The Messenger's monthly digest

Caleb Smith, Staff Writer

In America, the average restaurant chains lean more towards fried and fattening foods that are processed and full of calories that will make you fall into a food coma. They leave you comfortable for a short while, but end up hitting either a guilty spot or an upset stomach. Now, whenever people think of restaurants, there are not many “healthy” places to choose from. Recently, a restaurant by the name of True Food Kitchen has been gaining traction with its healthy yet delicious options. With 32 up and running locations, they have become one of America’s top healthy food chains and show no signs of stopping. 

Founder and partner of True Food Kitchen, Dr. Andrew Weil is a celebrity doctor and advocate for alternative medicine. Weil came up with the idea of creating a restaurant where healthy food could be just as good as the average American restaurant, and soon met Phoenix restaurateur Sam Fox in the 1990s. After talking for a while, Weil had shown Fox that healthy food can be both good for your body and good to eat. On Oct. 27, 2008, the first True Food opened in Phoenix, Arizona. It was immediately a hit, and its success encouraged Weil and Fox to open more restaurants all across the states. 

The True Food Kitchen dishes are made to follow the principles of Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet, allowing them to be a different kind of restaurant with impeccable flavor, healthy benefits, and an overall amazing dining experience. These dishes are influenced by Asian, Mediterranean, and Californian cuisine. Options include appetizers, burgers, brick oven pizzas, soups, pasta, rice and noodle dishes, and desserts. While this wild array of food options can be considered unhealthy, they use natural ingredients to make their dishes in the healthiest form. 

I first tried True Food Kitchen based on its notion of being made with fully health-beneficial foods. I did not believe that the foods they were offering could somehow be made healthy. I was used to burgers and pizzas being hundreds, if not thousands, of calories. After eating this food, I was completely proved wrong. Taking the first bite of the Turkey Burger—a turkey patty topped with smashed avocado, organic tomato, butter lettuce, smoked gouda, jalapeño remoulade, and a flax seed bun— seemed to overtake my tastebuds with a flavor I have never experienced before. The burgers can come with various sides from side salads to pita bread, but my personal favorite is the sweet potato hash. Chopped sweet potatoes cooked with onions and spices replace the oily fries you may get at another restaurant. I also got the Terriyaki Quinoa Bowl with chicken, broccoli, rainbow carrot, bok choy, green bean, snap pea, mushroom, brown rice, avocado, and toasted sesame. Usually eating all of these veggies would not be very appetizing to me, but I was shocked to find myself eating this plate until the last grain of rice. As if the food could not get any better, I decided to try out dessert and this might have been the best part yet. I bought the squash pie, hearing great things from the waiter, and he was absolutely right; I don’t know how they turned a vegetable into a sweet, smooth, and delicious pie. Looking at the pricing may have not been the highlight of my visit, but it was worth every penny. I could not have been more satisfied with my experience. 

 True Food Kitchen is definitely going to be hard to beat in the near future of new healthy food restaurants. While the food is very good, I am even more glad that I can simultaneously remain health-conscious as well. Getting over the high pricing, the impeccable taste was worth it all. True Food Kitchen is the best way to go to experience great food, great service, and great benefits all at the same time.