“Where can I eat that’s healthy?” This is the question I often get from my clients. To which I respond, “Your home.”

“That’s funny, but what about when I’m at work, there’s no time to go home,” is usually the standard type of rebuttal I get.

So I challenge back, “Pack it up before you leave for work.”

“No can do, I’m exhausted when I come home, I usually don’t have food to pack for lunch either,” they counter.

“Hmmm, so we have two problems here: one is the lack of time and the other is the lack of healthy, grab-food-on-the-go food choices, right?” I say playing to their sympathies.

“Yes! What do you have for me?”

Good question. I know this dilemma all too well. I’ve been lost many times wandering the streets of Manhattan or the Internet searching for food that is relatively inexpensive, somewhat fast, and minimally processed. I’m well aware that we’re too busy making a living, so food tends to end up as a mere after thought to our daily job tasks…a pathetic, last minute, desperate attempt to temporarily silence the pangs of hunger.
Unfortunately, the food choices made in these pressing times can be detrimental to our health. Micky D’s anyone?

But alas, there’s a jewel of hope found inside the pages of a little book titled “Clean Plates NYC”, which has very dutifully taken away the homework out of finding a healthy eatery in Manhattan so you can enjoy a nutritious meal asap.

So, this week I have the pleasure to introduce the Author and Holistic Nutritional Counselor himself – Jared Koch.

I met him at my first health fair last year and was instantly drawn to the book’s title and compactness – a simple, yet powerful guide you can drop into your purse (or murse) that quickly navigates your eyes to all of the nutritious local eateries.

Since then, Jared and I have been collaborating in different projects. His vast knowledge about nutrition combined with a passion for food has driven him to research over 300 restaurants in NYC. Along with co-author Alex Van Buren, a former staff writer and restaurant reviewer for Time Out New York, Clean Plates NYC is your answer to those nagging, everyday questions about where to grab food that is healthy, delicious, and just around the corner. Ah! and very important, you don’t have to be a vegetarian to eat healthy!

Clean Plates NYC offers TSH members free sign up a 20% discount ($11, regular price is $13.95) with special code + free shipping for the hard copy version.

– Ana Nieto, founder of Turtle Shell Health