Healthy Glow: Organic and Vegetarian Dining - The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel


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Healthy Glow: Organic and Vegetarian Dining
Whether you’re a die-hard vegan, a vegetarian or you just love a great smoothie and veggie wrap, there are a select few places on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel where you can sate your appetite for healthy fare.

Ada's

Often referred to as the Garden Spot of the U.S., The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel has two growing seasons, which means lots of fresh, sun-ripened vegetables, fruits, herbs and even edible flowers. Which in turn means vegans, vegetarians and your garden-variety vegetable lovers are in luck year ’round.

The queen of healthy, organic food hereabouts is named Ada’s. Its expansive Fort Myers store (another is expected to open with a fitness center in Cape Coral by summer 2007) combines the variety of a supermarket with the convenience of a deli and juice bar. So if you’re cooking at your rental condo, here’s where to stock up on organic produce, frozen and canned foods, beer, wine and an amazing array of bulk grains, beans and other items. But if you’re looking for a quick, healthy lunch, choose from a menu of organic coffees, smoothies and sandwiches – or the hot food buffet. Then grab a table in the rain forest-setting tiki bar.

For Goodness Sake in Bonita Springs serves a menu of salads, sandwiches and fruit or protein smoothies in addition to selling local honey and a wide variety of fresh, frozen, and canned organic products.

Other restaurants in the area, particularly ethnic ones, devote a section of their menu to vegetarian appetites. At Siam Hut in Cape Coral, for instance, all of its Thai noodle, curry and stir-fried dishes are available meat-free or with tofu. In Fort Myers, India Palace’s menu lists more than a dozen vegetable dishes, with or without cheese, such as alu chole (curried potatoes and chick peas) and panirmasala (cubes of homemade cheese in fresh tomato sauce and Indian spices).

For vegetarian take-out and products, check out the Sandy Butler on Fort Myers Beach. This inviting market, shiny as a new penny, touts itself as gourmet and downplays its organic products but does sell a good selection of produce and meat free of pesticides and hormones. The owners grow their own citrus in a pesticide-free grove in Alva. At the deli, ready-made dishes include an assortment of veggie temptations, such as arugula and mushroom-stuffed portobello, wild rice salad, eggplant rollatini, vegetable pasta salads and broccoli rabe with whole cloves of garlic. Cheese connoisseurs will be enthralled by the store’s selection, which comes from every corner of the world. The range of gourmet products also blows the mind (not to mention the diet).

Another good source for organic produce and products is Fresh Market in Fort Myers, but like Sandy Butler, it does not sequester organic in a special section. You have to sift through the shelves to find what you’re looking for. Sweetbay stores throughout the area do keep organic products separate. Three other good sources for good-for-you groceries is Healthy Habits in Fort Myers, Healthy Gourmet in Lehigh Acres and Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel Island.

So rest assured, when you visit The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, you can return home with a healthy glow – outside and in.

If You Go…

Ada’s, 239-939-9600, www.adasnatural.com
For Goodness Sake, 239-992-5838, www.forgoodnesssake123.com
Healthy Gourmet, 239-369-0990
Healthy Habits, 239-278-4442
India Palace, 239-939-2323, www.indiapalacefortmyers.com
Island Nutrition Center, 239-472-4499, www.islandnutritioncenter.com
Sandy Butler Gourmet Market, 239-482-6765, www.sandybutler.com
Siam Hut, 239-945-4247

Last modified on May 13, 2008