Dr. Juice Cleanse: Convenient Clean Eating

Jackson is known for its rich Southern cuisine, but finding a fresh, no-sugar-added smoothie isn’t always easy.

Dr. Juice Cleanse is changing that with plant-based options that make healthy eating just as accessible as comfort food.

Dr Juice Cleanse with worker and customer

Credit: Erica Johnson Photography

Let’s take a shot! It’s not insulin, and it’s definitely not tequila. It’s the Dr. Juice Cleanse shots, including lemon, beet, and ginger, that pack a powerful punch of natural wellness. These organic shots help promote the removal of toxins from the body, and that’s just the beginning. The doctor’s smoothies and fruit bowls help to encourage a daily healthy choice to, as the slogan says, “Make your insides smile.”

Jackson is widely known for its fantastic food, particularly southern comfort. Delicious, healthy food choices do not usually come to mind as easily, but Dr. Juice Cleanse is changing that narrative. Finding a no-sugar-added smoothie and fruit bowl should be just as easy as finding a plate of fried catfish and fries.

Located conveniently on Lynch Street, near Thee Jackson State University, you can’t miss the bright orange and green building of Dr. Juice Cleanse. Despite the absence of grill smoke or the aroma of ribs and baked beans, the door keeps swinging with eager patrons.

“Most of our customers are here every day,” said Ralph Malone, facility manager and owner of the Dr. Juice Cleanse logo.

For many, a plant-based diet is not just a choice; it’s a way of life. Some people are strict only at the table, while others also refrain from products tested on animals and anything else that harms or takes the life of any living creature. Finding such products is a task in itself. Couple that with avoiding other additives, and finding anything to eat outside of a personal garden or kitchen becomes almost impossible.

Malone

Credit: Erica Johnson Photography

According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 60 percent of foods purchased by Americans contain technical food additives, including coloring or flavoring agents, preservatives, and sweeteners. It’s an easy choice to make the no-meat switch, but maintaining it can prove difficult.

Dr. Juice Cleanse has been operating on Lynch Street for more than five years. Like most businesses that opened in 2019 and prior, there was no way to know that a pandemic was looming. Contrary to most businesses, Dr. Juice Cleanse thrived.

“Doctors were coming here, and they were sending their patients,” Malone said. “While other businesses were closing, we had a line outside the building.”

Dr Juice Cleanse juice and shots closeup

Credit: Erica Johnson Photography

Malone’s daughter’s health initially catapulted him into the clean living business. When she was about two years old, doctors found a growth on her liver. She was treated as a cancer patient and went through years of recovery. Malone took a deep dive into plant-based eating and holistic measures as a way of life, prevention, and care. His daughter has since made a full recovery and plays basketball for Jackson State. Providing healthy fast food options as a way to avoid disease and complications is now a life journey for him.

“We’ll be opening the other side of the restaurant soon with a lot of vegan food options,” Malone said.

Author

Crystal McDowell

Crystal McDowell is the CEO of Marketing Maven Management, a marketing and communications firm created to ensure accurate and positive storytelling that includes people of color. She has a Mass Communication degree from Jackson State University and an MBA from Belhaven University. She has 18+ years of journalism, PR, and marketing skills, which she obtained working across the country. Her hobbies are traveling and storytelling.