- syntheses
- immune
- digestive
- cardio
- vascular
- lymphatic
- urinary
- respiratory
- muscular
- nervous
- hormonal
- reproductive
- skeletal
ALL SYSTEMS GO!!!
Recent reports suggest that more and more Americans are adopting a healthy lifestyle. As many of us are choosing to belong in a world without GMOs, polluted water, and harmful chemicals, a new era begins. This is the beginning of the age of âless excessâ, a gluten free era, bent on combating the effects of globalization & industrialization have had on the environment and on their bodies.
The green span of promoting healthy living as the best defense against the common health problems that often lead us to the doctorâs office.
This widened expanse of health conscious culture has led many of its leaders and business owners to downtown in the recent months. These businesses have all been into health since before it was trendy and widely realized as necessary.
They have been sought out by the health conscious enlightened for many years, and have stayed passionate when it comes to sharing their energies with anyone interested in obtaining optimum health.
Many of the stories you will read here come from personal experiences and fateful moments that inspired these businesses as they became solely devoted to the health of others.
1. JUICE CRAFTERS
Juice Crafters on 7th and Spring provides a variety of juices, detox cleanses, and delicious smoothies.
Juice Crafters uses a variety of organic fresh fruits and vegetables with its owners waking up as early as 3:30am every morning to greet their favorite local farmers who provide them with the fresh organic levities they display, chop, blend and cold press for their customers health each day.
With Juice Craftersâ, cold pressing method helps retain the needed nutrients that are usually killed off under the normal pasteurizing process or in the heated juice machine. The machines extract juice through tremendous pressure exerted by a hydraulic press. that maximizes the amounts of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
The freshly prepared items on the menu, are meant to give you a âboost in energy naturally,â and remedy what ails you.
There are no sugars added to the smoothie drinks, and no additives in the almond butter including no hydrogenated oils or salts.
Coming down with a cold?
The creators of Juice Crafters are so motivated to establish a healthy downtown they welcome you to come by and have a complimentary shot of juice. The shot glass of juice, complete with mini-umbrella and high elements of ginger or cayenne, compare in pungency to any hard liquor shot found in a saloon, surprising your taste buds with a spicy, pungent dose of health to help you beat it.
Also on the menu, Greenest #3, Alkaline Tonic, and Aloe Vera H20. along with lemon, turmeric and mint.Â
When you enter the store you will find warm wooded decor and warm hearted people. Pictures of old downtown, hand drawn signs and wooden crates with fresh fruit give a since of nostalgia. Its a quick grab and go dose of health that downtowners canât help but enjoy.
2. CREATE YOUR OWN HEALTH
Create Your Health Teas, Healing Herbs and Spices (CYH Teas) opened in September on just east of Spring on 5th starts the personal story of its owner, Peter Bedard, who died after being slammed into the back of a semi-truck. Taking many years to recover, Peter had to learn how to walk again and faced chronic pain and a variety of ailments. Bedard suffered from fibromyalgia, arthritis, asthma, sciatica, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, chronic allergies, constant knee and back problems, and more. Then one day he decided to reclaim his life by releasing the victim that was living inside him and embark on a journey into the discovery of all kinds of holistic/alternative therapies.
âI refused most all drugs and surgeries, except for the one in which they put my bones back together directly after the accident, and learned how to heal myself.â says Peter.
Over the years he learning more about food and how it directly affects our well being. A couple of years ago he started doing research on teas and herbs and created his first of several healing herbal/tea blends. Amazingly his passion and the fates would lead Peter to up a tea shop in Silver Lake and then the inspiration to bring his creations to downtown.
Our Healing Blends are designed to help people use the natural healing qualities offered to us by various herbs, teas, roots, barks, flowers, leaves, and spices. The blends have an average of six different ingredients in them.
When visiting the newly opened tea shop prepare yourself for a wonderful assortment of hard to find herbs, such as golden seal and valerian root. Also, a colorful display of items to help decorate your loft or space, promote health, healing and relaxation and of course, a welcomed assortment of colorful tea pots meant to produce the perfect simmer.
In the near future CYH Teas will host monthly classes and workshops with Ayurvedic doctors with holistic therapies and ways to bring tea, herbs, and spices into our everyday lives. Peter Bedard is also a Hypnotherapist specializing in addiction and chronic anxiety/health issues and the teas are a natural extension for him as he continues helping people create their own wellness.
But you donât have to be under hypnosis to understand the power of healing teas…just stop by and try a few and see how they work for you…you will be convinced.
3. SIMPLYÂ SALAD
The grand opening of Simply Salad on Main just north of 4th Street has brought with it, to the Historic Core, an assembly line of nutritious ingredients that you can build into your favorite salad or wrap.
Chose from the pre-mades, like the Hipster or the Seared Samaria or get creative and build your own salad or wrap by choosing from over 70 healthy ingredients and 20 mouth watering dressings.
Watch as your chef tosses your ingredients one by one into a large silver bowl per your instruction. Once your done picking your variety of green and leafy vegetables, lean meats, fruits and nuts and the like, they are off to the the chopping block.
The most interesting of blades has been custom made by the restaurants owners. Straight out of medieval times, the dual 12 inch curved blades controlled by two wooden sturdy handles, swivle across your selections slicing and dicing your selections into bite sized pieces for easy digestion and a mouth full of each flavor with every bite.
For a complete menu visit www.simplysalad.com
4. DR Jâs VIBRANT CAFE
Dr. J, a tiny Taiwanese woman hardly taller than the tables in her restaurant, beams out at her guests, at a party for the pressâreporters, journalists, writers.
She doesnât stop smiling, nor does she let go of her son Charlesâ arm, a giant of a man compared to his mother. Together they tell the story of the cafĂ©âs conception: how Charlesâ health deteriorated after he left home and stopped eating his motherâs food; how numerous doctors failed to diagnose his illness; how he was prepared to embark on a lifetime of complicated prescriptions and medications. But Dr. J had an idea. She asked him to try her health food program for thirty days before giving the medication a shot. And, miraculously, Charles healed.
After Charles adhered to his motherâs principles of health and recovered from his poor health, he decided to open up a chain of restaurants in order to bring his motherâs philosophy to the publicâs attention. He wanted to help other people suffering from who-knows-what by helping them eat more healthily.
Sip from mason jars of calming tea; while enjoying the spring rolls. The food is prepared with strict guidelines and restrictions, Dr. Jâs principles of health are easy enough to understand: no caffeine, no salt, no sugar, no yeast, no nicotine, no alcohol, and practically no gluten. Everything must be clean, locally grown, and organic. At the restaurant, the cooks rinse every single fruit and vegetable with purified water prior to any food preparation.
Itâs all very healthy. But the healthiness in no way detracts from the flavor. Dr. J was right; healthy food can taste like crap, but she knows how to make healthy food tasty. âThatâs the beauty,.â she says.
5. CREPESÂ SANSÂ FRONTIERES
Having its ribbon cutting with Councilman Jose Huizar in attendance on November 8th, CrĂȘpes San Frontieres, is a healthy crĂȘpery in Downtown L.A.
The outside courtyard inspires the Spring Arcade Building to continue its plan to build a restaurant row inside its natural lit passage-way that spans between Spring and Broadway.
Above the entrance of the eatery hangs a chandelier of Edison lights hidden inside metal work made to resemble a giant whisk. Behind the smoky glass window is the dining area, and crepe station styled after an old fashioned brass street vending car from Paris..
Ordering crepes from Frontieres is a special nutritious experience. The crĂȘpes at CrĂȘpes San Frontieres are different from other places because they are made the traditional way using whole wheat and buckwheat flour as opposed to the typical white flour.
Apples, strawberries and bananas are sliced right before being added to the wheat flower sweet crepes loaded with Nutella and topped with whipped or ice cream.
La Scandinave is a crĂȘpe filled with imported smoked salmon, fresh dill and crĂšme fraiche (heavy cream) and served with cappucino, Origina, home made lemonade or Kangen WaterÂź.
A water the shopâs keepers are very found of for its health benefits.
Kangen WaterÂź is delicious water created from an innovative water technology that produces, ionized alkaline and acidic waters through electrolysis. These waters can be used for various purposes, including drinking, cooking, beauty, and cleaning and the operators of Crepes San Frontieres swear by it.
6. EVOKE YOGA
Evoke is a chic boutique yoga studio in the heart of Downtown LA. Our studio fits 40 people comfortably and we offer a variety of classes in both heated environments. At our downtown facility, youâll find everything you need to feel at home including changing rooms, restrooms, and cubbies so that you can store your personal items during class. We rent yoga mats, yogi towels, face and hand towels, and sell bottled water to help make your stay at Evoke Yoga fun and convenient. Comes visit us today! All you need to bring is yourself!
7. PEDDLERâSÂ CREMERY
Peddlerâs Creamery has masterminded an eco-friendly way to make organic ice creme that taste
great. In fact, itâs churned with a
bike. But not just any bike, the process of making ice cream at peddlerâs has been left to the six-wheeled fixte framed contraption in the creameryâs window that takes ice cream in less than 20 minutes.
Years before Peddlerâs Creamery opened on 5th and Main, its owner had been working for the National Forest Foundation, doing great work getting people involved helping to restore the forests above Los Angeles.
So expect Peddlerâs Creamery to keep everything in the shop bio compostable and a fresh supply of rotating flavors to choose from.
Top sellers include salted caramel; Mexican chocolate, lemon shortbread and maple pancake bacon (made with vegan bacon of course).
There is also an underlying joy that comes with what Peddlerâs is creating for downtowners. Ice cream and bicycling just may be the two things that everybody can
relate to when it comes to their childhood happiness means itâs like putting the magic of childhood back together.
During the Art Walk Peddlerâs is open to allowing visitors to participate by getting a chance to a peddle their delicious flavors on the churncycle.
8. CURT DARLING SALON
The words âOrganic Hair Skin Bodyâ adorn the storefront of Curt Darling Salon, DTLA at 440 S. Main St. where guests are offered custom blended organic hair care products featuring cold pressed essential oils that are beneficial for hair and scalp.
Among these products is Curt Darling dry shampoo; an organic blend of arrowroot, chamomile and sandalwood, and a vegan line from Costa Mesa, CA called Number 4 that Features a highly moisturizing reconstructive hair mask.
In addition to organic and vegan beauty products, the salon features the owners âgreenâ approach to hair cutting; Darling DryCut™ method that utilizes the natural texture and cowlicks while minimizing the use of water/shampooing and heat/blow drying/hot.
Tools for a sculpture orientated cut that is designed to be worn naturally.
In the skin care department, the salon offers a holistic approach with their in house âdifficult skin specialistâ whoâs detoxifying and resurfacing techniques are all
The rage for those seeking a green approach to their skin woes.
The salonâs interior is a loft style space featuring raw unfinished wood that allows the wood and the mind to breathe.
9. DTLA VETS
Healthy pets are happy pets and DTLA is full of them. When they get sick its good to know we can count on DTLA Vets to help heal what ails them.
DTLA Vets opened in the summer of 2013, on Spring and 3rd Street, offers full-service health care for your awesome pets including the use of acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. Advanced diagnostics, anesthetic, surgical and dental services are also available.
With an emphasis on preventive care and medicine DTLA Vets is dedicated keeping your pet healthy in Downtown.
10. LIVING ROOM VAPE & SMOKE SHOP
The Underground Smoke Shop on 6th and Spring has changed its name and created a living room setting for smoking hookahs, cigars and vaping electronic cigarettes.
Most scientists believe its not the nicotine itself, although highly addictive, that causes cancer for smokers or the people around them who breathe their second-hand smoke, but the 4000 chemicals produced from the cigarette as it burns.
The person using a vape device inhales a liquid form of flavored nicotine that contains about 3,500 less harmful chemicals than cigarettes, producing a odorless vapor that evaporates into the air almost instantly. Vaporizers may be primitive now, but future advancements in vape technology are sure to surface quickly as annual yearly revenues already in the billions.
Vaporizing hasnât been proven to cause cancer by the FDA. If not vaporizers may soon even the playing field when it comes to the negative social stigmas against public smoking.
While neighboring coffee shops fill with comfy home settings to cater to caffeine lovers the Living Room Vape & Smoke Shop, builds a comfy home for nicotine and tobacco smokers now with vape to help eliminate some of the health risk associated with cigarette smoking.
