Happy New Year to you all! Welcome to our first blog post for 2016. If you are anything like us then you may have over-indulged a little over the festive period and be looking to eat a little healthier over the coming months. However eating healthily doesn’t have to mean missing out on eating out, and an increasing number of restaurants are offering delicious dishes that are full of nutrition and good for you! This blog post features some of the top healthy restaurants in Essex.
Cafe Giardino
Lakeside Lower Level, North End, Thurrock RM20 2ZP
A rumbling stomach often accompanies a busy shopping day. Stopping for lunch in a shopping centre doesn’t have to mean greasy fast food. With over 22 years experience, Cafe Giardino believes a healthy lifestyle is about balance, and as such they are committed to providing a range of fantastic freshly prepared healthy options, alongside a selection of slightly more naughty desserts.
From hot breakfasts to tasty salads, pasta dishes of the day, jacket potatoes and sandwiches, right through to traditional stuffed Italian Panini and Focaccia, there really is something to suit every taste and budget. There is even a selection for the little ones.
For a nutritious and delicious lunch in Thurrock, stop by the lovely Cafe Giardino and check it out for yourself.
Cafe Eivissas
Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 3JJ
With a wide selection of locally sourced and freshly prepared food cooked to order, there are plenty of healthy options for you to sink your teeth into at Cafe Eivissas. Whether you are visiting for a hearty breakfast, or enjoying a light lunch with friends, all items are listed on the menu with their nutritional and calorie value, so you can be sure to stick to whatever healthy eating plan you are following.
Menu options include salad boxes, jacket potatoes and sandwiches; some of which can be made with weight watchers sausages. They also do a range of tasty smoothies, protein shakes and even protein pancakes – ideal for a high protein, low carb eating plan.
If you live in and around Leigh-on-Sea, make Cafe Eivissas your go-to venue for healthy and filling food.
Ned’s Noodle Bar
Basildon, SS14 1EB
Proud creators of the first ‘Noodles in a Box’ concept in London, Ned’s Noodle Bar began trading in 2000 and there are now multiple franchises in the South East. With the tagline ‘”Feeding Healthier Nations since 2000”, Ned’s aim is to provide mouth-watering oriental dishes that are accessible to everyone. Gluten-free is a mission for the brand, with some sauces already suitable for GI guests. They also strive to keep MSG out of their cooking and are Halal-friendly.
Noodle boxes start at just £5.95 and are made up of beansprouts, carrots, peppers, onions, broccoli and Chinese cabbage, before adding your choice of sauce and protein/seafood/vegetable/tofu. Other meal options include appetisers, soups, and Ned’s low carb, low fat and low calorie salads. Kid’s boxes start at only £2.45, and there is even a range of scrumptious desserts available including fat-free frozen yoghurt.
For a healthy oriental restaurant in Essex, look no further than Ned’s Noodle Bar in Basildon.
The Squeeze Cafe
Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 2HB
Trading since 2005 and winner of a Gold Healthy Eating Award, The Squeeze Cafe is a popular modern healthy-eating restaurant with an eye firmly on nutrition and wellbeing. Their mission is to make great healthy food and drink mainstream, which they do by serving foods that are low in fat, salt, sugar and additives and preservatives, and high in vital nutrients and antioxidants. The venue is also fully licensed, meaning that you can enjoy a fab selection of beverages with your meal, including pure-brewed and fruit beers, gluten-free lager and organic wine and beers. Live music weekends make it the ideal venue for a great night out too.
Their menu runs from breakfast to evening and has a vast array of delicious dishes to choose from. We are itching to get over there and try the new Organic Superfood Granola with Yoghurt and Banana. There is also a range of ultra-healthy smoothies, and you can even buy a shot of Wheatgrass for just £1!
Alongside the restaurant, The Squeeze Cafe also offers a meal-replacement/enhancement smoothie program that can be tailored to your specific dietary needs. Just get in contact with them to find out more.
When it comes to kick starting a new, healthy 2016, The Squeeze Cafe is the ideal healthy eating restaurant in Essex. Don’t take our word for it, stop by and check them out!
Whether you are starting a New Year diet, or just looking to eat a little cleaner as you go into 2016, these cafes and restaurants are a great place to start. We may well bump into you at one of them! Check back with us next week where we will be sharing some of our favourite gym and spa venues. See you soon!