Whether you’re a local, in town for a work trip, or taking the kids to the parks, the healthy restaurants here in Orlando are worth seeking out. Of course, eating out will never be as healthy as eating in your own kitchen, but we’re lucky to live in a city that has fresh, delicious, healthy options in every neighborhood. Here are some of my favorite healthy food options in Orlando (and suggestions for what to order):
JJ’s Scratch Cocina (Carrie Ford)
Think of JJ’s as a local Chipotle, but with better quality and more varied flavor options. JJ’s prides itself on fresh ingredients, no preservatives, nothing canned and 99% seed oil free. They have customizable bowls, wraps and salads. I go build your own bowl with baked sweet potatoes (complex carbs), chicken or garlic shrimp (lean protein), sauteed mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini (micronutrients), plus guac, chimichurri, or tzatziki (fat).
New Moon Market (College Park)
New Moon Market is your downtown hub for smoothies, juices, soups, sandwiches, wraps and salads. New Moon is owned by an Orlando family that truly cares about the community and is passionate about educating the public about good nutrition and providing Orlando with the highest quality juice and food options. I love their wraps! Buffalo Chickpea and The Walnut Chorizo are my personal favorites paired with fresh juice like The Lovely Day.
Fresh cuisine (SODO, Alafaya, Winter Garden)
Slop bowl haters, be damned! I love places with build your own bowl ideas and Fresh Kitchen does it best. Their portion sizes are big enough for 2 meals if you get the 6 bowl. They are transparent about their ingredients, do not use seed oils and the entire restaurant is gluten free.
Bonus Tip: order the family meal from their catering menu on a week when you don’t have time to prepare meals! I also did it when I had friends in town staying with me and I didn’t feel like cooking.
My order:
- Bases: Crispy kale caesar + sweet potato noodles
- Vegetables: Mushrooms and broccoli
- Protein: Baked Double Almond Chicken (don’t sleep on this one, it has a good crunch!)
- Add cherry tomatoes to kale pesto
No additional sauce needed due to the oil in the caesar, vegetables and pesto in the tomatoes.
Bolay (Lake Nona, Winter Park, Oveido)
Bol-hey! If you ever want something healthy that the whole family will love, this is your stop! If you haven’t had a chance to try Bolay yet, it’s basically a health paradise. There are so many ways to mix up tasty vegetables and their proteins so you’ll never get bored. Bolay also offers a build-your-own dining model, allowing anyone to customize orders to suit their needs.
Poke Hana (Mills50/East Colonial, Winter Garden)
Poke bowls are still having a moment and we’re here for it. Unlike sushi, it’s easy to customize your order to include more vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. I would recommend ordering ½ rice and ½ greens as a base for extra fiber and more room for tasty toppings. Plus they have sushi brown rice!
My order: Samurai salmon with ½ brown rice and ½ greens
Cava (Many locations like SODO, Millenia, Winter Park)
This is always my 4 year olds choice when we are on the go for lunch or dinner. You’re probably seeing a trend here: customizable bowls = opportunity to eat healthy and in line with your goals. Cava has a Mediterranean feel and I love all the different hummus options and pickled vegetables. You can smother the veggies here at no extra cost, and because of all the hummus options you don’t really need to add dressing, saving at least 100+ calories.
Greenbeat (Downtown Orlando, Baldwin Park, Vineland, Orlando Airport)
Hands down, this is my favorite place in Downtown Orlando for a salad. I can’t describe how they can offer as many ingredients as they do, but I’m thankful they figured it out. I tried to mimic my order at home, but it just isn’t the same. I highly recommend the roasted eggplant and lime basil dressing. Simply delightful! My order: Custom bowl with ½ spinach, ½ kale, marinated eggplant, cauliflower, goat cheese, salmon and lime basil. They offer pita chips or bread on the side so I mix it up depending on my mood!
Honorable mentions for the healthiest restaurants in Orlando:
- Just Salad (Winter Park, Alafaya, Avalon)
- Greens and Grille (Millenia)
- Infusion Tea (College Park)
- Clean Eats (SODO)
About the author: Megan Ware, RDN, LD, is a registered dietitian nutritionist in Orlando, Florida. He owns his private practice, Nutrition Awareness, where he teaches other entrepreneurs how to maximize their productivity and performance with nutrition. She is the author of the book The Optimized Life: A Nutrition Guide for Entrepreneurs and his co-host Nutrition Information Podcast.
If you want to maximize your health, wellness and happiness and reduce stress around food and your body, I’d love to work with you!
