Kale smoothie + healthy lunch at Végitaï

I’m usually a little skeptical when it comes to “superfood” trends, but kale is one such food that managed to grab my attention. I’ve read countless articles and blog posts  about kale’s health benefits, and the sheer longevity of kale’s popularity in recipes and events like “National Kale Day” made me think that maybe kale really could be the ultimate superfood.

Once I learned about all of kale’s nutrition benefits, I was naturally eager to try it for myself! Unfortunately, though, I was already living in Paris at the time, and kale is pretty hard to come by here.

However, kale is slowly becoming more and more widespread in Paris. This is largely thanks to The Kale Project , a great initiative by American expat Kristen Beddard to promote the growing/selling of kale in France.

I read at The Kale Project that one of the small “fast food” restaurants near my office has just started making kale smoothies. Végitai  was already one of my favorite quick lunch choices thanks to their build-your-own quinoa salads and delicious veggie juice mixes, so now I had yet another reason to pick up a Végitai lunch this week.

The Végitai menu features an alternating healthy “plat du jour,” which is often vegetarian. They also offer a different soup each day in addition to a yummy selection of healthy wraps and sandwiches. Add the build-your-own salad (with a base of lettuce, pasta, or quinoa) and the extensive fresh juice menu, and you have any healthy eater’s paradise!

I normally get the “Idées claires” juice, which is a mix of cucumber, apple, and mint. Today I got the “kalé,” which is basically the same thing with added kale.

             

The juice tasted great, and it gave me the energy I needed to get through a hectic afternoon. The kale doesn’t have a strong flavor, though I think I’ll have to get used to the small floating kale bits coming up the straw

I don’t normally like to eat at my desk, but since I had a class this morning I needed some extra time to catch up on my e-mails. Végitai doesn’t have much space for eat-in customers, so it suited me just fine to take my lunch “à emporter.”

I guess the next step is for to buy some actual kale and try some of the great kale recipes I’ve seen on other blogs. Kristen of The Kale Project has a list here of where kale is available in Paris, but unfortunately there isn’t a market in my neighborhood that offers it. I guess I’ll have to make a trip across town to one of the markets soon….to be continued!

Végitai 
39/41 Passage Choiseul 75002 Paris
Mon – Sat: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
+33 9 83 03 62 30
7-12 euros