Twenty-year-old Sophia Eckler, a dedicated swimmer and health policy major at Providence College, found herself in need of a quick, healthy meal after a hard day of classes. Overwhelmed by her studies, Eckler found she lacked the energy to prepare a healthful meal at home. Ordering a pizza or hitting a local pub were not tempting options for her.
Instead, Sophia turned to Cava, a nearby Mediterranean food joint in Smithfield. Cava has grown increasingly popular among the health-conscious and busy people who want to maintain a balance between health and food that is quick and tasty. This emporium of Mediterranean cuisine offers consumers the opportunity to eat on-the-go without sacrificing health, in the words of healthy food and supplement enthusiast Joseph DeFusco, a salesperson at Ocean State Nutrition.
Sophia found comfort in a cost-effective spread at Cava, paying just $12.75 for a mix that included rice, chicken, hummus, cucumber, tomato, olives, corn, and feta. Cava offered a refreshing break from the sometimes monotonous process of healthy home cooking.
DeFusco points out that alternatives like Cava and similar establishments such as Chipotle or East Side Pockets can also fit into a disciplined meal plan. These places offer healthy alternatives for individuals who may often be too swamped for extensive grocery shopping and cooking.
Establishments such as Ocean State Nutrition are part of a growing trend of brick and mortar stores offering prepared meals in bulk. One such meal, aka “Crack Chicken”, is a frozen meal from Clean Eatz, featuring chicken in a creamy, cheesy sauce with bacon over broccoli florets. This meal, consisting of 450 calories, is priced around $8 at Ocean State’s Smith Street store in North Providence.
These meals provide an excellent solution for people leading a busy lifestyle and wanting to maintain a balanced and healthy diet, as they eliminate the guessing, temptation, and lack of preparation, says CleanEatz. Their mission is to provide the tools needed to prepare meals with a proper balance of protein, carbs, and fats.
GoalFood, another such service, has been active for more than a decade. They offer a 440-calorie steak fajita bowl, which is packed with 41 grams of protein, 14 grams of fat, and 38 grams of carbs.
Also on offer are Hard Body Meals, frozen meals prepared in Massachusetts and available for purchase at Innovation Fitness. A favorite meal is their pesto 5-cheese tortellini with steak tips, which despite being a reheatable frozen dinner, is rated far tastier than traditional supermarket frozen meals. At 698 calories, this meal can be a fitting dinner at the end of a sub-2000 calorie day.
These meal options have various advantages. Foremost among these is the elimination of the need for shopping and detailed budgeting. With the availability of a microwave at home or work, a ready-to-eat meal is always less than five minutes away.
These meals are properly portioned and can be timed very precisely, allowing for a controlled diet regardless of how hectic life might be. Additionally, this can help with different dieting strategies while still leaving energy for whipping up feasts on special occasions.
In essence, fast meals like those offered by Cava, Clean Eatz, GoalFood, and others are revolutionizing how we balance our busy lives with maintaining a healthy diet, and it appears that the trend is only growing. This food revolution is helping people like Sophia maintain a healthy lifestyle without dedicating precious time and energy to home cooking, and is surely a trend to watch.
