A CVG friend who happened to be running down Moorpark Road last month alerted me to a new business at 540 North Moorpark Road (near the corner of Moorpark and Wilbur, to the left of LensCrafters), The Healthy Place. It took me awhile to make it over there, but today was the day.

I had just run a 10K in the heart of the San Fernando Valley on a day where the temperatures during the early morning race were in the 80s and by 11am it was well into the mid-90s. The 10K zapped all my energy and basically drained me. I was about to head home for a nap when I thought hey, now's the time to check out that new place!

Not knowing what I was getting into, I assumed it was something along the lines of a Jamba Juice. Order your smoothie, pay and be on your way. But soon I learned The Healthy Place is much more than that. Their 16 oz "healthy meal smoothies" are low sugar, low fat, low calorie, non dairy, high protein (25 grams or more), high fiber and available gluten or soy-free.

They say these smoothies made with Herbalife Formula 1 have all the nutrition a body needs in a meal. Along with the smoothie, they serve you an anti-oxidant rich herbal green tree (iced or hot) and a cold shot of aloe. They told me to drink the aloe first for energy. Expecting an undesirable taste in my mouth, I was surprised it was actually pretty good, as was the green iced tea!

As for the smoothies, The Healthy Place has over 30 flavors to choose from that vary in price from just under $8 to $10* (which also includes the aloe and tea). The owner was there and she guided me towards the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup flavor. Outstanding choice. It was really good and I definitely noticed the high quality taste that wasn't packed with sugar. Other choices include Pineapple Mango, Cheesecake, Banana Nut Muffin, Strawberry, S'Mores among others. * Pricing 25 packs of smoothies and save $1 per smoothie.

It is now 4:20 p.m. and I have so much energy that I never took the nap that I was planning to take. Now I can't say for an absolute fact that this is due to my The Healthy Place meal, but I did feel pretty good after my smoothie and do plan to visit them again.

The Healthy Place is a "club" so to speak where they also offer wellness profiles, body scans and nutritional programs to those tired of eating junk and feeling the effects.  They are open M-F 7am to 7pm, Sat 9am to 3pm and Sun 10am to 2pm. To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/TheHealthyPlace or call 805.379.4587.