Naked Juice -or- My Newest Addiction
As of late I have found a new addiction, and no, it’s not crack-cocaine. Naked Juice has been filling a void in my nutritional life. These all-natural juices are all that they claim to be: tasty, nutritious, energizing, and tantalizing.
Most of the Naked Juice line is akin to the homemade smoothie, thick and just bursting with flavor. I’ve taken to drinking half a bottle after yoga class and the rest in the morning (a much better eye opener than any coffee I’ve ever tried). I find their packaging just genius. The bottle spells out exactly what is contained within (6 blackberries, 30 blueberries, 2 ½ apples, etc.). The branding is both sleek and easy on the eyes.
It seems as if there is an endless supply of flavors to choose from. My favorite so far is Blue Machine. Half a bottle of this smoothie, which is really a dark purple in color, gives you an energy boost for a good 3 hours. A word of warning, once you get hooked there is no going back. I now tend to get a craving for the juice in the morning and evening (especially after a good workout). It is a craving you can be proud of; it is not often your body wants something that is so good for you.
The price of Naked Juice can, unfortunately, be a deterrent. The health food store near me sells a bottle for $2.99, but the bodega near my work sells the same bottle for $3.75. I’ve heard it sold for as little as $2.49. My advice: shop around. Naked Juice was recently purchased by Pepsi (to compete with Coke’s Odwalla line) so I can’t imagine we’ll see a drop in price anytime soon. Whether Pepsi’s ownership will have any ill effects remains to be seen. Their website, www.nakedjuice.com, has been under “routine maintenance” since Pepsi acquired the brand. Suspicious if you ask me. I mean really, how long does “routine maintenance” take? The one thing I have noticed is that the expiration dates have begun to extend themselves (they used to be about 2 weeks and have now gotten themselves to a month, month and a half). I also think the plastic of the bottle might be a little thinner, more flimsy. Of course, this could all be in my imagination (it is quite vivid after all). I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. So far the juice itself is still keeping me happy and healthy. I would recommend it to anyone; do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle today!