When Janelle Miller became sick in her late 20s, she began to assess lifestyle – particularly what was going into her body. A former fitness trainer, she refused pharmaceuticals and began researching links between health and nutrition, even when combating diseases. She began juicing with organic fruits and vegetables, and never looked back.

Miller has taken that knowledge and made it a business, as one of three co-owners of Jujubeet, a cold-pressed juice bar in downtown Bellevue that uses only local, organic fruits and vegetables in its drinks.

Jujubeet opened five months ago near Top Pot Doughnuts at 10602 N.E. Ninth Place, and already has a steady clientele of regulars from the gyms and fitness centers amassed in the downtown area.

“Every day, they come religiously,” said Bianca Szperski, another Jujubeet co-owner. She added she’s had other businesses in the past. “This one is kind of new for me. I’m just kind of an avid juicer at home for my family. That’s how I got my kids through school, because they didn’t want to eat. I just kind of sneaked in all these greens into my smoothies.”

Jujubeet offers artisanal and specialty juices, green and power smoothies and shots as standard as wheatgrass to the more complex “Bee Energy.” Customers can grab a drink from the bar’s to-go case or get something fresh pressed. Another big seller are the cleanses, which involves taking six 16-ounce juice drinks each day with two smaller elixir drinks in order to detoxify the body.

“The cleanse is a super, super-big draw,” Miller said, “because juicing has really come back into favor, and this time I think for good.”

Replacing your diet with low-calorie, nutrient-dense juices is not about starvation, she said, but providing what the body needs while allowing it to reset after months or years of bad dieting. When people come to Jujubeet looking to cleanse, Miller makes sure they do it right.

“I do a fair amount of counseling, and that’s how I figure out if there needs to be any kind of customization,” Miller said.

Szperski said Jujubeet’s business plan is to one day expand, but for now the owners are enjoying their current success and making improvements along the way.