The failure of America’s typical diet has been making headlines for years, and parents like you are striving to make healthy choices at every meal. Wholesome foods nourish your children’s growing bodies and help fuel parents as you conquer your daily to-do list. Let us help you stick to your wellness goals when your family is out and about. Here are five eateries around Westmont where you can feel good about filling up.

Priyas Kitchen

Image via Flickr by jasonlam Licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

If your family is adding more options to your healthy meal plan, consider dining out at Priyas Kitchen. This unassuming, family-owned restaurant on South Cass Avenue serves delicious Indian cuisine. According to experts, traditional foods from this area of the world pack in the nutrients. An assortment of regional ingredients and spices gives each option its distinctive flavor profile that tantalizes your palate.

The attentive owners at Priyas Kitchen provide more than merely healthy food. Its team delivers exceptional customer service, and you can tell by the quality that they genuinely care about you and your experience. These authentic dishes offer a diverse range of spice levels, and their cooks follow special instructions to the letter, so you know the food on your plate is exactly the way you like it.

Its menu includes vegan appetizers and egg, chicken, and seafood entrees. Browse its lamb plates or head right to the Chatpata Chaat section, or try one of the North Indian Tandoor Specialties like the Seekh Kabab Lamb. Priyas also has an entire South Indian menu with extensive options like Mysore Masala dosa, vegetable vuttaappam, and Sambar idli.

Johnny’s Blitz Bar and Grill

If you love that neighborhood sports bar vibe but not its classic menu, you’re in luck. Head to Johnny’s Blitz on North Cass Avenue. You’ll love this downtown gathering spot’s relaxed atmosphere and surprisingly healthy menu options. The staff sources responsible and locally grown ingredients and prepares the food in-house, fresh every morning.

Ditch the greasy meat patty and order a housemade black bean burger on a brioche bun. It comes dressed the way you like it with a scrumptious pile of crispy fries. Johnny’s cooks are also grilling up Impossible burgers. This popular plant-based choice has taken the foodie world by storm. The award-winning menu also includes a long list of Kosher burgers, a quinoa salad, and a grilled chicken sandwich.

If you’re looking to indulge just a little, Johnny’s selection of carefully curated craft beer and whiskey offers a little something for everyone. You can also catch some of the best live blues in the suburbs on weekends or come in on Mondays for open mic night.

The Sweet and Savory Spot

Make the Sweet and Savory Spot your family’s new favorite healthy restaurant. Located on South Cass Avenue, this pick offers something for hungry guests any time of day. Co-owners Danielle and Dan joined forces and years of professional culinary expertise to bring you this charming traditional bakery and scratch kitchen. Save yourself a trip into the city and get your healthy meals from this cozy bistro. Its fare is so good, you’ll forget it’s good for you.

Stop by before school or work and grab a breakfast sandwich to go. The omega-3s in the salmon option may reduce your risk of heart disease, or keep it plant-based and get the house veggie patty with guacamole and Pico de Gallo. The kids will gobble up the three-cheese macaroni and the Sloppy John with lentils on a potato bun. Also, try the vegan braised jackfruit sandwich. Cooks topped it with onions, pineapple, and a signature barbecue slaw. If you like a wedge salad, the one here is huge.

Standard Market

Our next suggestion for healthy eateries near home is Standard Market. You’ll find it on East Ogden Avenue. While it’s true you can shop for various health products at this grocer, it also has a neat little grill in the back. This upscale retailer offers a chef-driven selection of thoughtfully curated food and wine in a sophisticated yet casual environment or outdoors on the spacious patio.

Choose from made-to-order dishes like seven different entree-style salads, four freshly ground burgers, and six hearth-fired artisan pizzas. Order a sandwich made with scratch-baked bread or try one of the weekly lunch and dinner specials. Wash it down with a glass of fresh-squeezed juice, like orange juice or lemonade. After your meal, remember to stock up on hard-to-find fresh and prepared vegan products at Standard Market.

The Brookfield Zoo

Yes, you can find healthy food at the Brookfield Zoo. In 2016, The Chicago Zoological Society, which manages this awesome local facility, decided to add a few wholesome dishes to the park’s list of available options. Public relations representative Sondra Katzen announced that you can find the five Healthy Fare for Kids menu items at the zoo’s various eateries and snack shacks, including Castaway Grill, Oaks Cafe, Bison Prairie Grill, Cafe del Sol, and BZ Red Hots. These options uphold the organization’s high nutritional standards.

The program aims to fight childhood obesity by ensuring kids — and their parents — have access to healthy food choices at the zoo. So, next time you’re visiting the animals, look for the Healthy Fare for Kids logo next to certified dishes like half a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread, jicama apple salad, and cucumbers and carrots with hummus dip.

The Brookfield Zoo sits on 216 acres off West 31st Street. The park is home to 450 species of animals, including Cookie, the facility’s famous Major Mitchell cockatoo. Make sure to check out all the wild attractions, like the dolphin show, the hand-carved wooden carousel, and unforgettable wildlife encounters.

Well, there you go! Crème de la Crème of Westmont put together this guide to the city’s top five health eateries. Did you like the restaurants we picked? Let us know if we forgot your family’s favorite place to order wholesome eats. We want to share your recommendations with other Illinois parents. Drop us a line today!