How a Nutrionist Eats at… Yorganic

February 18, 2011 Fitness / Spas / Salons, Restaurant/Bar News

About the author: Amy Shapiro MS, RD, CDN, is the owner of Real Nutrition NYC, which is based in Chelsea. She lives in Tribeca, however, and she’s the dietitian at Real Pilates, where she provides nutritional consultations and monthly lectures.

I did a cartwheel on the sidewalk when I saw that Yorganic opened in Tribeca. A healthy eatery that provides local (higher nutrients) and organic (no pesticides or hormones) fruits and veggies, lean protein, frozen yogurt, and smoothies all under the same roof? Was I dreaming? But just because it says organic and looks healthy doesn’t mean it’s good for your waistline. So I thought I’d share my best and worst picks for my fellow Yorganic diners.

Breakfast: All the choices are great; the problem comes in when you add the toppings (this goes for the frozen yogurt, too).  Toss nuts and one fresh fruit on your yogurt or oatmeal (above) and you’re good to go. Skip the granola, as 1/4 cup (that’s four tablespoons) can pack over 200 calories on its own.

Soups: They’re a lunchtime fave, especially during winter months and an easy way to sneak in a serving or two of fiber rich veggies and nutrients. The dairy-free soups are always lowest in calories and fat.

Sandwiches: WARNING! Just because sandwiches are meat-free doesn’t mean they’re good for you. Many of them are loaded with cheese (100 calories and 8 grams of fat per slice) and mayo (5 grams of fat per tablespoon); that’s a lot of excess calories. Your best bets include the hummus sandwich or the bulgogi wrap (only eat half the actual wrap—although flat, they’re higher in calories that bread).

Bliss Bowls: I can’t really find a negative in these veggie-filled bowls, but since I’m being nitpicky, opt for brown rice instead of white rice or rice noodles—you’ll up your fiber and prevent blood sugar spikes. Also, use only two tablespoons of sauce—just enough to add flavor without excess cals.

Smoothies and juices: I’d rather you eat your fruits and veggies than drink them, but if you’re going to have a smoothie, skip those with juice, frozen yogurt (unless it’s their nine-calorie options, naturally sweetened with a zero-calorie sweetener), or peanut butter, and go for the ones that are just plain old fruit and fat-free milk. As for juices, unless you’re getting one of the green or low-sugar juices (an easy way to sneak in your veggie servings), I say skip them altogether. The juicer strips away all the fiber of the fruit, leaving you with the sugary juice that promises a sugar spike followed shortly after by a wicked crash.

Now go ahead, dig in and leave the guilt (and the weight) behind!

Amy Shapiro’s advice for eating at…
• Walker’s
• Pepolino

 
Tags: , , ,

7 Comments

  1. lisa
    February 18, 2011 • 12:56 pm

    Thanks for this great post! I live around the corner from the FiDi location and I’ll definitely remember these tips next time I’m there!

  2. Bo Kim
    February 18, 2011 • 2:23 pm

    Yorganic has an array of fresh squeezed juices that have no or very low sugar. Squeezing and extracting fresh vegetables are extremely vital to your health if you are not receiving the right nutrients from a supplement or daily diet.
    Green Juices are 1 of the many options here at Yorganic. We also use Zsweet as our sugar free substitute which is organic and not harmful or nothing comparable to splenda, sweet and low or aspartame types of sugars. Please come speak to myself or any of knowledge staff about healthy alternatives.
    Juicing is vital to a healthy diet…I for one drink juices twice daily!
    Bo Kim, Registered Pharmacist & Co-founder of Yorganic

  3. bob
    February 18, 2011 • 3:43 pm

    i would not recommend ordering from them.

    when I ordered from Yorganic via SeamlessWeb, they took 47 minutes and sent me cold food.

  4. Shawn
    February 18, 2011 • 5:52 pm

    Dear Bob,
    Apologies for the delivery time. Please do stop by the store and we would love to comp you for another healthy meal. We have been really overwhelmed with the amount of orders we are receiving from the community. Furthermore, our food offerings here are partially hot. Our concept is never to cook our food to the point where you lose the nutrition. We say our food is “room temperature” food. Raw foods is gaining momentum and though we do serve those types of customers, we are continually striving to make the food both nutritious and tasty.
    Look forward to serving you in the future!
    Shawn Reilly, Chef and Co-founder of Yorganic

  5. Amy
    February 19, 2011 • 2:34 pm

    Bo,
    I just wanted to let you know that i have made amendments to my article and recommended your 9 calorie yogurt as well as green juices if individuals opt for your smoothies or juice bar options. I am a very big fan of yorganic and many, if not most of the foods you provide. I however, prefer individuals to eat their veggies/fruits and not drink them. I can see your point though, I would rather they get the nutrients however they can and juicing can come in handy in certain situations.
    See you soon for some soup and veggies!

    Amy, Dietitian, Real Nutrition NYC

  6. Alycea Ungaro P.T., Owner, Real Pilates
    February 21, 2011 • 8:28 am

    Thanks Amy for your recommendations and thanks Yorganic for parking in the neighborhood. When Eric interviewed me for this column and asked what we needed in the neighborhood I responded without delay – a “frozen yogurt place”. I didn’t imagine I’d get soups, lunch items and more all in one pace.
    The staff at Real Pilates loves you and we have been sending folks over daily!

    xoxo
    ~Alycea