Having lived in California my entire life, I was excited to move to D.C. for my summer internship and try new foods that were exclusive to the East Coast. I was determined to try everything, and during my first few weeks here, I gorged on lobster rolls, Shake Shack burgers, and cupcakes from Baked & Wired.

Basically whatever I couldn’t get my hands on back home, I bought and ate with impunity. My indulgence came to an abrupt end when I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I ate fresh fruit and veggies or had protein that wasn’t some kind of red meat. In true West Coast fashion, I started craving my arugula and avocado toast, and I needed my fix. Fast.

My prayers were answered when I stumbled upon Fruitive after my barre class. Fruitive is a raw food/vegan company that’s cropped up on the East Coast and have everything from cold-pressed juices to wraps to acai bowls. Usually you can find them at local farmers markets, but they do have some permanent shops in the DMV (that’s D.C., Maryland, and Virginia for all you West Coasters).

vegan

Photo by Yegina Whang

I decided to give it a go and ordered the PB No J bowl for a post-workout snack, which contained almond milk, banana, acai, peanut butter, and coconuts topped with crunchy granola, banana, and cacao nibs.

I’m not a huge fan of nuts or peanut butter, but I am SO glad I got it. It had such great texture and flavor, and I drizzled a little bit of honey on top so that it tasted more like something I would order for dessert. On top of that, it was an awesome source of protein that I needed to build muscle tone after a workout.

vegan

Photo by Yegina Whang

I also took a bottle of pressed juice to-go called “Kalevolution.” It was definitely pricey at $14 a pop, but there was so much juice that I was able to drink it for breakfast and stay full until mid-day. It was sweet with a hint of that bitter kale aftertaste, and honestly tasted a whole lot better than any kale salad I’ve ever had. Plus, you get a dollar off your next purchase if you bring the glass bottle back to the store.

vegan

Photo by Yegina Whang

Overall, I had a great experience at Fruitive and will definitely be coming back when looking for healthy and clean eating options.