What’s in it? Bee WHealthy™, vodka, ginger beer

Reminds you of…a Vegetal Bee WHealthy™ and spicy-sweet ginger beer make this drink so unique you’ll create an entirely new food memory.

What? Sex Panther

What’s in it? Bee Cosmopolitan, vodka, triple sec, lemon juice

Reminds you of…sex. And, large cats. Meow. (Er, Grrrr.)

What? Living Legend

What’s in it? Bee Legendary, rum

Reminds you of…guilt-free nog you can enjoy any time of year. And, Ron Burgundy.

What? Dirty Martian

What’s in it? Bee Resilient, vodka, dry vermouth, olive juice

Reminds you of…the best dirty you’ve ever had. (Martini, that is.)

Bentonite Clay: Bee Cosmopolitan’s Secret For Fighting Last Night’s Ails

March 3, 2016 By Jen Chase

What’s pink, sweet and healthy all over? Bee Cosmopolitan! Our newest juice in the TJS lineup has made its exciting debut on the menu at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and it features a very special substance: bentonite clay…a game-changing ingredient that could become your diet’s new antidote to life’s occasional ails and over-indulgence.

What’s bentonite clay?

Ever hear the phrase that something’s “old as dirt?” When it comes to bentonite clays—and there are a few different types but here we’ll talk about the kind you ingest—this ingredient of the earth and from the earth pretty much is earth. According to Camden Whole Health in Maine, some call it “living earth” because clay is basically weathered volcanic ash that formed an electromagnetic charge when the ash was born from thermal-dynamic heat and volcanic action.

So, yeah. Super-special earth. Magic earth, even. Because if taken the right way it really can help alleviate what ails you.

How does bentonite clay work?

When ingested, it is clay’s electromagnetic charge that is responsible for its ability to attract toxic materials in our system, hold them, and then flush ‘em through the body through our digestive tract. And by “toxic materials” we mean everything from germs, heavy metals and pesticides, to parasites and, yes: alcohol.

Why we’re touting Bee Cosmopolitan at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas?

It’s that whole attracting-alcohol-from-your-system-and-flushing-it-through-your-digestive-tract bit we think could help The Cosmopolitan’s Beeautiful Party People have a more pleasant tomorrow after any previous night’s indulgence. Whether you’ve over-done it at STK on a rich meal or knocked back a few too many at Marquee, bentonite clay can act as a magnet for the nasties in your system. And in the recipe that Marcella and Jamie developed, Bee Cosmopolitan’s lemonade-like flavor will make it a welcome nightcap for not only how it makes you feel but how smooth it goes down.

When should you drink it?

Bentonite clay is best taken at bed, so if you know you’re going out, plan a few days ahead and have a few Bee Cosmopolitans in your fridge. We also recommend drinking plenty of water, since clay can absorb many times its weight in liquid and the more you drink, the more you’ll flush. But bee warned: The clay is so good at attracting and flushing, it may effect the efficacy of certain drugs and medicines you take. (“Effect the efficacy?” We’re going with it.) What we mean is if you depend on exact doses of heart, blood pressure, mental health, or anti-convulsant meds, avoid bentonite clay or at the very least, chat up your trusted medical professional for some pre-sipping advice.

In The Juice ‘Cleanse’ Debate, The Word ‘Fast’ Rules

March 3, 2016 By Jen Chase

You say potato; we say potahto. We used to say “juice cleanse.” Now we say “juice fast.”

(Wha?)

Yes: The Juice Standard is experiencing a paradigm shift. In the last few months we’ve paused to re-eval our core beliefs about cleanses, fasts and how we describe the tools we use to tweak our health. Now that we’ve successfully mulled it over for ourselves, we’re ready for the big reveal to you.

And Here’s The Big Reveal

We’ve made a very important decision: We’re moving away from talk of “cleanses” and toward talk of “fasting,” a change that may seem small but one that’s of high import.

Here’s why.

A “fast” is typically when anyone gives their body a complete break from chewing food or drastically reduces their caloric intake. Why would anyone want to do this? All the energy that goes into digesting food diverts to other parts of our body’s daily existence.

The benefits of fasting are the same as cleansing:

You still feel slim in the belly.
Your energy increases and cognition feels a little sharper.
You sleep better.
It’s easier to get up in the morn.
Your body can better heal wounds (or other issues) since more energy is going to where it needs it.
Toxins are removed from your system.

But in addition to all those goodies, in the last few years, well researched books like the UK phenomenon The Fast Diet have touted the medical benefits of allowing the body to rest for 12 to 16 hours between our nighttime meal and what we eat the following day. And those bennies include reversed signs of aging, alleviating arthritis and asthma, and helping the brain turn over new cells quicker, which increases our thinking capacity and makes room for new cells.

What we formerly referred to as the TJS’s “Standard Cleanse” clocks in at just about 1200 calories. Any deep reduction in calories—especially when the only source of calories or nutrients is liquid and not solid—will feel like a fast. And anything that feels like a fast is going to feel healing.

So, Why Not Keep Calling a Cleanse a Cleanse?

For starters, there’s one poo-poo’er in every group of juicers that loves pointing out that we have kidneys and livers to cleanse our bods. And truthfully, they’re right. Our liver and kidneys filter blood that carries nutrients throughout our body, and then those organs help filter, flush and cleanse them fully from our bods via our urine and poo. But we also know that juicing helps facilitate this process more effectively and efficiently…so juicing certainly helps those organs do their organy thing.

Is It More Accurate To Call Flushing the System with Juice a “Fast?”

In a word, yes.

At roughly 1200 cold-pressed calories per day, our newly referred to “juice fasts” provide the same balanced nutrition, hydration and satisfaction that rests digestion, and prime the gut to energize the body—and your busy life!—just like our previously referred to “juice cleanses.”

This is our story and we’re sticking to it:

The STANDARD FAST is a beeautiful entry-level fast. Your juice consumption is spread across six, 16-ounce bottles of original-recipe flavors developed to deliver maximum satisfaction (read: satiety) and crave-ability (read: taste).

The GREEN STANDARD is for the seasoned juicer who prefers navigating an all green-juice fast. Feelings of soaring energy and super-hero stardom can neither be confirmed nor denied.

The “B.Y.O.F.” (Build Your Own Fast) is an exercise in craftsmanship and deliciousness. TJS staff will personally pair our menu with your palate and health goals.

Can you still call a TJS cleanse a cleanse? Course you can. But with all of fasting’s benefits and the research available that touts them, file this paradigm shift Sesame Street style…under the letter “K” for Knowledge Is Power.

Microbes, Gut Health, Juice, Poo and You

March 3, 2016 By Jen Chase

Feeling imbalanced? Know something’s wrong in your bod, gut or head but can’t figure out what? When our internal selves seem externally off, first thing we at The Juice Standard look at is our diet. And since what goes in must go out, we spend an awful lot of time evaluating our proverbial “output”…literally talking shit every day.

Have any friends obsessed with their daily deposits? Are you? Don’t be shy, Bees. Everybody does it. Here’s why knowing your poo is like a secret little key to knowing your health.

Why do you think “you are what you eat” gets repeated so often? Beecause it’s true. And it’s never more visible—prove-able!—than after we poo. Why? At its most basic level, our poo is what’s left from the food we eat once our bodies pull all the vitamins and nutrients from it that we need. But if you’ve lived life thinking all poo is equal, you’re wrong. Capable of varying from day to day, meal to meal, the color, shape and odor of our poo is like our own little Magic 8 Ball about our diet…all that’s good about it, and especially what we might be lacking.

We love this cheat-sheet infographic from HealthWorks.my that shares how much you can glean from a glance at what your behind leaves behind.

But knowing how to read your poo is only the second half of the battle since you can’t read output without understanding input. And that’s where juicing, gut health and something called your microbiome comes in.

What Is A Microbiome?

Microbes are microscopic organisms that live everywhere on earth, and when they organize to live in a singular environment, they form something called a microbiome. Closest to home for we humans, our guts are filled with up to 100 trillion little organisms that create our own personal microbiome…and it’s our microbiome that makes us, us.

Why Does Your Microbiome Matter?

When you feed yourself, you’re actually feeding your gut’s microbiome. And since our miraculous gut is a veritable manufacturing mecca for everything the body needs, what goes into your gut gets turned into miraculous, health-promoting things: immunity-fighting blood cells; glowy skin; and maybe most important for our work-life balance, serotonin. Our gut regulates 90 percent of the body’s serotonin production—our happy feeling, peace-keeping neurotransmitter—and is indeed responsible for the strength of our overall immunity.

That’s why if you control what you eat, you not only control how you fight infection but you can control how you feel, enjoying things like…

• Improved cognition
• Increased energy
• Awakened tastebuds
• Enhanced health
• Heightened immunity

What Should Your Microbiome Eat?
Give your gut too much sugar, meat and processed carbs and you’ll create bad bacteria…you know: bad feels, bad immunity. But nourish your gut with fresh produce, good fats and high-quality carbs, and the gut’s glorious flora and fauna delivers the health riches your body deserves.

Now we may be biased, but nothing feeds the gut its necessary flora and fauna like organic produce…especially the kind The Juice Standard cold presses into our juices and nut milks. And there’s no faster way to feed your gut the beeautiful nutrients it needs to serve your body, mind and spirit than by drinking cold-pressed juice beecause within 15 minutes, the gut can absorb the nutrients in every Singleton.

When it comes to caring for your gut, Bees, it comes down to this: No poo? No health. Know poo? Know health.

And now you know.

TCOLV…Here, Oh Here Come We!

February 4, 2016 By Jen Chase

Pretty soon, Off the second-floor elevators at the Chandelier Bar; Across from STITCHED; and, In direct sight of the line-up line for Marquee, will be three ways to answer what we hope will be The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’s hottest question of 2016:

Where’s The Juice Standard?

Best part? The answer will always add up to awesomeness.

Following suit with “The Rose” and “The Hive,” TJS’s third outpost will be affectionately called “The Buzz,” and is fixing to open at The Cosmopolitan in February. So when you or your Strip-bound guests are looking to whet your whistle with the most deliciously raw, fresh, cold-pressed sips made from organic produce, nuts, seeds, and grains , remember: Unlike those big-box brands from out-of-state, we’re the real-deal local choice that’s never pasteurized, and always served with advice, a smile and some love. (And, a menu that features faves and a few surprises can neither be confirmed nor denied.)

Friends Who Juice: Meet Chelsea Dora

February 4, 2016 By Jen Chase

Mary, Mary, quite contrary: How does your garden grow?

So goes the famous nursery rhyme…but watch out: In the Vegas version, throw Mary in a desert and rename her Chelsea, and it’s no more silver bells and cockle shells, but hardy crops from a self-taught farmer who not only drinks our juice, but grows some of the produce we press.

Indeed, despite the kind of blistering, water-sucking heat that rips life from plants instead of inspiring growth, Chelsea Dora is a Las Vegas-based farmer/owner (Urban Hydro Greens is her biz) who makes microgreens-growing magic in the most unlikely spot: a 1000-square foot vertical farm space, in an industrial park off Sunset near McCarran International Airport. There, Dora tirelessly grows the kind of greens that are as gentle on the environment as they are on our stomachs.

I moved to Las Vegas in…2003 from…South Carolina, and at UNLV I studied…International Business Marketing with a minor in Chinese. I graduated in…2013.

In my experience, the biggest misconception about living in Las Vegas is…that everybody eats-sleeps-works on the Strip, and that there’s no life outside the Strip. If you think about other cities [the Strip] is one street—one street! There’s so much to Las Vegas within four hours: hiking, swimming, snowboarding, lakes, beach….

The thing I not-so-secretly love most about living here is…the landscape and the weather. The skies are always so beautiful and blue, and the mountains look different every single day.

My daily mantra or “quote to live by” is…“Be the change.” Very simple. It inspires action, always, which I think is lost on a lot of us. We have mantras or things we want to do every day, but “Be the change” is so powerful.

Don’t get me started talking about…misconceptions in the health information world. I get so fired up. I feel like I have a deep understanding of how the body works, and there’s so much marketing out there about what our body “needs.” People see an article they read on Facebook they’ve scanned for a few seconds and think they’ve become an expert.

Every day I strive to…stay present. There’s no shame in striving to do something, even if you don’t reach it. When you go to the store and someone’s in the checkout line, it’s so easy to be inside our day and not say, “Hi. How are you? Who are you?” I try to set the intention [to be present].

Something people would be shocked to know about me is…I kill houseplants. Microgreens are really easy. [But] I have no green thumb.

A fave Vegas spot that never gets old is…the trail system, and the mountains. There’s a trail behind Rhodes Ranch with gypsum caves. It takes 10 minutes to drive there and five minutes to walk, and there’s a view of all of Las Vegas.

About Urban Hydro Greens

Being a farmer in Las Vegas makes me sound like an urban farming unicorn. When I tell people what I do, I get funny looks, followed by this:

Them: You’re from Las Vay-gas? Oh, how cool. What do you do?

Me: I’m a farmer.

Them: What do you meeean?

And this is the thing: With urban agriculture, we are really creating an industry. In this new-age, urban setting, I use some soil but I’m not knee deep in cow dung. I live in a high rise and I drive my Mustang. There are a few out there, but there are maybe two or three new-age urban farms growing micro greens as a health-oriented company.

We get questions worldwide on our Facebook page [about what we do]. People want to be healthy. You may need a doctor once a year, but you need a farmer three times a day.

This is how I acquired the company. A lot of people don’t know the inception story. When I was in college and I was going to farmers markets (and you should encourage students to go to farmers markets!), I met husband-and-wife team—Dennis and Nickie Vitali—and they had a farm. And I started buying microgreens from them. Mind you, the microgreens were just in a box, so I started learning about what they were and why they were good for me.

I went home and would put them in my smoothie. Then, any time I was at the market as a customer, I started selling to the other customers, explaining what microgreens are. The Vitalis were like, “Hey: You can come to the farm!” Finally, I started volunteering and I learned how to farm them. I wanted to start a juice bar, so they invited me to open one next to them. And I did. And, I ended up buying into the company.

Today, Dennis and I are partners and Nickie has her own business. But they sparked the interest in me by giving me the inspiration that hey: I can grow. I attribute a lot of this success to them. They’re older and wiser, and for them, I brought a youthful energy

I supply the micro greens to TJS. The thing that makes me most proud about my collaboration with the company is…I think it’s one thing to serve juice, but to go the extra step to inspire them and educate them about something that’s better than anything they could make at home? Something they would feed it to their mom, or give it to their child?

Other restaurants and stores I supply my micro greens to are…Winder Organic Farms (which delivers farm-fresh products); View Wine Bar and Kitchen at Tivoli Village; Chef Jeff at Todd English P.U.B. (at Aria); The Sparklings; and, The Juice Standard. We’ve worked with more than 30 restaurants.

What’s your 5-year goal for the company? We have a school curriculum, a classroom initiative. I’d like our “Garden In A Bag” kit to be retail-able. I’d like…for young people to have some sustaining income, and to open farms in food deserts, or in the middle of New York City. There are projects I’d like to see grow and be managed by young people. Farms create community, and I’d like [the Urban Hydro Greens] model to spread like wildfire.

Chelsea On Juice

The fruit or vegetable you’ll always find in my pantry is…goji berries. I always like them in tea.

The first time I realized I loved cold-pressed juice was…probably when I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.

The first time I drank green juice…it was wheatgrass, and I was one of those people who just threw it up. I detoxed so quick! But it showed me how much I really needed to detox.

Today, I drink cold-pressed juice because…I believe it’s an integral part in understanding produce and food as a whole. The idea is that we don’t eat enough things that start from the ground, and [juice] is an easy way to get the nutrients we need. Who’s going to sit and eat as much produce as what’s in a bottle? I’m a vegan, and I can’t sit and eat so much kale. I don’t want to be in an uncomfortable place. But cold-pressed juice hips me get those natural, healthy things into my diet. Plus, I feel healthy. When I drink a green juice, it feels like medicine, and it reminds you that you’re giving yourself a gift. You’re treating yourself nicely

My advice to a newbee juicer is…to avoid juice with too much fruit. They should try something like a Bee Resilient, because for a green juice that is one of the smoothest juices I’ve ever had, it is the most healthy juice TJS has. It’s going to be the most detoxifying. And I think it’s imperative that new juicers know that.

Who Are The Bees In Our Hive? Urban Hydro Greens.

February 4, 2016 By Jen Chase

In the last 5 years there’s been a huge uptick in people caring about where their food comes from, since the fewer the miles ingredients travel between harvesting and cooking, the more nutritious they are.

Couple that feel-goodyness with a return to how food was harvested in the olden days (i.e., without pesticides) and you’ve got folks craving the purity of organic produce just as much as The Juice Standard does. So in this occasional feature, “Who Are The Bees In Our Hive?” we’re introducing you Bees to the farmers and purveyors who help TJS do the deliciously good work that we do.

Urban Hydro Greens: Go Small or Go Home.

Know those delicate, frilly little greens that started topping salads and sammies a few years ago? Hardly for show, they’re called microgreens and they’re harvested for more than cuteness.

The threadlike shoots that veggies like broccoli, kale and peas produce just after they sprout are massively nutrient dense: A handful of broccoli microgreens actually has the same vitamin and mineral content as a pound and a half of its full-size cousin. (Imagine the chewing you can save!) Plus, their size makes them easier to digest than the full-fledged veg…so people who have trouble tolerating typical, gas-inducing culprits like broccoli or kale do much better with littletons greens.

TJS uses micro greens in our Field Greens Salad and our newest juice, Bee Resilient. And we buy them from right here in Las Vegas from Urban Hydro Greens, founded by farmer Chelsea Dora and her partner, Dennis Vitali, where thanks to their hard work, within 24 hours Urban Hydro Greens’ greens go from soil to TJS salad plate, wrap or bottle. Can’t get much more local than that. Here, Dora shares some ins and outs of this farm just five minutes off the Las Vegas Strip.

US (The Humble Bee): You’ve created a vertical farm, indoors, in the desert…and a very successful one, at that. You must still get weirdo looks.

THEM (Urban Hydro Greens): We have birthday parties. We teach classes. We sell “Garden In A Bag.” Most microgreen farmers you speak to are [growing] for specific restaurants, and we do that too; but we have a different take. I’m in business to teach people. I’d like to “Mary Kay” this, where mothers can start their own farms as a source of income and feed their own communities.

US: You sell microgreens at farmers markets. Is the home cook savvy enough to buy them?

THEM: When I first started going to farmers markets, maybe one in 50 people knew what they were. Now? About one in 15 do.

US: What’s making them more popular?

THEM: Microgreens are more gentle on the digestion…and their live, active enzymes break down easily, so the body is more capable of absorbing them. One handful of microgreens is up to 40 times more potent than the vegetable itself. They’re like live multi vitamins. We like to say, “Don’t just garnish your food; garnish your life!”

US: What’s in the TJS blend you grow for our salads and juice?

THEM: We call it our “Local Superfood Microgreens Blend.” It contains micro broccoli, kale, pea shoots, red cabbage, bok choy, and amaranth, and it does everything from fights cancer and increases immunity; delivers plant protein and amino acids; makes hair, skin and nails shine; and even detoxes the liver and gallbladder. The mircogreens in the blend were carefully chosen to crate the ultimate meal booster…[and] the easiest way to get your daily vitamins and minerals in one serving!

PolyJuicery: BEE In Love With More Than One.

February 4, 2016 By Jen Chase

Bee Pure, Bee Resilient and Bee Grateful are three different and swoon-worthy juices that will provide a day’s worth of delicious nutrition. While society pushes us to vary what we eat—and it’s pretty much a necessity for maintaining a balanced diet—who’s to say that same need for, er, “variety” isn’t applicable to other areas of life?

This month, we honor variety of another kind: our ability to bee in love with more than one juice—and, daresay, one person—and beeing brave enough to explore it.

If you’re a person of a certain age, chances are you’ve run the gamut of relationships.

Maybe you’ve been in love, out of love, sworn off love, or don’t know if you’ve actually seen it.

Whether with men, women and/or both, maybe you feel like you broke love or love broke you.

Maybe, try as you did, you couldn’t connect with the face across the pillow that you chose for as long as you both shall live.

Maybe love’s not your gig, and maybe it’s all you ever wanted.

Maybe you partnered flawlessly and your other half died. Or maybe, when he or she walked out, the corpse left in their wake was you.

For centuries we’ve been conditioned to frame love and loss through a somewhat Colonial and Puritanical lens. But today’s truth is this: More and more people are exploring how to wrap their minds around giving love, seeking love and receiving it from more than one person at a time. And they’re pretty timid to admit it.

Cuddle Puddle

Beecause of this, for the 30- to 50-year-old demographic, bookstore shelves are thin from sales of titles that today’s women seem starved to digest: alternative relationships, polyamory, and the fact that some people’s capacity to love can be so abundant, the ages-old construct of monogamy—the choice to partner with one person at a time—doesn’t work for them.

Let that creep in a little:

Monogamy…feels off.

That may seem harsh, but we couldn’t mean less harm. Books like Esther Perel’s perennial Mating In Captivity, Sex From Scratch: Making Your Own Relationship Rules and The Ethical Slut (and don’t go judging a book by its cover because that last one is profound) are thoughtful and deeply researched missives about open relationships relative to polyamory, which the Polyamory Society calls “the non-possessive, honest, responsible, and ethical philosophy and practice of loving multiple people simultaneously.”

(Now let’s think about that concept for a minute as it applies to how we partner:)

The non-possessive, honest, responsible, and ethical philosophy and practice of loving multiple people simultaneously.

((And call us crazy, but shouldn’t all relationships be like that?))

Actually, the notion of not placing all of our love eggs in the basket of one person to carry is a lot like building a custom TJS Singleton Six-Pack. Sure, it’s safe to buy six bottles of the same juice, especially if it keeps you sipping within the lines of predictability. But what if your soul’s true palate points to not one, but three flavors that independently, symbiotically and chemically fill not just your TJS cardboard carrier but your heart, too? What if we weren’t afraid to admit that the ages-old definition of partnering with one end-all-bee-all person doesn’t work for everyone? Isn’t it possible it would be more fair to our partners if we sought some things from some and others from others, rather than expecting everything from one knight or princess? And what keeps us from being honest about expressing new thoughts about our needs…even if they shatter the status quo?

If we crave multiple people to fill our proverbial love tanks—if we believe that advice like this exists to remind that the human capacity to love is SO abundant that it explains how a mother can equally love each of her children—it may be time to better support one another as we reach for the courage to admit there’s no shame in feigning convention. It may help us force the question that if we have the capacity to love more than one person, and we seek a partner with the flexibility to explore this beautiful way of sharing a life with someone who’s likeminded, maybe together we’ll build bravery to talk about it. Seems like the above books and candid conversations is a pretty good place to start.

At TJS, juice is our one true love. And in this emotive month—and during these emotive decades in people’s lives as we swan dive into our own authenticity after a separation, an uncoupling or a death—there’s zero shame in saying, “Traditional relationships haven’t worked for me. I want more.”

This month—this Valentine’s Day—if you don’t have a “one love,” it hardly means you don’t have love. You can love more than one thing. Know why? Our one true love is that which we do in our lives for ourselves: our career and our parenting; our art; our juice…whatever. And while a handful of Team Bees waxed poetic last week about this very subject, Creative Director Mallory Dawn said it beautifully best:

Our one true love is simply that which moves us; and when we allow ourselves to love more than one person or thing, we invite more love to return to us.

(How does it get any better or less scary than that?)

So for all our talk about being kind to one another, this February (this life?) let’s baby step toward being kind to ourselves while exploring how freeing it could feel to own a face of love that works for us, not one that works for society. Let’s loosen conversations in our friendships and communities that explore just how much our hearts might grow if we drop the fear and inch toward what we think might be true for us…even if it’s not popular. Beecause while monogamy can be our life’s most precious gift if we’re blessed to find our “one,” if how you’ve partnered hasn’t felt quite right, it might be time to change the dance.

From The Founders: Reflection, and the New Year’s News at TJS

January 6, 2016 By Jen Chase

Is that you, 2016? Well helloooo, Beeautiful! While a new year can mean out with the old, in with the new, co-founders Jamie Stephenson and Marcella Williams take a few minutes from 2-0-1-6 to reflect on how any TJS year-that-was will always shape its year ahead, as long as TJS sticks to its standards. (Spoiler: It’s going to be juicy.)

When we first opened The Juice Standard (and in March, it will be a full 2 years since we did), we had lofty goals and dreams that were rooted in fostering our inner selves as much as promoting our business model. From the beginning, we were fortunate to hire gifted people who believe in the brand. And along the way, they have helped shape how our boutique company strives to thrive in a capitalistic climate while staying wholehearted…how we navigate the highs of Las Vegas’s making TJS its go-to juice bar for cold-pressed juice that’s committed to organics, as well as retail’s natural lows. (As you know, “this too shall pass” goes both ways as it helps us ride life’s waves when things are going smoothly, and even when they’re not).

The inner growth our team has experienced as we’ve worked toward our shared goal—spreading wellness through juice—is as profound as our business growth. And as for business growth, in 2015 there was a lot:

We opened our second store—The Rose, on St. Rose Parkway in Henderson—where it soon became a gathering place for like-minded juicers (and folks who like communal farmers tables).

We introduced flavors like Bee I’m Possible and Bee Kind.

We launched a chewing menu of which we are proud and excited to evolve.

We were awarded the Henderson Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Innovation Award for sticking to the standards on which we built this company (more on those below).

The Las Vegas Review-Journal named us Best Of Las Vegas in our category.

We earned exciting press for sharing our story, and just being ourselves.

Though it feels like we’ve been growing by leaps and bounds, we’re trying to go slowly. Mindfully. We always want to do things right, as our main focus will always be juice. And that’s a good thing, since in early 2016 we’ll be making our Las Vegas Strip debut by beecoming the exclusive juice bar at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where we have so many unspeakably exciting things to launch, we can hardly stand the wait. And for the better part of 2015, beside our team of trusted trusteds, we have been working on our new Hive, an outpost that will allow us to press more, and make more nosh.

Excitement all around.

We deeply recognize that this growth was only possible beecause of the customers we appreciate so much. Our customers are people who visit us from near and far, and who have so much integrity, they demand high-quality juice for their bodies and trust us to give it to them. It’s for our customers—you, our Bees—that TJS will continue to improve and grow according to our standards:

• WE SOURCE Organic Produce (If it can’t be sourced organic, we simply won’t serve it.)

• WE PRACTICE 0% High-Pressure Processing (HPP) (Our juice is raw and pressed daily. No sterilized, pasteurized, shelf-stabilized juice leaves our facilities. Ever.)

• WE ARE Environmentally Sound (We reduce, re-use, recycle, refund, and in turn, respect our world through our bottling and composting efforts.)

• WE ARE Customer Centric (Our handholding staff guides new juicers and old down their path toward WHealth™ and glowing self.)

• WE ARE Purpose Driven (We believe in protecting bees; honoring farmers; supporting local business; revering staff members; embracing transparency; creating awareness; nurturing health; serving quality; and spreading love.)

So, yes: 2015 was a very good year. But we won’t rest on our laurels. And as we look toward 2016, we’re excited to continue to serve you, our Beeautiful Juicers, our finest product as we stick to the standards that educate, innovate and celebrate all of our journees toward WHealth™ and glowing self.

Friends Who Juice: Nathaniel Zinni

January 6, 2016 By Jen Chase

It started innocently enough at The Hive, where TJS’s co-founder and CEO Jamie Stephenson saw Nathaniel Zinni buying all kinds of TJS juice…only to learn just how important it is in his juicy approach to a healthy, feel-good lifestyle. After chattin’ him up—he was in the middle of a 28-day cleanse, af
ter all!—Jamie’s entrepreneurial bones sensed Nathaniel would be January’s perfect poster boy for WHealth™ and glowing self. Boy, was she right.

Meet Nathaniel, a personal trainer and true Las Vegas newbee who in this month’s Friends Who Juice feature offers something of gentle soul’s master class in exercise, health maintenance, andthe ideology behind the two. (Just please think twice before sipping some of what he presses. There may be a reason why he likes TJS so much!)

All About Nathaniel

I was born and raised in…Massachusetts (the hometown of the Patriots), but I’ve spent the past 3 years in Arizona.

What brought me to Las Vegas was this: I moved to Arizona after I graduated college. I had made up my mind that to grow as an individual, I needed to embark on an unknown journey; one where I didn’t know the outcome, where I wasn’t quite sure if I’d make it. I needed to force myself out of my comfort zone, so I moved to a place I had never visited: Arizona.

It was rough in the beginning—couch surfing; spent some nights in my car—but I learned a lot about human will and our innate ability to thrive when all odds are against us. Those 3 years were so challenging, yet so rewarding, that I knew once I got comfortable again I had to make a similar change in environment and surroundings. When the opportunity arose to transfer with my employer, I jumped at it. And here I am in Vegas.

I literally have just been here for 3 months. I’ve done less couch surfing, but it’s definitely started off with its own unique challenges. But it’s the adversity that we grow from, so I plan on seeing this journey through.

In my experience, the biggest misconception about living in Las Vegas is…[that] the Strip [is] the main way of life, or the only way of life, that exists. Most people’s minds probably flash to scenes from the Hangover, or some other flamboyant movie about the Vegas lifestyle. They don’t consider people’s lives exist outside of that scene.

The thing I secretly (or not-so-secretly) love most about living here is…. the variety of people I have met. What’s cool about places like this—I think warm weather places in general, although from what I’ve experienced thus far, it hasn’t been so warm!—is that they are very transient states. So, I get to learn and interact with many different cultures and people from very different walks of life. When I compare that to my time spent on the East Coast, I felt like people and families just get stuck there for generations.

If I had to pick my daily mantra or a quote I try to live by, it would be….I always try to [live by] is incorporating is the “3 Ps” – Patience, Persistence and Positivity. Often, hope gets bleak and things go dark; but I’ve learned throughout my years not to be afraid of these moments, not to be afraid of the dark, because it’s in the dark where light shines brightest, and it’s in the dark, behind the lids of your eyes, where your imagination can run free. I think successful people believe in the dark, and they choose to embrace it and believe in what’s there, even if no one else can see. I think it’s those places that you find your dreams.

Music’s importance in my life is right up there, next to air. I truly enjoy such a wide variety. Don’t hold me to this, because this could change for me, but if I had to pick a theme song for my life…I’d go with They Move on Tracks of Never Ending Light by This Will Destroy You. It’s beautiful…the type of music you put your headphones on with and block out the rest of the world; and, it speaks to you without words. I’ve always felt one of life’s great misfortunes is a vast majority of people can name a Nicki Minaj song, but have never even heard this type of music. No offense Nicki….

A favorite Vegas spot for someone who really enjoys taking care of his or her health is…Lifetime Athletic in Summerlin (shameless plug). Seriously, I had never even heard of a Lifetime until I moved to Arizona, and becoming a part of its organization has truly changed my life. It’s a beautiful state-of-the-art facility, but that’s not even the best part about it. It’s the people inside that make it great. I’ve come across some of the smartest and most caring individuals the health and fitness field has to offer during my time with Lifetime. It really strives to provide the best people, places and programs to its members and team members. I believe it has truly separated itself in a congested field of fitness gyms and corporations. You won’t find a nicer gym in Vegas, and it’s something I am truly grateful to be a part of.

Something my family instilled in me about health is….what not to do. I grew up in a big Italian family, where not finishing your plate was a crime against humanity. Looking back, food was a big part of the culture when there were get-togethers. However, no one ever seemed to take the time to consider what he or she was putting in their mouth. As a result, I saw many of my cousins, aunts and uncles struggle with weight. I knew I never wanted to go down that route, and wanted to set an example for them and the people I came across. I always hope to be the spark to light change in their lives, and others, through my actions.

Something my parents did with me as a kid I’d NEVER do with mine is…Honestly? I would never let my kids watch television… That probably sounds crazy to a lot of people. But, if I think about all the time I spent growing up watching other people live out their dreams from behind a screen, it’s kind of depressing. I developed the mentality that I need to get busy working on my dreams and not worry about what everyone else is doing or thinking. I haven’t owned a T.V. in 5 years. and when I have children, I don’t plan to change that.

On Staying Healthy in Las Vegas

I’m the assistant head of the personal training department at Lifetime Fitness. When people ask me where I work and what I do, I tell them…that I change lives. My goal is always to educate and leave the individual in front of me better physically, mentally, and emotionally than before they met me.

Best perk about my job is…taking away someone’s pain. As a personal trainer, I think we often get typecast into roles of being people who facilitate weight loss and body composition changes. But the personal training and fitness field is much more dynamic that that.

One of the many hurdles to achieving a person’s aesthetic goal— the first step, really—has to be a person’s injuries and assessing their overall movement dysfunction. I never come across a person who couldn’t be moving better. I have always bought into the phrase, “If you can’t move your own body, what gives you the right to move other objects?” I see this time and again, and as personal trainers, especially at Lifetime. We pride ourselves on not only reaching that person’s fitness goal, but also improving their overall quality of life.

I think successful people believe in the dark, and they choose to embrace it and believe in what’s there, even if no one else can see. I think it’s those places that you find your dreams.

I can’t tell you how many countless people I’ve encountered who are just suffering, from the complex neurological disorders like Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD); to the everyday aches and pains of shoulder impingements and low back/knee issues, and everything in between. When these types of things become debilitating and keep people away from completing simple daily tasks, or the activities they love to do, the most rewarding thing about my job is seeing someone’s face after taking away years of pain and watching them lead a normal, unrestricted life again.

A typical workout schedule for me is…I am very routine, so every morning I wake up and do some manual soft tissue work and pair that with various movement drills. Our joints love to move and the best thing you can do for the health and longevity of your joints and tissue is to move constantly, and with a purpose,

Then, I typically break up the middle of my day with some strength and conditioning workouts. This might include exercises like Single Leg Deadlifts, glute bridges, or upside down kettlebell walks. It will all depend on the goal of that particular phase of programming I’m working on.

I think a lot of common gym goers don’t understand the necessity behind programming. If you have a goal, you ideally, systematically, build toward it through well-thought and designed phases and programs. You can’t just throw darts in the dark and hope you hit the target. Like anything worth having in life, you need a plan. I always make sure in my plans to include exercises that will challenge me through different elements of fitness. I make sure, at minimum, to do movement every morning and do some set gym exercises four days a week. .

I haven’t been in Vegas very long, but I can tell you the difference between the healthy-living scene here and many of the other places I’ve been across the United States is…that, stigma aside, Vegas definitely has more pressure and opportunity to take part in a very unhealthy lifestyle. That being said, a lot of places and companies like TJS have risen to combat this lifestyle, and there are more alternative choices here than any other place I have been.

No matter how busy I get…preparation and planning are the keys to how I make sure I eat healthy meals during the week:

It’s like studying for a test you really want to pass. You develop a game plan and you execute. That could be meal prepping, or making sure, come hell or high water, you get your butt in the gym. A lot of people prepare for school, work, a family, a vacation, but they miss the boat on preparing for the most important thing of all, and that’s long-term health. Unlike many of the aforementioned things, your body is the only thing you will keep with your from birth to death. It’s always boggled my mind that our society as a whole puts it to the back burner.

Veggies make up a vast majority of my kitchen. Choosing one is hard, but for ones you’ll always find in my kitchen…it would be tough for me to part with broccoli, spinach, asparagus or sweet potatoes. I’m not a huge fruit eater, but blueberries and alligator pears seem to always find their way into my kitchen.

My advice to someone who is having a hard time sticking to an exercise plan is…for them to remember why they started. It’s cliché, but true. Develop a tangible and emotional attachment to that reason. What I mean by that is when you really want to adhere to a goal—not just a fitness goal, but goals in general—it has to be more meaningful. It can’t just be, “I want to lose weight to look good for summer.” There’s no substance behind that. Goals have to have feeling to them, otherwise they’re rarely achieved. An example of that might be taking that same weight loss goal, but making the “looking good” a byproduct of the true purpose. Your true connection for losing weight might be that growing up you watched your aunt suffer through Type 2 diabetes. Now, everyday when you wake up, you might have a picture of your aunt on your wall or by your night stand. Under it, you might write, “I can and I will, for you, Aunt Karen.” Now that goal just became larger than you, and now, every time you want to quit or give in, you aren’t just quitting on yourself, you have more to keep fighting for. You’re carrying your aunt’s memory and spirit with you every time you step in the gym.

Fitness is way harder mentally than it is physically: if you get in it for the right reasons, you should have no problem sticking with it. (I’d be remiss not to mention Rashon, Ali, Steven and my Mom, who serve as part of that bigger reason why I always find ways to get through the setbacks and heartaches.)
Nathaniel On Juice

The reason I drink cold-pressed juice is because…I ran into a health situation as soon as I left Arizona where I cannot eat without feeling like I’m going to pass out. I am dizzy, fatigued, confused and have been suffering from unexplained pain for months. To this day, I am still undiagnosed. I have had multiple diagnostic tests, and plenty of medication thrown at me…but I just completed a 28-day juice fast, and it’s been the only thing that has brought me any sign of relief. I’m a firm believer in finding ways to heal your body through nutrition and exercise.

The reason I drink TJS’s cold-pressed juice is because it’s convenient and it’s better than anything I could make on my own.

This is how I try to incorporate cold-pressed juice into my lifestyle:

Instead of reaching for some caffeine, I flood my system with green juice. Not only that, but I’ve replaced a lot of the fake and artificial workout drinks that have grown in popularity over the years. I can just sip on some fresh cold-pressed juice during my workout and stay hydrated.

I can also use the juice mixed with some protein to help with recovery. Juice is very versatile, and that’s why I have adopted it. Not only that, but I have convinced many of my clients to incorporate it into their lifestyle as well. Many of them have trouble getting a wide variety of nutrients into their busy days. Some of my clients, like Mylene, work jobs where it’s impossible to sit down and have a meal. She’s a doctor, and with long and hectic shifts, instead of starving for 12 hours, she can quickly grab a juice and help keep her energy stable, while adding some valuable nutrition to her long days.

The first time I drank green juice, I thought it was….amazing. I’m kind of strange, but the mere thought of loading my vessels and cells with 16 ounces of green vegetables makes me happy.

Yes or No: I press juice at home. Yes.

True or false: Making juice at home is a royal pain in the ass. True. Pressing at home is very time consuming, especially if you do not have a quality juicer. I use home pressing mainly in a pinch, or as a way to experiment.

The benefit of cold-pressed juice that I think is most underrated is…its convenience of health. I hear so often, “I don’t have time to (insert excuse here).” Well, when you have pre-made juice and an assortment of choices, it makes it really easy to add some healthier components to your daily routine.

The funniest thing that ever happened to me while drinking juice OR when I was on a juice cleanse, was…I was playing around with different concoctions, and one of the recipes I was looking into called for 3 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger and 4 carrots. Well, I misunderstood the recipe, and instead of putting in 3 cloves of garlic, I put in 3 heads, and really without even thinking, I pressed this and just immediately started chugging. Needless to say, it was the most disgusting/devastating drink I may have experienced during my time here on Earth. It felt like my insides were being burned alive. I nearly passed out. I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone, unless you are into things like the cinnamon challenge.
My advice to a newbie juicer is…don’t just do it for a fast, or because it’s “trendy.” Figure out ways to make it a sustainable part of your lifestyle, by adding it for a morning, an in-between meal snack, or a morning treat. Make juicing a habit in your everyday life; that way it’s not just a 10-day stint of nutrient-packed juices, and then back to the Standard American Diet. What’s the point of that? There’s no reason not to stick with something like juicing for the rest of your days.

TJS + The Cosmopolitan=A Deliciously Juicy Duo.

January 6, 2016 By Jen Chase

Last month, we were beeyond thrilled when the cone of silence was lifted on something we’d kept close to our proverbial hives for a long, long time: In early 2016, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is enveloping TJS’s first Strip location within the gorgeous walls of this provocative, evocative property.

As the newest venue to join the resort’s eclectic and expansive dining and beverage program, our shiny new outpost will feature the same signature cold-pressed sips made with organic produce, nuts, seeds and grains that have made us a local fan favorite. We’ll also be selling our signature juice cleanses (detox before you retox, anyone?); items from the chewables menu we’ve launched at The Rose and The Hive; and a few things so hotly unmentionable we’re under penalty of tickling torture to keep our lips shut until there’s permission to start spreading the news.

About The Collaboration

Speaking on behalf of herself and TJS’s Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Marcella Williams, in the statement that announced the collab, TJS’s Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Stephenson shared some self-contained excitement over the sparkly new endeavor. “We are ecstatic about our new home at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (TCOLV) and can’t wait to introduce The Juice Standard to juice lovers from all over the world. We couldn’t have found a better place to introduce our juices, which are made from the finest fresh organic produce using a method we’ve brought to the Las Vegas Strip.”

As our devoted Bees know, our original recipes (divined by Jamie and Marcella and made possible by our outrageous kitchen staff that presses juice every morning) are made from a cold-pressing process that applies 1,500 pounds of pressure to raw, all- organic produce. One of the reasons we beelieve TCOLV chose to partner with us (and beelieve us, the competition was hot and heavy) is for the simple, healthful goodness we deliver in every bottle. Shunning more typical juicing machines and bottling methods like high pressure processing (HPP) (a process that denatures or pasteurizes juice and deactivates too much of its natural enzymes), wee beelieve in our cold-pressing technique for how it preserves as many of those health-activating enzymes as possible, making for a more nutrient-dense juice.

That folks will be able to pop over to The Cosmopolitan’s second floor and grab a juice before heading to the casino floor, Marquee dayclub or nightclub, or out to the Strip for some urban hiking, is a total testament to the resort’s dedication to providing patrons with a true array of dining options. People will be able to maintain as much of their typical healthy lifestyle as they want. Vacationing doesn’t get more balanced than that….

About The Cosmopolitan

If you don’t yet know The Cosmopolitan, you must. Must! This luxe property, with an aesthetic that appeals to pretty much anyone’s affinity for stunningly appointed, texture- and color-combining design, offers a refreshingly different Strip experience. Big enough to get a little ~~lost~~ geographically confused, small enough to feel like you own it, the resort is at the The Strip’s center, where its multi-tower design offers stunner views of the city, and its 3000- plus hotel rooms feature residential-esque living spaces with private terraces. From its swank gaming floor; the Sahra Spa & Hammam; three distinct pools; a dayclub/nightclub; performance space, The Chelsea; uber-modern supper club Rose. Rabbit. Lie., and window (and real) shopping to beat the band, to say there’s something for everyone is a pathetically gross understatement. Yet, honestly, there’s nothing better to sum up its offerings.

So, yeah: You can see why we’re thrilled to beecome the exclusive juice bar at the sexiest property in all the land. Yep. Just like the George and Weezie Jefferson, we’re movin’ on up, too (in our case, daresay, “down?”) in the world. Gosh, we’d make for fab metaphorical neighbors….

(Now we dare you not to hum this bugger all day.)

« Previous Page
1
…
5
6
7
8
9
…
11
Next Page »