Juice bars and juicing

It's not just health freaks that are getting stuck into a smoothie or two, but where can you get the real deal in Beijing? Time Out gets fruity...

What started out as a few scattered juice bars at health clubs and expensive hotels has now blossomed into a multi-billion dollar worldwide industry. People everywhere are necking shots of raw vegetable and wheatgrass at their local watering hole, cramming assorted greenery into their home juicing equipment and rushing to the stores to get the latest book on how to detox, diet and invigorate themselves with pure liquid goodness.

But for every company salivating over the juicy profits to be had from the industry, there is a naysayer ready to shoot down their claims. Take the claim of proponents that juices can be used to detoxify. It certainly sounds prudential to do a bit of bodily spring cleaning once in a while but according to the aptly-named Sir Colin Berry, Professor Emeritus at Queen Mary's Hospital, London: 'Detoxification in the popular sense of the word is completely meaningless'.

Although Berry and others maintain that certain foods don't remove toxins from the body, the replacement of unhealthy foods with fruit and veg can't be seen as all bad. Juicing is also a fun activity that can make less palatable vegetables bearable. Spinach for instance is not well-liked for its taste but is proving popular with the juicing crowd mixed in moderation with carrot and pineapple.

The Chinese are well aware of the benefits of fresh fruit and Cui Xiaoli, a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Chaoyang Hospital, has no trouble recommending some fruity therapy with a predictable candidness towards bodily functions. The lychee, she insists, is 'good for strengthening the sexual capacity of men,' whilst for the women she prescribes the Chinese date to enrich and replenish the blood, especially during pregnancy or menstruation.

The lion's share of praise is reserved however for the persimmon. Not to be mistaken for the humble tomato, this orange-red native Chinese fare is hailed as the king of medicinal fruit and a time-honoured TCM panacea. Defeating phlegm and banishing any cough that crosses its path, the persimmon has alleviated dysphoria for Chinese citizens throughout history and its curious white surface layer of 'frost'  is considered particularly good for a dry or irritated throat. 

Fruit focus

Grape: If you're a keen drinker who claims the high level of antioxidants in red wine work their magic while you lounge back safe in the knowledge that you are lowering your risk of heart disease, what you may not know is that almost all the health benefits of wine come from the natural virtues of red grapes. Chemicals in the grape called polyphenols have antioxidant properties which soak up free radicals that might otherwise cause cell damage linked to heart disease. Grapes are a naturally sweet fruit and can be added to tart juices such as cranberry, but be aware that their sweetness is from a high sugar content.
Tip: If making your own grape juice at home consider throwing in some skin and a few seeds for maximum health returns. 

Pomegranate: This fruit has been popular for years due to its medicinal properties but is now enjoying something of a renaissance in Italy. Studies at the University of Naples have found that pomegranate juice is even more protective to the body than previously thought. Several heart risk factors can be reduced thanks to a level of antioxidants higher than in juice from the blueberry, cranberry or orange. A glass of pomegranate also contains an impressive 50 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins A, C and E.
Tip: Pomegranate and grape juice is available to buy at Jenny Lou's. You can juice them using a simple citrus squeezer as you would an orange or lemon. 

Apple: Considerate indeed is the doting pupil who places an apple on his favourite teacher's desk for the benefits of the fruit are almost too numerous to list here. One area that is currently undergoing research is the ability of the apple to improve brain function and memory. Cloudy apple juice has also been shown to contain four times the amount of polyphenols as the clear juice most commonly seen in shops. With a high-speed blender you can make your own murky juice at home in seconds.
Tip: Apple peel contains a lot of nutrition but you should certainly wash the apple thoroughly and remove the pips before juicing. Organic apples from Shandong Province available now at Carrefour may set your mind at rest about pesticides remaining in the peel. 

Beijing's juice bars

Kosmo 225 Chaoyangmennei Dajie (50 metres west of the old Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Chaoyang district  (tel 8400 1567); 158 Fushi Lu (inside Sam’s store), Shijingshan district (tel 6883 2138). Open 8am-10pm daily.朝阳区朝阳门内大街225 号(老外交部楼靠西50米); 石景山区阜石路158号 (山姆会员店). 
The best of the bunch, Kosmo is what you might expect from a juice bar. The design is light, spacious and colourful – like Ikea only with more books on human rights and Tibetan travel and less gawping pensioners. More importantly there is a large menu of healthy drinks including, but not limited to, power smoothies, organic soy drinks and high-protien low-fat shakes. A 'Kosmo Sunrise' healing juice sounds like a good bet to kick-start your day and it' rather fun to watch someone else go through all the rigmarole of constructing your drink. This sunrise is made-to-measure from freshly prepared orange, watermelon and carrot which will light up your path nicely to a yoga or pilates class.

Fruity Mix Ground Floor, Pacific Century Plaza, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang district;  Floor B1, Oriental Plaza, Wangfujing, Dongcheng district (tel 6539 2279). 朝阳区工体北路盈科中心1层; 王府井东方新天地B1层
Although a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, Fruity Mix started out in Beijing and has all the charm of the capital's mish-mash. Many intriguing fruit-enchanced deserts are available such as herbal jellies, momojaja and sago. The smoothies here are made from just fruit and ice and so are better for slimming though not as satisfying as those padded out with yoghurt. Ask for a blueberry and strawberry smoothie sweetened with honey instead of sugar for a peerless frosty thirst quencher. The place has some rather delicious idiosyncracies as well – the staff all wear shirts with the words 'bite me' written in Chinese which, yes, you can buy for yourself at the counter. 

Seasons W-01, Sky Place, 38 Fuqian Yijie, Tianzhu, Shunyi district (tel 6450 8234). Open 10am-9.30pm Mon-Thu, 10am-10pm Fri-Sun. 顺义区天竺镇府前一街38号天韵广场 W-01店 
Seasons in Shunyi district is a restaurant that specialises in fresh seasonal ingredients and includes its own light, open and smoke-free juice bar for smoothies and popular fresh fruit drinks. The décor has natural themes with plenty of sunlight, wooden panelling and a row of plasma TV screens. The 'Tropical Cyclone' smoothie will whip up a storm in your mouth with the zestful flavours of pineapple mango and lime. Bacardi Breezers are also kept in the capacious bar fridge but this is not the most appropriate spot in town to get juiced.

The gear

Beijing is certainly behind the West for availability of high-end juicing accessories. Juicers and blenders are available in department stores but for better prices check out a Carrefour or Gome store which are dotted liberally throughout the city. Carrefour has the best range and the lowest priced juicer at just 99RMB for a garish green starter model. Gome is slightly cheaper for some of the better brands. Worth considering would be the Electrolux EFP 307L with four attachments to powderise or pulp watermelon, coffee beans, vegetables and almost anything else you can imagine (Gome 559RMB). The Philips HR 2094 is a smart glass jar blender powerful enough to make short work of ice cubes and whip up smoothies in a jiffy (Gome 864RMB on special).

David Drakeford