Whether you’re a local, in town for a work trip, or taking the kids to the parks, it’s worth seeking out the health-conscious restaurants here in Orlando. Of course, dining out is never going to be as healthy as eating in your own kitchen, but we are lucky to live in a city that has fresh, delicious, healthy options in neighborhoods all over. Here are some of my favorite picks for healthy food in Orlando (and suggestions on what to order):
JJ’s Scratch Cocina (Curry Ford)
Think of JJ’s as a locally-owned Chipotle, but better quality and more diverse flavor options. JJ’s prides themselves on fresh ingredients, no preservatives, nothing canned and 99% seed oil free. They have customizable bowls, wraps and salads. My go to is the build your own bowl with roasted sweet potatoes (complex carbs), pulled 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 hometown hub for smoothies, juices, soups, sandwiches, wraps and salads. New Moon is owned by an Orlando family who truly cares for the community and is passionate about educating the public on good nutrition and providing Orlando with higher quality juice and food options. I love their wraps! The Buffalo Chickpea and The Walnut Chorizo are my personal faves paired with fresh-pressed juice like The Lovely Day.
Fresh Kitchen (SODO, Alafaya, Winter Garden)
Slop bowl haters, be damned! I love places with the build-your-own-bowl concepts and Fresh Kitchen does it best. Their portion sizes are large enough for 2 meals if you get the 6 bowl. They are transparent about their ingredients, don’t use seed oils and the entire restaurant is gluten-free.
Bonus tip: order the family style meal from their catering menu on a week where you don’t have time to meal prep! I’ve also done this when I’ve had friends in town staying with me and didn’t feel like cooking.
My order:
- Bases: Crunchy kale caesar + sweet potato noodles
- Veggies: Mushrooms and broccoli
- Protein: Double almond baked chicken (don’t sleep on this, it’s got a good crunch!)
- Add kale pesto tomatoes
It doesn’t need additional sauce because of the oil on the caesar, veggies, and pesto on tomatoes.
Bolay (Lake Nona, Winter Park, Oveido)
Bol-heyyy! If you’re ever in a pinch for something healthy that the whole family will like, this is your stop! If you haven’t gotten a chance to try Bolay yet, it’s basically a health nut heaven. There are tons of ways to mix their flavorful veggies and proteins so you never get bored. Bolay also offers a build-your-own model of eating, allowing anyone to customize orders to fit their needs.
Poke Hana (Mills50/East Colonial, Winter Garden)
Poke bowls are still having a moment and we are here for it. Unlike sushi, it’s easy to customize your order to have more veggies, protein, and healthy fats. I’d recommend ordering ½ rice and ½ greens as your base for extra fiber and more room for delicious toppings. Plus, they have brown sushi rice!
My order: Samurai Salmon with ½ brown rice and ½ greens
Cava (Many locations including SODO, Millenia, Winter Park)
This is always my 4-year olds pick when we are on the go for lunch or dinner. You’re probably seeing a trend here: customizable bowls= opportunity to eat healthfully and according to your goals. Cava has a mediterranean flair and I love all our their different hummus options and pickled veggies. You can pile on the veggies here at no extra cost and because of all the hummus options you really don’t need to add a dressing, saving at least 100+ cals.
Greenbeat (Downtown Orlando, Baldwin Park, Vineland, Orlando Airport)
Hands down, this is my favorite place in Downtown Orlando for a salad. I cannot wrap my head around how they’re able to offer as many ingredients as they do, but I’m thankful they’ve got it figured it out. I’ve tried to mimic my order at home but it’s simply not the same. I strongly recommend the roasted eggplant and basil lime dressing. Simply delish! My order: Custom bowl with ½ spinach, ½ kale, marinated eggplant, cauliflower, goat cheese, salmon, and basil lime dressing. They offer pita chips or bread on the side, so I mix it up depending on my mood!
Healthiest Restaurants in Orlando Honorable Mentions:
- 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, FL. She owns the private practice, Nutrition Awareness, where she 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 co-host of the Nutrition Awareness Podcast.
If you want to maximize your health, wellness and happiness and decrease stress around food and your body, I would love to work with you!
