All About Food: Meals for a fast, healthy life
Eating healthfully has never been easier.
The team at Fit Foods 4 Life has taken all the work out of planning and preparing healthy meals, including a free consultation with their nutritionist to help you design a custom dining plan for weight loss or fitness.
They have a large selection of prepackaged prepared foods (always fresh, never frozen) for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Although each item is labeled with its calorie count, their interest is in healthy eating, not counting calories.
With two convenient locations in Newport Beach, it’s easy for busy people to stop in and pick up their meals. At lunchtime, you can have food delivered to your office within a 5-mile radius if you have an order for $100 or more.
Co-founder and Chief Executive Robert Conrad comes from a medical background and has spent his professional life developing new ways to help people lead a healthy, happy lifestyle. He found that lots of business traveling resulted in his gaining weight, which made him aware of a gap in the marketplace for quick, healthy food options that actually taste good.
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer John Allen started as a personal trainer but realized that his clients needed more than a workout plan to reach their goals. They needed access to healthy food that was easy to prepare and delicious to eat because otherwise they wouldn’t stick to the plan. He has a degree in exercise physiology and a master’s in business administration, which made him an ideal partner for Robert in Fit Foods 4 Life.
The next step was finding a corporate chef to design the menu. Nick Samons came on board with 17 years in the food industry and 15 years as an executive chef in Savannah, Ga. He knows just how to eliminate fat and calories to produce dishes that are still delicious. In fact, both he and his wife lost 30 to 40 pounds each, eating Fit Foods 4 Life.
Two nutritionists are also on the staff. April is a dietitian specializing in weight loss and disease prevention. Emily is a nutritionist who specifically works in the weight-loss field. Both provide free individual counseling sessions by appointment, and if you partake of this service you will get a 10% discount on your food purchases.
The Fit 4 Life concept is not just for weight loss or health. This is convenient fast food that you can trust, and what’s more, it tastes good.
So, what’s on the menu? At breakfast for example, you might want to try the Newport egg white scramble with turkey bacon and roasted new potatoes topped with green onions; or French toast made from cinnamon raisin sprouted whole wheat bread dipped in a cinnamon, vanilla, maple egg wash and baked until golden, served with turkey sausage and sugar-free maple syrup.
Most of their lunch and dinner offerings come in three portion-control sizes: three, five or seven ounces. Spicy Thai beef is garlic-jalapeno marinated beef tenderloin, sauteed with onion, bell pepper and basil, and topped with a cool green papaya slaw, served on a bed of brown rice. In fact all of their beef dishes are made from lean tenderloin.
Fish lovers might try the moist baked salmon glazed with citrus and Dijon mustard then encrusted with a savory blend of herbs on a bed of whole wheat couscous and vegetables.
Their signature turkey chili is spiked with chipotle peppers and smoked paprika for a kick of smoky flavor, and rounded out with smooth, sweet potato puree, and a trio of beans.
Wraps might make a nice lunch. How about the grilled chicken with brown rice, black beans and roasted veggies all rolled up in a honey whole wheat tortilla with a touch of real cheese?
Everything that Chef Nick makes is labeled GF (gluten free) or LC (low carb) when appropriate.
They even have desserts including: bread pudding, chocolate mousse and yogurt with berries.
ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ were in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. They can be reached for comments or questions at m_markowitz@cox.net.
If You Go
What: Fit Foods 4 Life
Information: FitFoods4life.com
Where: 1000 North Bristol, suite 12, (949) 955-3663
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: 2043 Westcliff Drive, suite 102, (949) 722-3663
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Prices: $4.50 to $9