Latasha Dayes creates healthier lives, one sip at a time. The 40-year-old St. Albans resident owns the recently opened LD Organic Health Haven, located at 116-65 Newburg St., St Albans. In February, LD Organic opened to the public, providing an array of healthy juices, smoothies, and treats catered to the juice bar’s varying clientele.
Dayes, who has a certification in integrative health nutrition, said she spent over 6 months designing the menu to ensure the drink pairings would work harmoniously with the body. “One thing I took away from my course was learning how food is processed through the body. Pairing foods is so important because those are the things that cause health conditions in the body,” she said.
Dayes said she’s observed two types of customers, “Individuals who were already on a health journey but didn’t have the resources in the area,” she said. “Then we have the second group of people… who want to be on a health journey but do not have the direction, she said. Dayes believes LD Organic is a resource for customers in the local community who are interested in healthier lifestyles.
Some of LD Organic’s most popular offerings include meal replacement shakes such as ‘The Nutty Professor’ and ‘Bellyful.’ As for juices, there’s ‘Slim Shady’ and ‘Boost Me,’ which has pineapple, carrots, orange, turmeric, and ginger.
Dayes also urges customers to try the ‘ABC’ immunity boost, which combines apples, beets, and carrots. Her favorite menu item is the ‘Dragonfly’ smoothie, which includes dragon fruit and lychee. “It is so good,” she said. “But just to introduce newer ingredients to the community as well, as no one will ever see, dragon fruit or lychee pureed together, which also has detoxification and anti-inflammatory benefits.”
LD Organic also offers specialty offerings for customers with acute health issues such as constipation or hypertension. “We can encourage someone to be on a juice and diet for four to six weeks that can help to lower their blood pressure or to help them lower their medication dosage,” she said. Furthermore, customers can snack on vegan Jamaican patties and patties filled with codfish, salmon, lentils, and pumpkin.
Dayes is focused on a holistic approach to serving her customers. “It’s to facilitate health; it’s beyond just the product,” she said.
Dayes, who also has a degree in business, said much of her motivation in starting LD Organic and pursuing her integrative health certification comes from her lived experiences. She said that she developed a distrust of the medical system due to a handful of negative experiences. “Just from my experience as a young black female, as a mother, I never had a great experience being in a hospital or with doctors at all,” she said. “I have experienced death twice due to malpractice. So it kind of prompted me to go into the health field and just study nutrition and how to take care of your body so I can avoid doctors and hospitals.”
Dayes said that as she began her health journey, it became apparent that St. Albans lacked healthy food eateries and establishments.
“There was no accommodation in my community for that, and the supermarkets weren’t providing the right source of food. The way I needed to change my diet, there were no restaurants. There’s just not enough resources.
Frustrated with her experience, Dayes decided to be the change. “ I’m a mother of two…and I’m in this community, and I want to see this community thrive, she said. “ And the mission was to change people’s lives one sip at a time. That is our motto for LD Organic.”
Dayes said her goal is to educate the community on healthier eating and remind folks that “you are what you eat.” “It is our responsibility as a people to take our own health into our hands, with the assistance of medical professionals. But it starts from us,” she said. “And that is what I would want to assist… the change of self-awareness, and self-awareness only comes through education.”
