Busy schedules mean that there isn’t always time to pack a lunch and dinner is often an opportunity to meet with clients or catch up with friends. However, healthy eating is crucial for meeting and achieving your fitness goals; the food and drink you consume literally fuels your activities throughout the day. Whether you tend to eat too much or too little, both will have detrimental impacts on your ability to stay active and reach your fitness goals. Striving to include lean protein, tons of vegetables, and whole grains at all your meals will help keep you feeling satisfied and energized.
Here are some places in and around downtown Calgary where young professionals can make healthier choices that will support them as they pursue their active living goals:
Vue Cafe Vue Cafe is an incredible lunch restaurant that is located inside the Virginia Christopher Fine Art Gallery. There are a few tables but most of the seating is at a bar that surrounds the kitchen. Far from being intrusive, this setup creates an engaging atmosphere where you will feel comfortable eating solo or with a friend or colleague. The menu is updated regularly and daily specials will keep you coming back. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 4pm. 816-11 Avenue SW.
deVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries Their name is deceiving because they serve more than just coffee and pastries. Stop by deVille for lunch and enjoy a generously-sized field green or spinach salad that is loaded with healthy protein like walnuts, almonds, feta, and goat cheese. If you go with a friend, split a sandwich (they’re pretty large for one person) and get the half order of salad. deVille is located inside Art Central (100-7 Avenue SW) and Fashion Central (807-1 Street SW). Bonus: they are take-out friendly.
UBU Theatre Lounge Tucked away inside Theatre Junction Grand on 1st Street SW is UBU Theatre Lounge, a slightly un-traditional Japanese restaurant where the focus is on fresh and lean seafood and incredible flavour (just try to avoid using too much soy sauce). Among some of our faves are Edamame, Seven Spice Scallop Skewer, Tuna Tataki, and the UBU Miso Soup. UBU Theatre Lounge is open for lunch and dinner and is located at 608-1 Street SW.
Cafe Koi Head south and check out Cafe Koi, a vibrant restaurant that offers an incredible selection of vegetable-laden dishes. While there are some meat dishes on the menu, it’s obvious that Cafe Koi has a special love for vegetarian and vegan creations (with a few gluten-free options thrown in for good measure). Cafe Koi is open for lunch at Monday through Friday, and dinner is available Monday through Saturday. Suite 100, 1011-1 Street SW.
Photo courtesy deVille Luxury Coffee & Pastries.