There are two kinds of people in this world: those who love breakfast, and those who prefer to go hungry til around 11am (psychopaths, all of you). Fortunately, YouJuice caters to both – serving up fresh, nutritious vegan food from the early hours to late afternoon. And my god, is it delicious.
I visit on a Wednesday morning, truly feeling the mid-week hump. I’ve also been feeling a small tickle at the back of my throat for the last few days – you know, the kind which lets you know it’s going to really mess you up if you don’t get your shit together and cram your body full of nutrients pronto. I mention this, using not quite so colourful language, to the lovely ladies at YouJuice and am immediately sat down with a turmeric shot (£3.25). Made from a combination of ginger, lemon, orange, fennel, raw honey (the only potentially non-vegan thing on the menu) and the aforementioned turmeric, this comes with a hell of a kick, and I can feel it getting to work almost instantly. Take that, mysterious lurgy.
While the shot probably provided enough vitamin C to fend off scurvy for a lifetime, it was not enough to satisfy my ravenous stomach, so I also opted for one of YouJuice’s new breakfast bowls (£5.50). Filled with chia seeds, banana, homemade ‘yoghurt’ (blended avocado, bananas, almond milk and berries), raw granola, orange and pomegranate seeds, it’s easily the healthiest meal I’ve had all month. I wasn’t a huge fan of the granola chunks, which I found quite flavourless (though granted I’m not a massive fan of seeds), but the yoghurt was a massive treat – and I stayed full until dinner time.
I washed it all down with a small bottle of L2 juice (£4.25) – made from spirulina, apple, pineapple, kale, celery, lemon, cucumber and avocado. I’m told this juice in particular is good for “uplifting mood and anti-oxidising” among other things, but after this morning’s health kick I feel a bit more like I’m ready to run a marathon or transform into Wonder Woman – whichever comes first.
YouJuice is at 96 North Road & 17 Montpelier Place, Brighton, and 48 Brunswick Street East, Hove.
