| >> Juicing for Jesus |
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There are many reasons why people choose to be vegan; for Matthew Yarnell, co-owner of Lilac Juice & Smoothie Co., his is a religious one. Yarnell cites Bible verses from 1 Corinthians and Romans, which say the body is a temple and a living sacrifice - essentially, maintaining a mostly raw, entirely vegan diet as a form of service to God. Yarnell started the Lilac last November with his wife, Angela. "We wanted to be able to offer healthy alternatives to the standard, American diet that is so prevalent," Yarnell said. He got the idea from a lay-ministry program at Whitworth which had asked him to do a nutritional program in a church context - thus, Yarnell started Healthy Course Ministries, which places emphasis on raw foods and juicing. As for the store itself, it was just a natural development from that. Yarnell and his family have been vegetarian for three years, and vegan for a year and a half. He said that their diet was 90 percent raw food, too. "The more processing, the less value food has for your body," Yarnell said. "Processing food is tampering with God's creation." Yarnell does admit that even juicing detracts from the nutritional value, as fiber is lost in the juicing process. Lilac offers many items that make it unique. All of their fruit smoothies are made with almond milk which Yarnell prepares fresh, daily. Yarnell also creates a beanless hummus dip made with zucchini and a cheese dip substitute, on site, with carrot-flax chips. Lilac has raw soups available, of which the tomato soup and the zucchini-cucumber are Yarnell's favorites. Vegan sandwiches, wraps, and "Sun Brrgrrs" are available for lunching, and granola smoothies made with vanilla almond granola are not only healthy, but also delicious. Yarnell is quick to point out that tastiness should not be sacrificed in a vegan diet. He has three criteria for determining whether something is a food that should be eaten: 1) Is it grown in nature, with roots? 2) Can it be eaten without processing? And, 3) "Can I eat a whole bowlful of it and enjoy it." Lilac offers classes on how to live a healthy lifestyle of eating raw fruits and vegetables. Classes are generally taught on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, usually at 5:30 or 6. Yarnell considers doing this to be his calling - a health minister. Holding a bachelor's in religion from Whitworth, a certificate in lay ministry, and a certificate in natural health with Hallelujah Acres, an international, non-denominational Christian health industry, Yarnell is more than qualified, and certainly more than willing. "I want to be able to help people to better glorify God in their bodies." Other items sold at Lilac include prepackaged meat substitutes, as well as books, tapes and videos explaining the nutritional theology of the Christian health industry. Lilac Juice & Smoothie Co. is open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
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