Yes, you could buy juices during your weekly grocery store run. But those aren't nearly as fresh as you'd like, having been processed to extend their shelf life to up to three weeks. (Yuck!) Yes, you could juice a few of your favorite fruits and vegetables together yourself, but juicers are expensive. Plus, who has time for that?
Now there's a better option: Zula, the new Bloomington-based juice cleanse company that delivers. Here, owner Renee Peters answers our questions of what, when and why.
What's the story behind Zula? Zula was born out of my own love of
the (true) juicing lifestyle and my quest for a more convenient option in the
Twin Cities. As I juiced for myself and friends, I realized that most
people desired a healthier lifestyle, but convenience always won. I
discovered juicing years ago and experienced an amazing transformation when I
drank fresh, organic juice on a regular basis. (Think two juices per day added to my
normal daily routine). Not only was I able to achieve and maintain my ideal weight,
but my skin tone and energy levels improved and I felt great! Over the years
I've learned that if you want to be serious about fun, you need to be
passionate about health.
Say it's six months before a bride's big day. What type of cleanse program would you recommend for her? Regardless of age or the size of the
wedding, every person from the bride to the guest wants to look and feel their
best on the big day (and at every party in-between!). With all of the
parties and moments of stress, many brides become overwhelmed two months prior
to their wedding day and find themselves crash-dieting at the last minute. Our wedding cleanse is all about reaching your ideal weight and getting
your glow on while still being able to enjoy the cake sampling and party
foods. The plan is a simple one that includes a monthly cleanse — either
one three-day cleanse/month or a one-day cleanse two-four times/month — combined with juice
+ food for the remainder of the week.
For six months prior to the wedding,
you would choose your monthly cleanse online and it would be delivered to your
home or office. For the remainder of the month, you have the option to
create-your-own juice maintenance pack to be delivered in three-day
increments. Some people prefer two juices per day combined with a light
lunch and dinner; others prefer three juices, snacks and dinner. Depending
on your goal (weight loss, skin glow, de-bloat), you can tweak the plan
accordingly. And we're here to help!) Most people aren't looking for a
lot of structure, but rather a convenient way to achieve their goals and get
back on track after all the scheduled parties and spontaneous happy hours.
Instead of viewing the wedding celebrations as a diet disaster, we
encourage brides to enjoy all aspects of the months leading up to their big
day. This plan is great for anyone planning for any upcoming event.
A bride's beauty wishlist is pretty simple: no bloat, no zits, no extra pounds. How can Zula help her achieve this? I can't think of one woman that
doesn't want to lose the bloat, the zits and drop the extra pounds. Our
skin is the largest organ in our body and is in constant contact with the
environment. As women, we spend thousands of dollars on anti-aging face
creams and serums. In addition to protecting and treating the skin's outer
surface, the skin also needs to be nourished and hydrated from the inside.
The juicing lifestyle is the most effective way to flood your body
with disease-fighting phytonutrients, enzymes and antioxidants. As a side
bonus, juicing helps you to lose weight (without depriving yourself of
nutrients), feel lighter, and get your glow on! Cleansing is a great way
to detoxify, boost immunity (because who has time to get sick?!), recalibrate
your taste buds and jumpstart a new lifestyle.
What's the difference between Zula juices and what you'd find on the shelves at a grocery story? Our juices+cleanses are
cold-pressed from 100% organic produce and delivered within a day of being
juiced. Our juices are not pasteurized (heated) so as to retain
naturally-occurring vitamins, enzymes and phytonutrients. Juices and
cleanses found at the grocery store — even premium brands marketed as
unpasteurized, fresh and organic — have been processed to extend shelf-life to three
weeks or longer. Since we are all about making the raw juicing lifestyle
convenient, we offer delivery of our juices+cleanses to your home and office!
What's a typical day in your life like? I start with the day's
necessities:
making sure my boys are awake, brewing coffee, hair+makeup and checking
emails. After my four boys are off to school, I'm headed to the office,
meetings or to check-in at the kitchen (sampling fresh-pressed juice of
course!). I love to drink fresh juice in the morning and sometimes
in place of lunch to avoid the mid-afternoon slump. My Zula fave: Green
Drench or Green Flood. When I'm at the office, I love answering
customer inquiries, educating and designing. If I'm not there, you'll
find me in the community sampling our juices+cleanses or assisting with
the
juicing process in our kitchen in St. Paul. When I arrive at my home,
it's all about family time — dinner, catching up with my husband, my boys and
playing with my daughter. If I have free time, I love to read the latest
on my favorite designers, bloggers and of course, hang out with friends.
What's the most rewarding part of your job? When any portion of my vision for Zula is fulfilled, I am
ecstatic! As I've spent many hours juicing, writing and creating various
design elements, I love to see the finished product. When a customer
expresses gratitude for the weight they've lost or how much better they feel
when they drink our juices, I am driven to work harder. When I'm in the
community sampling our juices+cleanses, I love teaching, motivating and having
crazy-fun with the guests and staff.
