8 JANUARY 30, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Infit Nutrition is Glendale’s very
own health-conscious ‘internet café’
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Infi t Nutrition, a café that off ers an
array of healthy and energy-boosting
options, is the newest addition
to Glendale’s Cooper Avenue.
Jonathán Acosta Hernández, the
owner and founder of Infi t Nutrition,
knew he wanted to bring his business
to the area aft er noticing the space — located
on 69-44 Cooper Ave. — is nearby
fast food chains like McDonald’s and
Dunkin’.
“When I was looking I was looking
for two major franchises to open up
and compete against, so when I saw
the Dunkin’ and the McDonald’s, I
defi nitely wanted to take them on,” he
said. “Because a lot of people want to
look for that healthy choice but the
unhealthy choice is the only thing
there. So being right here gives them
that second decision.”
Acosta speaks from his own personal
experience. The 24-year-old used to
weigh 245 pounds and ate McDonald’s
and Starbucks on a daily basis. But aft er
passing out on a bus one day on his way
to work and waking up in the hospital
a few weeks later with what the doctor
described as multi-organ failure, he
decided to change his ways. He was 21
years old at the time.
“The doctor told me that if I didn’t
change something, I wouldn’t live to
see the age of 22,” Acosta said.
That’s when he began his weight-loss
journey, as he puts it. Although doctors
suggested liposuction and a gastric bypass
surgery, Acosta decided to change
his eating and exercise habits instead.
He worked out with the help of a coach
who introduced him to Herbalife, the
international nutritional supplement
and marketing company that promotes
their own products, like protein
shakes, teas and aloes, with the help of
independent contractors.
Now, Acosta is 100 pounds lighter.
He didn’t know he wanted to open up
his own business, but decided to do it
with the help of his team of four other
independent contractors. Infi t Nutrition
opened its doors for the fi rst time
on Jan. 5 in an eff ort to serve healthconscious
treats to Glendale, Maspeth
and Ridgewood.
Their menu has a variety of
smoothies, teas, coffee, energizer
drinks, bowls as well as “gym rats”
juice and snacks, with prices that range
from $6 to $12. They also off er combos,
such as their seasonal special “Cupid
Shuffl e,” which is made up of a large
“Cupid’s Arrow” smoothie and “Lover’s
Quarrel Loaded Tea” for $11 or $12 with
a boost.
Guests will also notice a detailed
description of the amount of calories,
protein, carbs and sugar for each option.
For instance, their smoothies are
less than 250 calories, have 24 grams
of protein and contain 21 essential
vitamins and minerals.
Acosta said it’s important for him
and his team to have conversations
with people about the nutritional
facts of their options, so they know
what they’re consuming and why it’s
diff erent from a cheaper meal with a
higher calorie count.
“A lot of people compare prices with
what they can get, like here versus
McDonald’s,” he said. “So at McDonalds
you can get like a two-for-$5 Big Mac,
but each Big Mac … is lacking in protein.
It’s lacking in vitamins, gives you no
minerals, and and your system takes a
lot of time to break it down.”
Acosta said they use Herbalife protein
shakes and other supplements as
a base for all their products because of
the taste and price.
“They taste great, and 12 doctors are
behind the science of the protein, so we
wanted to use products that are good
for the community,” he said. “Their
products are also soy based, not milk,
like others.”
Herbalife has been around since
the 1980s, and has undergone a string
of investigations both in the news and
federally. In 2016, they settled with the
Federal Trade Commission to change
its business practices aft er the government
agency found that it deceived
buyers and sellers of its products, according
to The New York Times.
But Acosta said that although they
use Herbalife products, they aren’t a
franchise at all — just an independent
business owner.
“The settlement that Herbalife had
with the government that took place
in 2016 has no connection with Infi t
Nutrition or Insane Fitness LLC,” he
said. “As a smoothie bar owner, I
have the right to utilize any products
from any company as long as I do not
make any false claims or ‘high hope’
commentaries about the product
that is not on the label or the parent
company has said themselves.”
Acosta, who is also a medical student
with degrees in science and neuroendocrinology
from Hunter College and
BMCC, and is pursuing his masters at
NYU, said he did his own research and
believes in the products.
He also believes in promoting
the idea that everyone can be their
own boss. Him and his team built
and renovated the space themselves,
from making the bar from scratch
to hanging up the “Welcome to Infi t
Nutrition” letters on the wall.
“I used to work for Starbucks as a
manager for fi ve years and they never
appreciated me,” he said. “Knowing
how hard it was and what I had to
sacrifi ce to get up into those high
ranks but still not be appreciated,
was something that I didn’t want to do.
So when we opened this, we opened
this as a team, understanding that we
all had equal say on what happens
between these doors.”
Infi t Nutrition has a mission to
“lead, guide, coach and support each
individual on their road a healthy active
lifestyle.” The word “Infi t” stands
for “insane fi tness,” which is what
Acosta said people would call his new
lifestyle when he started taking care
of himself.
Acosta believes “health and fi tness
has to do with mindset,” most of all.
“I always say, if you don’t like the
way you look in the mirror, change
it. Don’t let somebody else say, ‘You
need to change because you’re this
size, and you need to be this size,’”
he said. “If you don’t love yourself,
that’s when you need to change. But
if you’re comfortable with yourself
and who you are, there’s no need to
change it.”
Infi t Nutrition is open on Monday to
Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Saturday
from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday
from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information,
visit www.infi tnutri.org.
Photos: Angélica Acevedo/QNS
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