<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=192888919167017&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Thursday, March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

Food & Drink: Be Well Juice Bar a healthful start to 2018

By Rachel Pinsky
Published: January 5, 2018, 6:00am
4 Photos
Outside of Be Well Juice Bar, 1012 Washington St., #160, Vancouver.
Outside of Be Well Juice Bar, 1012 Washington St., #160, Vancouver. Photo Gallery

Cortney Firstenburg makes eating healthier seem like a fun game.

She opened Be Well Juice Bar so that her clients — she is a nutritionist — would have a place to eat in Vancouver.

But “juice bar” doesn’t completely describe the menu.

“We call it a juice bar, but we are really like a vegan cafe,” Firstenburg said. “I try not to pigeonhole myself into being vegan, because I think it can scare a lot of people away. The truth is, we just have a lot of delicious healthy food. We offer eggs and feta cheese. Those are our only items that are not vegan, and that is to bridge the gap for people who are not vegan to help them feel like we have something here that will meet their needs.”

The produce is carefully sourced and in the store within two days of harvest. Firstenburg has visited many of the farms that supply her store and has a close relationship with all her farmers.

“We are literally seeing everything that is coming through the door,” she said. “We are seeing that crop. We are seeing every step of that crop. We know where our avocados come from.”

If you go

Be Well Juice Bar, 1012 Washington St., No. 160, Vancouver, 360-750-8888, www.bewelljuicebar.com

The menu is short, and most of the items (except bestsellers Be Wellin’ smoothie and Vancouver FARMacy juice) change seasonally. But the menu is a suggestion — Firstenburg said Be Well has a “four wall theory.”

“If we have anything in these four walls, I can make you whatever you want,” she said. “Sometimes, we get the best recipes from customers changing it up.” Firstenburg said she is also happy to accommodate any food restrictions.

I tried Be Wellin’ Smoothie (kale, almond butter, coconut and cinnamon) and the Vancouver FARMacy juice (kale, celery, ginger, lemon, cucumber and apple). They were both fresh and satisfying. I also had the Chipotle Chili bowl (housemade vegan chili, farro, cilantro, cashew cream and avocado) and the Green with Envy bowl (edamame, garbanzo beans, kale, farro, feta and miso). Each was a mix of grains, proteins and greens drizzled with a savory flavorful dressing. I especially liked the umami kick of the miso dressing on the Green with Envy bowl.

Firstenburg encouraged me to try the Be Well bar. I’m not naturally drawn to healthy bars of food, but these almond butter-based protein bars have the consistency and taste of raw cookie dough. I polished mine off on the ride home and found myself returning the next day for more.

Be warned, if you talk to Firstenburg about good nutrition and developing better eating habits, she may talk you to into a healthier lifestyle. While I was interviewing Firstenburg, a customer came in to get her juice for a juice cleanse. Juice cleanse? I would never have put those two words together in my life, and suddenly it seemed like a great idea.

Let’s start with baby steps. What are some things to keep in mind when trying to live a healthier lifestyle? Firstenburg has some advice:

“You can’t starve yourself,” she said. “Your body can only starve for so long before it starts to resist it, then you have some other issues creep in. There is only one way to lose weight, and for that you have to eat less calories — but there is a huge difference between eating a 150 calories of broccoli and a 150 calories in a Snickers bar. So you have to learn to eat the right food so that you feel full while going through that process. Finding nutrient-dense food is the key. You can come here to get new ideas and to get a sense of things you can eat that taste good.”

I plan on returning even after my New Year’s resolution excitement ends.

Who knows? I may even try a juice cleanse.


Rachel Pinsky can be emailed at couveeats@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @couveeats.

Loading...