More and more families strive to add healthy meals to their diets. Eating plant-based meals or dishes with lean protein and lots of vegetables may help prevent childhood and adult diseases. While you can cook healthy meals at home, you can also get great meals at these top five healthy eateries in Glenview, Illinois.

501 Local

Healthy greens from a Glenview, IL restaurant.
Salad by Jeremy Keith is licensed with CC BY 2.0

Whether you sit inside on a cold evening or on the patio on a warm, sunny day, you’ll enjoy dining at 501 Local, which features an American menu with a twist. Once the family is seated, start your meal with shared appetizers such as veggie spring rolls served with a sweet chili sauce, bruschetta topped with a balsamic glaze, or crispy shrimp wrapped in phyllo dough with pomegranate seed, walnuts, parsley, and roasted red pepper sauce.

You’ll find a variety of healthy salads like roasted beet with poached pear and arugula or the Caesar with radicchio. Everyone in the family will find something to order for an entrée with offerings like roasted spaghetti squash pie served with a spicy arrabbiata sauce or seared tuna with loads of savory vegetables. If you have room for dessert, order the rhubarb cobbler or refreshing fruit gelato. Kids have their menu with offerings like mac ‘n cheese, chicken tenders, or mini cheeseburgers. The kids can have french fries or fresh fruit with their meals.

Location: 501 Chestnut St. in Winnetka

Contact: 224-255-6480

Spirit Elephant

When looking for upscale plant-based food, make a reservation at Spirit Elephant. The chefs at Spirit Elephant make creative and healthy food that’s anything but boring and is sure to please any palate. Start your meal with sharable appetizers like the cauliflower wings served with a variety of dipping sauces or hand-cut french fries the kids are sure to love. On a cold day, warm up with a bowl of vegetarian chili, and you can’t beat having a crisp salad, like the Thai cucumber salad with a zesty ginger vinaigrette, any time of the year.

Sandwich enthusiasts will appreciate the barbecue pulled-mushroom sandwich served on a brioche bun or the tofu banh mi sandwich filled with pickled vegetables and Sriracha aioli. For your entrée, order the portobello piccata with creamy mashed potatoes, eggplant lasagna, or the green curry bowl with blackened tofu and vegetables. Your family will enjoy having a meal at Spirit Elephant after a busy day fishing, swimming, or kayaking at one of these waterways near Glenview

Location: 924 Green Bay Road in Winnetka

Contact: 847-348-9000

Blended Health & Smoothie Bar

If you want a quick, healthy meal or snack, visit Blended Health & Smoothie Bar in Glenview or Evanston. For breakfast, choose a smoothie or blended drink like the popular blended banana brew, freshly squeezed juice, or wellness shots with ginger, fruit, and cayenne or spirulina. When you want something a bit heartier, choose an oatmeal bowl, acai bowl, or the grilled cheese waffle with hot tomato soup. The staff at Blended Health & Smoothie Bar can also customize your order or even create something new to please your taste buds.

Location: 950 Harlem Ave. in Glenview

Contact: 847-834-0266

Grateful Bites Pizza Shoppe

Who says pizza can’t be healthy? When you dine at Grateful Bites Pizza Shoppe, you can get tasty and healthy pizzas, appetizers, and salads that everyone in the family will enjoy eating. While waiting for your pizza to bake, share an appetizer like the white bean hummus served with flatbread or the burrata with mozzarella cheese and balsamic reduction glaze on flatbread. Salads include a classic Caesar with shaved parmesan cheese, one with arugula and pumpkin seeds, or the market salad with goat cheese and mixed greens.

When you order your pizza, choose from a red sauce or white sauce. Under the red sauce menu, you can get the Margherita with fresh mozzarella cheese, the marinara with no cheese and shaved garlic, or the roasted veggie pizza with parmesan and shredded mozzarella cheese. The white sauce menu has a pizza with roasted corn, cilantro, chili powder, and freshly squeezed lime juice or one with arugula, cheese, and a citrus vinaigrette. You’ll enjoy refueling your body at Grateful Bites Pizza Shoppe after having these nature-filled experiences near Glenview.

Location: 899 Green Bay Road in Winnetka

Contact: 847-386-9141

Pita Inn

Incorporating Mediterranean cuisine into your diet is an easy way to get healthy vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds, and legumes into all your meals. You’ll find Mediterranean-style food when you dine at the Pita Inn, where you can eat inside in the spacious dining room or on the outside patio when the weather allows. The chefs offer a wide variety of dishes, including appetizers like spicy hummus, grape leaves stuffed with rice and spices, or warming vegetable lentil soup. You can’t go wrong with a sandwich made with pita bread filled with your favorite items such as falafels, grilled beef, lamb, or chicken, or go completely plant-based with a pita chock full of vegetables and Impossible meat alternative. There are many entrees, including the vegetarian combination plate, spicy chicken shawarma dish, or the gourmet falafel salad.

Save room for dessert with delicate baklava with honey and pistachio nuts or kinafa made with phyllo dough, melted cheese, pistachios, and simple syrup. Each menu item states whether the dish has nuts, gluten, dairy, or sesame seeds, and if the dish is vegan or vegetarian. You can also find the Pita Inn nearby, including Skokie, Wheeling, Mundelein, and Naperville.

Location: 9854 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Glenview

Contact: 847-759-9990

Are you hungry after reading about these healthy eateries in the Glenview, Illinois, area? Which restaurant is your favorite, and why? What dishes does your family like to order repeatedly? Is there a restaurant that serves healthy food in the Glenview area that we missed here? Let our team at Crème de la Crème of Glenview know, as we like to learn about other healthy eateries in our beautiful area.