COLUMBIA — New Year's resolutions are notoriously hard to keep, especially at lunch time, when you pop a chicken and broccoli meal prep into the microwave for the third time this week.
While it’s much easier to reach for those satisfying staples, like Chick-Fil A beckoning on the corner, taking small steps each day towards making healthier decisions with your food is proven to create longer lasting success, and maybe cultivate some habits you don’t dread making everyday.
Around town, local chefs and restaurateurs are striving to make a healthier impact, giving better access to more plant-based and locally sourced alternatives, while remaining fresh, interesting and sustainable.
The intricacies of nutritious and nourishing edibles can be argued down to the calorie content, but with so many options, it might be easier to instead think on what you’re trying to focus on.
Good Life Cafe is a healthy eating and plant-based eatery off Columbia's Main Street. Photo provided/City Social
Are you looking for more energy throughout the day? Checkout Good Life Cafe on Taylor Street.
Boasting a menu rife with diversity, Good Life uses locally sourced ingredients, familiar dishes made fresh and caters to several dietary restrictions. Protein options prepared in-house will give your body a natural energy boost to get you through a slow afternoon.
If you’re in a rush, they stock a fully loaded “Grab-and-Go” fridge with favorites like a Turkey Club, Teriyaki Salmon or a range of salads and vegan options. Snag a fresh-pressed juice at the counter, and you’ve just supported a local business, ate a lunch free from preservatives and set yourself up for an afternoon feeling refreshed in your good decisions.
If you need a kickstart to your digestive system, consider Duke’s Pad Thai, a local favorite owned and operated by Noi and Chris Souvanna.
Sweet Potato Hash at Good Life Cafe on Taylor Street in downtown Columbia. Photo provided/City Social
Opening their doors in 2017 with just three staff members, the Souvannas never expected the rush of customers and unparalleled success they experienced. Now, they have over 40 dedicated employees and barely enough space in the kitchen to get by.
It’s the simple, classic Thai fare that made Duke’s shine as a locally owned, healthy alternative to the temptation of fast-food options. The array of flavors, herbs and spices infused into Thai cuisine, like Lemongrass and Ginger, have traditionally aided in digestion, soothing inflammation of the gut and bringing balance to the digestive system.
When asked if she creates menu items with health in mind, Noi Souvanna said: “It’s hard to buy organic, the main distributors, it’s just not something they promote since it’s expensive with an already low profit margin.”
Duke's Pad Thai offers a number of vegetarian dishes, like this spicy singer ramen with cashews. Photo provided/City Social
Instead, she grows what she can, when she can.
“I’m like an old lady with my plants, we even have a Lime Leaf tree at the warehouse”
The ingredients being used in this local take-out joint bring a comfort to the mind, since you know exactly where your food is coming from. Married with the already zesty, southeast-Asian fusion flavors, Duke’s dishes are rife with stunning vegetables, carefully crafted soups and support a body-conscious initiative to put your stomach to rest and your mind at ease.
Looking towards the future, the Souvannas want to bring it back to the basics.
“Less is best,” Souvanna said. “Less complicated food with good products.”
What more could avid eaters ever ask for?
Eating healthier comes with a slew of already daunting decisions, but don’t be remiss in considering the beverages you take in throughout the day.
Main Street's Smoked hosts a New Year's Eve celebration to ring in 2024 in Columbia on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. Photo by Perry McLeod/Special to the Post & Courier
Other local establishments have unrolled unique twists on the dining experience, to encourage everyone to stay focused on their health initiatives, even in unexpected places.
Smoked, a fine dining contemporary establishment on Main Street, just released a new Mocktail menu. Also boasting locally sourced ingredients, the mocktails are prepared fresh with juices, like The Green Machine, or coffee-infused options.
So when your deskmate pops his leftovers into the microwave and you hear the cracking pop of reheated vegetables, endeavor to be better and take your lunch break away from the grind. Check out some local lunch spots that are intricately dedicated to the quality of your eating experience.
Eating healthier certainly doesn’t mean eating less; it’s about making better decisions, and with this many local choices, we can eat easy — let them handle the rest.
