Eating healthy at Fresh Healthy Cafe

On Thursday, Feb. 22, I began a spiritual journey. I'll spare you the boring details. Well, I'll spare you some of the boring details. One element of my plan involved a commitment to fasting for a period of time. Writing a food column while fasting seemed like quite the endeavor, but I reminded myself I've overcome worse. I mean, I "ran" a marathon, 26.2 miles in a row. I raised humans. I've been face to face with violent criminals who had nothing to lose, and I didn't back down or even flinch. Did I mention I ran a marathon? Faith and discipline got me this far, and I was confident they would see me through once again.

I started strong (don't we all?). I expected to feel lethargic as I suffered through the days marked in pink highlighter on my calendar. Instead, I felt amazing. I had plenty of energy and more enthusiasm in a day than any person should be allowed. My productivity soared. Usually a regular visitor to the office candy bowl, not even a mini — PayDay candy bar (a favorite) could tempt me from my mission.

Then, a mere 13 days later, it happened. I walked into a work meeting, and someone slid a box full of doughnuts in front of me. As I listened to the speaker, my eyes wandered to the box. It couldn't hurt to look, right? Wrong. I opened the box and saw the most perfect donut in all of the land. A square, toasted coconut-covered, cream filled doughnut. Plenty of doughnuts have coconut, but rarely do I come across one with toasted coconut. I could hear the angel and devil arguing in my ears as they duked it out. Sadly, temptation won and down the doughnut went. Endorphins flooded my body with each bite of carb-loaded empty calories. The doughnut itself wasn't a horrible choice, but my resolve took a downhill dive from there. Three doughnuts. Several candy dish visits. Ice cold Coca-Cola. Fast food on the way home. Fast food on the way to work. All the sugar laden, creatively named frappa-whatta-ccino coffee drinks I could get my hands on were consumed. I was out of control and on a full-out binge. I immediately felt exhausted and sluggish. My motivation waned. My gym membership card dangled unused at the end of my key chain as I asked myself, "How did I get here?"

The Tex bowl was fresh, tasty, and a great healthier on the go option.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

The Tex bowl was fresh, tasty, and a great healthier on the go option.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

One day, as I turned onto the street between McDonald's and Scooter's Coffee on the corner of Kingshighway and Mount Auburn Road, I spotted the newest Fresh Healthy Cafe location. I considered my options. I could go to McDonald's or ... I could just start over. I could make "the next right choice." Hadn't I preached that to clients plenty of times over the years? We all have our weaknesses and addictions. Why not just jump right back on the wagon? That is exactly what I did.

Fresh Healthy Cafe had a range of options and price points along with a convenient drive-thru window. I was already shelling out cash for junk instead of eating at home. I had no excuses.

On my first trip, I traded in my latte for the "Green Machine" super smoothie. It was delicious and packed full of nutrients. It was also physically and mentally a step in the right direction.

The Green Machine smoothie was bright, delicious, and packed full of nutrients.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

The Green Machine smoothie was bright, delicious, and packed full of nutrients.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

On another day, I found my stomach grumbling while on the go. Instead of indulging in a cheeseburger fries and soft drink, I opted for the Tex bowl and a mint iced tea. I enjoyed the light fresh flavors while the mixture of protein and greens satiated my hunger.

Next up was a post workout treat — potato soup, toast and a wheatgrass shot. While I understand protein is the most popular post workout choice, I felt good knowing I was replenishing my body with nutrients for fuel rather than empty calories. The combination of hearty crusty toast with rich creamy soup hit the spot.

In addition to serving breakfast all day, Fresh Healthy Cafe offers paninis, wraps, protein bowls, catering and even a juicing program called "reFResh" for those wanting to reset with a detox drink.

Faith, discipline and a few visits to Fresh Healthy Cafe helped me reign in my cravings, refocus and get back on track.

If you are looking for fast, convenient, fresh, high-quality food made from ingredients you can feel good about, I think you'll find what you are looking for at Fresh Healthy Cafe.