The Foodie Focus: Spotlighting Michigan Restaurants Focused on Clean Eating
Jake Newby
| 3 min read
The term “foodie” gets tossed around like homemade pizza dough these days. If you love to eat all different types of foods and have an adventurous palette, you can probably lay claim to the term. Technically, it’s defined as “a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads.”
On A Healthier Michigan in 2024, we’d like to take that term and tweak its meaning just a smidge. This year, we’ll give a platform to Michigan restaurants that are mindful of the latest health food fads and clean eating in general.
“The Foodie Focus” on AHM will be a monthly interview series that gives members and readers an exclusive look at hard-working, health-food oriented businesses they may not know a lot about. We’ll spotlight restaurants that may be brand new, may be hidden gems, or may have overhauled their entire menu and identity. The common thread between each Foodie Focus edition is, from the ingredients sourced to the cooking methods used, each business has their guests’ health at the forefront of their minds.
The definition of “clean eating” is largely up to the interpreter, much like “foodie.” But the crux of clean eating involves eating more nutrient-rich foods that are whole and unprocessed. Artificial ingredients and any foods with food colorings, food dyes, added sweeteners and added sugars do not fall into that "clean" category. Many of us try to cook and eat cleanly at home, but who doesn’t love eating out? Finding that balance between eating mostly clean while still indulging at a restaurant once or twice a week can be hard. One of the goals of this series is to help you strike that balance without sacrificing flavor.
AHM’s 2022 “Vegan Series” had a similar mindset. Then in 2023, we launched the “Sober Curious Series.” The Foodie Focus will share a cadence and story style with those series’ but will focus more broadly on our local healthy food scene.
We might highlight a newly opened plant-based eatery one month then write about a farm-to-table restaurant the next. We may visit a restaurant focused on sustainability, then follow that up by covering a smoothie spot or raw juicer that sources fresh fruit and vegetables while sidestepping the added sugars and artificial ingredients.
Healthy eating is a lot less boring than it was a decade or two ago, and we’d like to introduce you to the entrepreneurs who are proving that here in our backyard. The Foodie Focus will align with AHM’s overarching goal, which is to produce fun, interesting and informative stories that help you achieve a healthier you. Get ready to dig in this spring!
More from AHM:
- Opening Day in Detroit: Saginaw Super Fan Sammie Telder Never Misses a Game
- Find Your Fit: What is Tabata?
- Michigan Spring Bucket List: Cherry Blossoms in Traverse City
Photo credit: Getty Images
