Jamba Juice is easily the most recognizable smoothie name in California, with over 70 locations in the Bay Area alone. Each smoothie/juice drink supplies 3-6 servings of fruit, and the new All Fruit Smoothies fully meet the recommended intake of 5 servings of fruit a day. Another plus is that the nutrition information for all of their menu items is voluntarily displayed in a binder at each store, available for customers to flip through as they’re waiting for their drinks.

While most of us probably have our Jamba Juice favorites (I can never resist a Caribbean Passion smoothie), it’s important to note that a single smoothie runs anywhere from 400 to 650 calories. This is decently high for an afternoon snack, which should usually be closer to 250 calories. Some solutions: choose an Enlightened Smoothie (all of which fall under 300 calories), an All Fruit Smoothie, or downsize to the 16oz smoothie. With these options, Jamba Juice seems like a healthier alternative to some of our traditional choices for an afternoon feast.

Second in a series. See my first posting here.

Eat Right

Eat Right (a “wellness cafe”) is a small trendy restaurant located right off of the Mid-level escalators in Hong Kong. I was walking around one Friday night after work, trying to figure out which one of the hundreds of restaurants I should choose from. Eat Right had just opened two weeks ago, and I had noticed their bold, simple design from my spot on the escalators. Immediately, the name caught my attention — perhaps this place would offer an alternative to my normal diet.

I told myself that I’d try it out, and last Friday presented me with a prime opportunity to do so. I got to the restaurant by getting off the escalator and walking down a few steps (I’ll update when I get the exact address). At 6:30 pm on a Friday, the restaurant had just a few people sitting inside. I later noticed that the people sitting at one of the tables was the chef and owner, discussing a new dessert menu item (it looked pretty tasty).

Read on for my full review…

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Fast Good is a restaurant chain in Spain that has taken a different spin off the healthy fast food concept. While the menu at Fast Good still has healthy undertones, the restaurant seems to have focused more on its gourmet-style meals and quality ingredients – targeted at customers who want a quick but great tasting meal.

One of Fast Good’s draws is its owner and menu designer Ferrán Adriá. As the head chef of El Bulli Restaurant in Spain (#1 restaurant in the world according to the 2006 Restaurant Top 50), he holds the number 2 spot in the European Restaurant Ranking of chefs.

The quality comes at a price: you can expect to pay nearly $10 for a burger made from hormone-free veal and hand-cut fries cooked in olive oil. Beverages offered include beer and fruit juice mixes, such as peach and banana.

Read more about Ferrán Adriá and Fast Good (in Spanish): Time Magazine

KnowFat! is another healthy fast food chain that is trying to address our nation’s obesity problem. While their 6 current locations serve only the Boston metropolitan area, they do have plans to open 8 more, including a location each in San Jose and San Francisco.

KnowFat! calls itself a “pure-play healthy” quick-serve restaurant – meaning that their restaurants have great-tasting but healthy menu items, readily-available nutritional information, an extensive menu that addresses different health needs, and “cutting edge nutritional products that demonstrate a commitment to knowledge and science.”

The element that differentiates KnowFat! from other fast food restaurants is their in-house retail store. Their shelves hold the best healthy grab-and-go products in the market: healthy snacks and drinks, protein powder, and vitamins.

For more reviews: Citysearch

Hong Kong — well known for its abundance of cheap, edible, foreigner-friendly Chinese food.

Unfortunately, said “Chinese food” usually consists of rice plates of Cha Siu (literally, “stick roasted spiced pork”) and Roast Duck with the occasional Roasted Salted Pig thrown in. On average, I spend about $3-4 USD on these meals, and while they’re filling and usually relatively satisfying, they rarely come with more than a few sprigs of boiled or sauteed greens.

Living in Northern California, I found it hard to drive around and not see some sort of healthy or salad-oriented restaurant. Here in Hong Kong, it’s the exact opposite: people here simply don’t eat vegetables! In my search for food, I’ve wandered into a few spots that have some healthier offerings.

Read on for my first post on the “healthier” restaurants in Hong Kong

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A recent CNN.com article talks about the usefulness (or lack thereof) of nutritional labeling based on a recent poll by AP-Ipsos.

Apparently a large number of Americans read nutritional labels: “nearly 80 percent of Americans insist they check the labels on food at the grocery store.” But the interesting thing is this: after reading the labels, 44% of the people surveyed will still buy something that’s bad for them.

CNN’s article also highlights the lack of clear nutritional labeling at restaurants, where more and more people are finding their meals.

But does it really matter? It seems that the bottom line for most people is whether it tastes good or not.

• CNN.com: Americans read food labels, then eat what they want
• AP-Ipsos Poll Results(PDF)

Blendz is a smoothie chain that currently has 5 locations in the Bay Area.  Creators Matt and Denise Phipps wanted to provide a “neighborhood eatery that served nutritious and delicious food fast.”  While the smoothie/juice menu is very reminiscent of Jamba Juice, Blendz also serves tossed-to-order salads, grilled paninis, and soups, and has a grab-and-go selection of energy bars and drinks.  They offer catering services as well as fundraising events for local organizations.

At the Los Gatos Blendz, I learned that both the drinks and paninis are available in half sizes.  I personally didn’t think the 12oz smoothie was worth the $2.95 price tag because it was smaller than the equivalent at Jamba Juice, but the two Yelp reviewers didn’t seem to have a problem with that.  I didn’t find the half panini menu item until after I had ordered (look for it on a small flyer on the opposite wall).  I was a bit frustrated to note that their nutrition information couldn’t be found in the store or on their website.  Smoothie-wise, I probably still prefer Jamba Juice, but it’s nice to know that there is an alternative if I ever feel like a snack with my afternoon smoothie.