August 21st, 2012 
I just sampled Snap Kitchen’s Clean Start program– a day long juice cleanse. Snap Kitchen was created to offer delicious, healthy food with a strong commitment to local and organic ingredients. The restaurant opened in 2010 in Austin with owner Martin Berson‘s idea of redefining the fast food movement. He wanted a place that provided customers with affordable, healthy and quick meals made with seasonal ingredients.
Snap juices (Photo Credit: Snap)
The restaurant offers a wide selection of ‘foodie’ items that are made fresh daily and sourced consciously such as tossed-to-order salads, energy snacks and sinless desserts. It’s all designed to be a quick meal, a place to run in and grab great, fresh and healthy food to go. Additionally, Snap Kitchen gives back to the community. Snap donates food to several local organizations including the Salvation Army, Light in the Dark Ministries (a Texas UN Refugee organization), Compost Coalition, New Life Church and Marshall Ford Fellowship.
According to Snap’s registered dietitian, Andrea Hinsdale, the Clean Start program is about liquid nutrition, not just a cleanse. Andrea says, ” We know our customers have busy lives and good intentions and would love to eat all the ‘good for you foods’ daily, but we know that’s not always a reality. Snap Clean Start is a fast, easy way to re-focus on a plant-based diet with enough calories to support people throughout a busy day.
The cleanse is six prepackaged juices that are, as Andrea says, more of a jump on nutritional needs. I tried it after a long vacation so it was a perfect step in getting back into healthy eating after two weeks of inconsistent meals and random meats in another country!
Clean Start (Photo Credit: Leslie Silver)
Snap uses the cold-pressed method to make the juices which involves blending the veggies and fruit at the lowest possible temperature to avoid any processing. The juice is pressed, as opposed to blended, which results in the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals.
The cleanse starts with Super Greens which is made up of cucumber, kale, lemon and spinach. I admit this isn’t my favorite as I’m not a big cucumber fan and it’s a strong flavor, but it’s great for you-I almost felt healthier from my very first sip of this one.
Then, the second juice is Energy Juice consisting of coconut water, papaya and watermelon. It’s an easy, fun mid-morning pick-me-up before the spicy Antioxidant Juice. This one is made up of apple, beets and cayenne pepper.
The fourth ended up being my personal favorite, Carrot Ginger Elixir made of carrots, green apples and ginger. I’m not usually the biggest carrot juice fan, but I thought this was so perfect! It was so delicious and exactly what I wanted at that time when I was really missing chewing.
Snap Kitchen downtown location (Photo Credit: Snap)
Then the fifth juice is Spicy Basil Lemonade made of basil, coconut palm sugar and lemon. While it doesn’t sound like spicy flavors, it definitely had a strong kick, but the following one was perfect for the sweet finish after the tang! The last juice is a Raw Protein Cashew Shake made of agave nectar, cinnamon and raw cashews. It’s such a fun, sweet treat and the perfect dessert to look forward to after a day of being extremely healthy and focused on the cleanse.
The cleanse is $47 and it’s a total of 1,200 calories. The individual juices in the cleanse can be purchased for $8 at Snap. Additionally, Snap will be opening their newest Austin location at the Arboretum later this month!
WHERE:
Snap Kitchen has two current locations:
The Triangle
4816 Triangle Avenue
Austin, TX 78751
Ph. 512-459-9000
Central
1014 West 6th Street
Austin, TX 78703
Ph. 512-479-5959
HOURS (same at both locations):
Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
