Healthy meets delicious at Nekter Juice Bar

I love to eat healthy but unfortunately it’s not always an option given our fast-paced lifestyles and the plethora of not-so-healthy fast food options. 

So when I heard Nekter was open in Encinitas, I decided to do an entire week of their juices, bowls and smoothies for my first meal of the day and munch on their healthy snacks and salads throughout the day. Just looking at the ingredients that are posted prominently on their wall menu made me feel healthier before I even ordered. Nice job by the Nekter marketing folks.

Monday I started with the Greenie juice drink and Banana Berry Acai bowl. The Greenie was made up of parsley, spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, lemon and apple. This was a great tasting drink and from that list of ingredients I’m assuming very healthy. One note on the juice drinks, I preferred them with ice to keep them colder longer. The Banana Berry Acai bowl included banana, nut milk and berries blended together on top of agave granola topped with bananas, blueberries, and strawberries. This was a very substantial bowl so I ate half for breakfast and saved the other half for an afternoon snack.

Tuesday I tried the Toxin Flush, a parsley, spinach, apples, lemon and ginger concoction that had more of a kick to it but again was very delicious. They claim it will help your body to naturally rid itself of toxins in the blood and liver and soothe your stomach. I’m not sure I actually felt that happening but I’ll take their word for it. My bowl on Tuesday was the Acai Tropical with pineapple, banana, coconut butter, cashew nut milk, topped with banana, coconut flakes and agave. Another hearty, healthy breakfast that filled me up in way that made me feel good about what I just ate.

My juice selection on Wednesday was the Sublime. Another nice marketing touch but the zingy blend of lime, orange, parsley, kale, spinach and cucumber did produce a peaceful easy feeling. The PB Acai Bowl was like dessert for breakfast but healthy. Bananas, dates, frozen strawberries, peanut butter and raw vanilla bean cashew nutmilk are blended together and topped with hemp seed granola and bananas. This was my favorite bowl.

Thursday was all about the Buzz. Who does not want a buzz first thing in the morning, especially a healthy one? Give me carrot, orange, lemon and ginger any day! Loved it! I was not familiar with Pitaya until my trip to Nekter. For those unfamiliar, Pitaya fruit is famously known as a natural fiber rich digestive aid that is packed with antioxidants and Omega-3s but low in sugar. It is also a good source of vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. Nekter combines it with banana, pineapple, coconut butter and coconut water blended together and topped with hemp seed granola, raw coconut flakes and bananas. OK, I have two favorite bowls now.

On Friday I completed the juice menu with The Cure, an antioxidant powerhouse loaded with beets, broccoli, kale, parsley, celery, grapes and apple. Since I had made it through the bowls, I moved on to the smoothie offerings. The Chocolate Dream smoothie with nut milk, cacao, carob, dates, avocado and a little agave nectar blended with ice is like the chocolate smoothie you have always dreamed of, super tasty yet healthy and delicious.

Another favorite smoothie is Popeye’s Acai smoothie with banana, spinach, nut milk and agave nectar blended with ice. It’s a sweet antioxidant rich blend that’s pumped up with iron rich spinach.

Besides the juice drinks, bowls and smoothies, Nekter has some healthy snacks and salads. I munched on the Maca Balls, Protein Poppers, Roman Quinoa, Spanish Quinoa, Kale Chips, Olive kale salad and a Power Pancake. These were all tasty except for the Bombay Curry Kale Chips. I like the concept but think a simple salt would serve the kale better than the curry. Other than that, they all made for great mid-afternoon snacks.

Cleanses are also part of the offerings at Nekter and they range from one to five days in duration. The Nekter Cleanse is not a fast. It’s a natural way to give your body the necessary nutrients while at the same time giving your digestive system a much needed and deserved break.

Nekter was founded by Steve and Alexis Schulze — a couple with a passion for healthy living who formed the business to bring goodness into a world of unhealthy consumption. Thinking outside the juice box, Steve and Alexis decided to create a simple blueprint for an all-natural, raw, vegan juice bar where fresh fruits and vegetables could get a daily workout while keeping prices accessible to all and uniting taste buds everywhere to embrace the green juice.

Nekter is located at 127 N. El Camino Real, Suite C, Encinitas or check them out at nekterjuicebar.com.