In the stylish kitchen of Michael Kerschbaumer’s Midtown apartment, there’s a seemingly incongruous element among the tasteful dark woods and minimalist lines: a NutriBullet, a “superfood nutrition extractor” that’s sold via a cheesy infomercial.
“Personally, it’d be cool if it were more midcentury, more classic looking,” says Kerschbaumer, 43, a furniture designer and Wilhelmina model, of the blender-like gadget. But “functionally, it’s just smart . . . you just drop [the veggies] in there.”
Aesthetics aside, the NutriBullet — described by an enthusiastic infomercial announcer as “not a blender, not a juicer” but a “breakthrough in nutritional science that can change your life” — has become an unlikely hit with style-conscious New Yorkers looking for a new way to consume their veggies, protein powders and flax seeds.
“It’s not that it’s a hip item,” says Colin Sapire, 54, the CEO of Capital Brands, the Los Angeles-based company that owns NutriBullet. “It’s become a hip thing because it’s a unit that makes it very easy to eat healthy foods.”
For the past few months, Kerschbaumer has been using the NutriBullet to make vegetable-based concoctions — what the NutriBullet infomercial calls “Nutri- Blasts” — as opposed to the sugary, fruit smoothies he once made with a standard blender. He says he’s noticed improvements inside — clearer sinuses, less achy joints — and out.
“I don’t get bloated anymore,” he says. “You wake up in the morning and you’re nice and defined.”
Lydia Hirscher, a 53-year-old fashion designer and consultant, is another NutriBullet convert.
“I have three juicers — they’re just not as good,” enthuses Hirscher, who totes her NutriBlasts with her to meetings with Neiman Marcus and other major department stores. “It’s fabulous. I love it.”
She even uses the NutriBullet for her two Shih Tzus, Hazel and Sophie. “I blend the raw dog food with various raw veggies and then freeze into small pellets and thaw,” Hirscher explains. “[They] love them!”
While Hirscher was once a fan of pricey green juices, she now prefers making her own blends. Her personal trainer, Ariane Hundt, turned her on to the gadget about a year ago.
Hirscher estimates that she consumes three NutriBlasts daily, as both meals and snacks; her fave is a combo of protein powder, cocoa powder, almond milk, berries and avocado.
“It’s like a milkshake,” she enthuses. “It keeps you full.” And, compared to regular juice, she says, “nutritionally you also get a lot more.”
While juicers work by pressing the liquid from fruits and veggies, leaving fibrous pulp behind, everything goes in the NutriBullet cup. It’s essentially a super-fast and high-powered blender that can turn carrots and kale into a smooth, creamy beverage.
It’s something standard blenders can’t typically hack, and professional-grade blenders, such as the Vitamix, do for much more money. (The NutriBullet has a suggested retail price of $119.94, while Vitamixes start at $409.)
“I think it’s worth its weight in gold,” enthuses trainer and nutritionist Hundt, who estimates that she’s gotten about 200 clients to buy a NutriBullet. “I’d love to have gotten a percentage of sales,” she quips.
Given that it’s the subject of an infomercial, the NutriBullet isn’t sold alone; rather, it comes as part of a 12-piece system that includes a cookbook and various cups and lids that allow a user to easily take a “Nutri- Blast” on-the-go.
That convenience is a big factor for Caitlin Kelly, 31. While she hasn’t perfected a green juice with her NutriBullet, she does use it to whip up a health-nut breakfast made from chocolate protein powder, a nutritional supplement, hemp milk and chia seeds.
“Honestly, if I didn’t have [a Nutribullet] . . . I would be eating a muffin every morning,” says Kelly, a fashion director at Alison Brod PR and fitness buff.
She admits the NutriBullet’s image was an initial turnoff, but it didn’t matter once she turned it on, made a drink and enjoyed the quick cleanup.
“After you realize how easy it is,” she says, “you definitely don’t care that it’s sold on TV.”