chuice

We entered the Studio Kitchen with an open mind. We, members of the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Society, had been invited to a dinner and tasting by Chuice partners, Ladell Hill and Dr. Sujit Sharma. The unique blend of naturally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and seeds had been described as juice that you chew, but we still not sure what to expect. It is not a juice you would normally serve at breakfast, nor could it be classified as a smoothie.

As Ladell, chopped fresh mushrooms for a superfood salad, Sujit sliced vegetables for a quick sautee of shrimp and vegetables. While they assembled their dishes, we tasted both flavors of Chuice currently available: “The Forest,” which cleanses internal organs, and “The River of Life,” which balances the blood’s pH levels.

With a back to basics approach, Hill who has an extensive background as an herbalist, fitness trainer and molecular health specialist, has cultivated a product that serves as a full raw food meal in a bottle that helps to slow the aging process. Hill credits his curiosity and development of Chuice to his Native American grandfather, who lived off the land his entire life. Hill’s upbringing led him to study the benefits that plants can provide the human body.

He wanted to create something new that began with chewing. Chewing releases enzymes that are the natural start of the body’s digestion process. Chuice has a comprehensive nutrition profile, containing all the elements of a healthy diet: complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, protein, minerals and fiber. It is all natural, fresh, unprocessed and unpasteurized. The nutrient-dense ingredients found in Chuice including kiwi, kale, flaxseeds, apples, carrots, walnuts and sunflowers seeds which give your body everything it needs to sustain itself.

We continued to chat as a spinach and kale salad with mushrooms, walnuts and a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, olive oil and a splash of green juice, and a papaya salad with mint, rosemary, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and another splash of green choice were passed around and sampled.

Ladell explained, “Papayas contain the digestive enzyme, papain, which is used like bromelain, a similar enzyme found in pineapple, to treat sports injuries, other causes of trauma, and allergies. They are also are rich in antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C, B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid as well as potassium, copper, and magnesium and are high in fiber.”

Plates of shrimp sautéed with onions and bell peppers and another splash of green chuice were handed around as Sujit described his original skepticism of the benefits of Chuice. Being a physician, he wanted to see data that confirmed Ladell’s claims.

So the team did a 14-day, scientifically-relevant study with members of the Emory School of Public Health which proved Ladell’s assertions definitively. Now they work together as Taste of Earth, LLC, and hope to re-ignite interest in natural foods by offering a product that is tasty, convenient, and truly good for you.

After a very laid back evening in the company of these two highly committed and enthusiastic health proponents, we left feeling that we had formed a special bind with the creators and their product.  Chuice is available at many local health food stores and will be on the shelves of Whole Foods later this month.