Healthy Howard, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing healthy choices and health care to county residents, started its Healthy Restaurants program in 2007 to help restaurateurs create wholesome menu items and educate residents about where to find them.
“We want to give consumers places they know and trust” for a healthy meal and a clean, safe environment, says Liz Clark, Healthy Howard’s director of health and community promotion.
The organization publishes a regularly updated list of restaurants that meet specific environmental and nutritional criteria, including excellent environmental health inspections, a trans fat-free menu and at least two “healthy menu items” offered throughout the day. Some restaurants, like Frank’s Diner in Jessup, mark those healthy items on their menus to help customers find them.
“They have a whole section with healthy menu items,” says Amy Adler, healthy restaurants coordinator at Healthy Howard. “My personal favorite is the pork chop meal, which is served with rice and steamed vegetables.”
The nonprofit now has a GPS-based mobile app in the works, due out this year, to help diners find the Healthy Restaurants in their area.
Healthy Howard’s “healthy menu item” criteria
- 750 calories or less
- No deep-fried items
- 1050 miligrams of sodium or less
- Includes lean protein
- Includes fruit or vegetable
- Less than 30 percent calories from fat
- Less than 10 percent calories from saturated fat