Unlock the Best Healthy Food Havens: Your Ultimate Guide to Nourishing Restaurants!

In a world where fast food and processed meals dominate, finding restaurants that prioritize health without sacrificing flavor can feel like a treasure hunt. Whether you're driven by dietary needs, health goals, or simply a desire to nourish your body, this guide will lead you to some exceptional dining experiences.

The Importance of Healthy Eating

February is Healthy Heart Month, a perfect time to explore heart-healthy dining options. Heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide and is largely lifestyle-related. After experiencing a heart attack, bypass surgery, and heart failure, one may become even more mindful of what’s on their plate. Should you have any type of heart condition with or without surgery, hospital staff or your physician may encourage a plant-based lifestyle. Excessive fat, sugar, and salt in processed foods can hijack our taste buds. From a young age, the importance of both psychological and physical health is recognized.

What to Look for in a Healthy Restaurant

When seeking out healthy restaurants, keep an eye out for establishments that prioritize the following:

Real, whole food ingredients: Restaurants that source fresh, unprocessed ingredients are more likely to offer nutrient-rich meals.
High-quality protein options: Look for lean meats, fish, eggs, or plant-based protein sources like tofu, lentils, and beans.
Anti-inflammatory oils: Many restaurants exclusively use anti-inflammatory oils.
Gluten-free options: This is especially important for individuals with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
Minimal sugar, additives, and preservatives: A focus on natural flavors and ingredients is a hallmark of healthy dining.
Reasonable prices: Healthy eating shouldn't break the bank.

Healthy Restaurant Spotlights

Tucson

Take charge by changing your palate. One may not realize how delicious an apple tasted until after a week of cleansing their palate as a consultant at the Pritikin Longevity Center.Growing up in many military families means you eat everything on your plate before asking permission to leave the table. As kids, we were forced to eat our vegetables. Myanmar’s culture and cuisine had the biggest impact on life. In seventh grade, I watched our Burmese cook prepare plant-based dishes with curry spices, which awakened my curiosity about anti-inflammatory food. Cows were revered - and also primarily working animals - and were protected from slaughter. When I took river trips cows boarded the boat first before people. This respect for animals impressed me and remains a strong value. The combined impact of these moves and my five years with Intel Corporation in Asia and Latin America enriched my appreciation for culture, adventurous dining, and how food connects us. It opened my eyes to the humane treatment of animals. I developed a respect for the power of nutrition in my lifestyle. In one's adult years, one gradually chose a mostly vegetarian lifestyle and later a plant-based, whole-foods lifestyle with fish. At times, one is a flexitarian and still enjoy parts of dishes that are not 100% vegan or plant-based. If one of your goals for the new year is to eat more protein, including animal or plant-based, you’ll find it easy to do at the following restaurants.

Phoenix

There are a lot of great healthy restaurants in Phoenix, so it’s hard to narrow it down into a single blog post! If you’ve been following along with me, you know that I’m a big fan of balanced eating. However, for the last few years, I’ve been committed to eating a mostly plant-based diet. Thankfully, I don’t ever feel like I have to sacrifice flavor in favor of health!

La Grande Orange (LGO): This local restaurant has become a staple, with French-inspired breakfasts, a decadent bakery, and healthy salads and sandwiches. Try the kale quinoa salad, modified without cheese to accommodate a plant-based diet.
Flower Child: A fast-casual spot that makes everything from scratch with fresh ingredients, fun flavors, and plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. Their bowls and wraps are hearty and flavorful, and you can mix and match an array of unique side options with their entrees, like yuzu grilled asparagus and cauliflower “risotto”.
Original Chop Shop: I love their chopped salads and veggie bowls, like the green curry tofu bowl with quinoa.
Modern Market Eatery: For quick on-the-go meals, one of the best lunch spots in Scottsdale is Modern Market Eatery.
ProteinHouse: ProteinHouse has quickly become an obsession for anyone looking for lean lunches and post-gym shakes - and it lives up to its name!
Juice Core: If you’re looking to go on a juice cleanse, or simply add healthy juices and tasty smoothies to your daily routine, I can’t recommend Juice Core enough! Stop in for organic, fresh-pressed juices, handmade protein bites, and great teas and lattes.
Pa’la: If you haven’t yet tried Pa’la, you need to go! Their constantly changing menu is centered around fresh seafood, hearty grains, and local vegetables. It’s a tapas-style, wood-fired treat that never disappoints.

Seattle

Chef-driven drinks and ceremonial-grade matcha from Japan bring new depth to Seattle’s café scene.

Peoria

Real Smooth Foods: Located in Junction City Shopping Center, Real Smooth Foods makes eating healthy ridiculously easy. Each smooth includes two vegetables, more than 25g of protein, and a heart-healthy fat source. There are never added sugars, and are made gluten- and dairy-free.
The Balanced Bee: The Balanced Bee is a rare gem for the Peoria Area. This woman-owned Peoria business is way ahead of the health-conscious trends. The bone broth alone is designed with Food as Medicine and Performance Recovery in mind and is shipped nationwide due to its medicinal usage. If you’re feeling sniffly, achey or need a good cleanse, stop into The Balanced Bee for an elixir, custom cleanse, restorative broth, Bee Well liquid shot, cold-pressed juice, or healthy snack.
Sous Chef: This specialty grocery store features local farmers and vendors from the Greater Peoria Area. This is your one-stop-shop for local organic produce, proteins and more. On any given day, this shop will have an assortment of beautiful locally sourced items like fermented garnishes, farm-fresh cheeses, microgreens, spices, honey, eggs, fruit, wild mushrooms, herbs, wares, produce, and other local goodies. OH!, and did we mention the Sous Chef team has an onsite kitchen preparing imaginative, healthy, and delicious meals to grab and go?
Haddad’s Restaurant: Haddad’s Restaurant is proudly family-owned and operated, with rich traditions and values that shine through their food. Haddad’s serves Lebanese cuisine, which includes an abundance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins like lentils, fish, poultry, and lamb.
Rhythm Kitchen Music Cafe: This funky, inviting space is an excellent option for flavorful healthy fare. Specializing in Cajun cuisine, Rhythm Kitchen uses a variety of natural ingredients, herbs, spices, and sauces to enhance lean seafoods and other healthy proteins. These Cajun and Creole dishes are highly seasoned, rather than just hot and spicy, and the menu offers bold tastes in a multitude of preferences: vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free to name a few.
One World Cafe: This menu is packed with fresh, organic ingredients with various vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.

Austin

True Food Kitchen: Inspired by the anti-inflammatory food pyramid and founded by Dr. Andrew Weil, this restaurant offers a seasonal, nutrient-rich menu catering to various dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free, keto, and paleo).
Civil Goat: Known for delicious coffee and a tasty, balanced breakfast, featuring soft scramble with avocado and a half-caf flat white.
Local Foods: This spot brings farm-fresh produce to the table, with dishes like the summer harvest salad, poke bowl, or gluten-free crunchy chicken sandwich with kale salad and watermelon.
Honest Mary’s: Priding themselves on life-giving “fast food”, Honest Mary’s offers signature bowls and a build-your-own-bowl option with whole grains, lean proteins, and fresh veggies.
Fresa’s: Fresa’s takes wood-grilled chicken to the next level with a vibrant, Mexican flair.
The Well: An elevated dining experience with a completely gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, refined-sugar free, and non-GMO menu, using high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients and healthy cooking oils.
Koriente: A great option for Asian-inspired food that’s fresh and on the lighter side, with minimally processed ingredients and house-fermented kimchi.
Sweetgreen: A favorite spot for salads and bowls, Sweetgreen uses anti-inflammatory olive oil and offers a counter-service setup where you can build your own bowl.
Cabo Bob’s: Known for fresh, high-quality ingredients at an affordable price, with tortillas made on-site, wood-grilled protein options, and scratch-made salsas, sauces, and guacamole.
Picnik: Picnik’s entire menu is gluten-, soy-, and refined sugar-free, and they exclusively use healthy cooking oils.
Two Hands: An Australian-inspired café with a strong focus on ethically sourced ingredients.
Better Half: An award-winning all-day café in downtown Austin, with tons of outdoor seating and tasty coffee, using a lot of locally sourced ingredients.
Cenote: A cozy, laid-back spot in a converted house on the Eastside, offering gluten-free bread and a spacious patio.
KG BBQ: This isn’t your average barbecue joint - it’s where classic Texas barbecue meets bold Middle Eastern flavors.
Nourished ATX (Food Truck): All of their menu items are locally and regeneratively sources, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar free, and organic when possible.
People’s Pharmacy: Not just an actual pharmacy-it’s also a hidden gem for grabbing a quick, healthy lunch.
SNAP Kitchen: Their ready-made meals are crafted with whole ingredients and balanced macros (carbs, fat, and protein), so you can grab something quick without second-guessing what's inside.
Gati: Their entire lineup is gluten-free and dairy-free, made with just five wholesome ingredients, including a creamy coconut milk base.

Tips for Ordering Healthy Meals

If you don't want to choose recommended menu items for these restaurants, what should you keep in mind when deciding what to order? As a general rule of thumb, choose meals that include high-quality protein (meat, fish, or eggs), vegetables, and unprocessed carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beans, or lentils. Don't be afraid to ask to sub sides for veggies, or other modifications/tweaks to make ex.

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