The juice trend has made itself comfortable in New York City. Many consumers have raised questions about whether or not the health benefits of the trend are worth the trend’s expensive price tag, as some juices can cost as much as $12 for a 12-ounce bottle.

Most people know that fruits and vegetables are essential to your health. Many of the vitamins and enzymes human bodies need are found in the juice of raw fruits and vegetables. Incorporating juices that are filled with healthy ingredients like the ever-so popular, nutrient-dense kale can help your digestive organs and overall body. Drinking juices that are high in vitamins such as C and E can also strengthen your immune system during flu season, and the antioxidants in some juices can help prevent deadly diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Cold-pressed juice is much healthier for you than the orange juice you buy in a carton at the grocery store. Most juices sold in grocery stores are pasteurized, which means that they are heated to high temperatures in order to prevent the growth of bacteria. Cold-pressed juices, which are produced locally at many at juice bars across New York City, are not pasteurized, which leaves them with almost three times the amount of nutrients as their pasteurized counterparts.

Despite these health benefits, some students, such as CAS sophomore Abdii Kassa, don’t believe that drinking cold pressed juice is the best way to get your nutrients.

“I don’t like pressed juice and prefer to pulverize everything in smoothie form including the skin of the fruit because of the nutrients embedded in the skin,” Kassa said.

Juice bars such as Be Juice, Liquiteria and Juice Generation are popular choices among the seemingly countless places that have embraced the juice trend. Liquiteria describes itself as New York’s original cold-pressed juice. Many students agree that while the price tag is pretty hefty, their juices are worth the money. Jay Rymal, a Liberal Studies freshman, enjoys the fact that Liquiteria provides him with an easy way to sneak healthy items into his diet.

“The juices at Liquiteria almost make you forget that you are drinking a glass of green vegetables and fruits you would never eat normally,” Rymal said.

While the juice trend generally avoids pasteurization, many students gravitate towards the popular packaged juice brand, Naked. Students such as Liberal Studies freshman Katelyn Fournier often choose Naked because it is easier to buy in large quantities and is less expensive than fresh juice.

“I like the mango flavor Naked juice the best, and usually when I buy it I am hungry and it satisfies me like a smoothie would,” Fournier said. “I like them because they are healthy, but they are too expensive to buy on a regular basis.”

Though juices are inarguably expensive, they provide some health benefits and seem to motivate people to be more concerned about their health and about what they are putting into their bodies.

Email Emily Harris at [email protected].