7th ave 23rd - 28th streets - WEST

Alright Hungry Lunchers,

Sorry for the wait!


Let's visit the west side of 7th Avenue 25 - 28 Streets

First I encountered a typical NYC hot dog stand.Need I type this?
Nutrition Info Posted:NO
Nutrition Info Printed:NO
Nutrition Info Available Online:NO

I moved along southward and encountered Cavallo's Pizzeria
Nutrition Info Posted:NO
Nutrition Info Printed:NO
Nutrition Info Available Online:"probably online" according to the cashier --NO

Well you can check the website, as I did:Cavallo's Pizza Menu Online
Not a stitch of nutritional info there.
If I had to pick, I would go with the spinach & fontina salad, but again, without nutrition info posted, no tell what you are getting here. Sounds good though  - grilled zucchini, roasted peppers, pine nuts ( healthy fats), artichoke hearts, and fontina.

If you opt for a slice, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE blot the top oil and save yourself 100 calories.

Just a few feet downtown...

Mustang Sally's
Nutrition Info Posted:NO
Nutrition Info Printed:NO
Nutrition Info Available Online:NO

This is a sit-down bar/ restaurant with American food. It all looks a bit heavy to me.

The Greek Corner
Nutrition Info Posted:NO
Nutrition Info Printed:NO
Nutrition Info Available Online:NO

This place serves your typical NYC diner options with Greek specialties such a such souvlaki platters, falafel pitas, etc. 

In this situation, an egg white omelette with your favorites would be optimal or cottage cheese and melon if you want a light lunch. Or you could go for a burger sans the bun, on lettuce. 





Here's a little info on falafel sandwiches if you were wondering:
Falafel Info 


They can be around 350 - 550 calories depending on toppings, and don't forget they are fried. 


Remember, when I said I think the best lunch is one prepared at home, well here is a falafel recipe courtesy of sparkpeople that you can place over lettuce or in a high fiber pita for a healthier alternative.
Sparkpeople falafel recipe

Now, on to one of my favorite places
WHOLE FOODS!!!!!!!!!!

Sadly,

Nutrition Info Posted:NO
Nutrition Info Printed:NO
Nutrition Info Available Online:NO

I am going to allude only to the prepared foods sections of Whole Foods in sticking with the aforementioned goals of the blog - focusing on what you can eat without preparation when in this neighborhood at lunch time.


When I went to the prepared foods section to inquire, I was directed to customer service, where the gentlemen said " We should, but we don't",
However, they did offer brochures that encouraged:
eating "real food", plant-based foods, low-fat, and nutrient dense foods.

However, they do rate their grocery store foods in the ANDI system. 


See more about ANDI here. I think it is useful, but not a substitute for reading nutritional labels.
ANDI Info

There are soooo many good options at whole foods I don't even know where to start, but no nutritional info. The good thing is that the salad bar offers meats and veggies that are both in their most natural state or cooked with/without oils, spices, etc, so you could use a site such as Calorie King to help you add up the components of your salad if you use the bar. 

The prepared foods, soups, salads, meals, Indian foods, desserts and sushi do not have nutritional info posted. 



 
While the prepared foods that are the behind the counter can be prepared with oils and cheeses that can make the calorie count more astounding than you think. 

 Check out these little chicken and mashed potato "cupcakes"

I would LOVE it if whole foods would disclose their info, like a similar store in this region Wegman's. Finding out that the calories in some dishes are higher than I might think, would NOT keep me from coming back to try the healthier ones. 

Side note: I saw these in the frozen foods section - low calorie mushroom and "Bollywood" burgers.  I did not try them so if you did, please comment, but the patty itself - not the mushrooms or leafy greens that are pictured on the box are what you get for 130 -205 calories...

That being said, these are the items I would have purchased if the express line was not over 20 bodies long that day.



I know these are not prepared foods, but thay are sooooo good, I can only find them in Whole Foods and similar stores, and hey, just because this blog is about lunch, that doesn't mean I can't start thinking about dinner early  :)


BTW, Kudos on having hand sanitizer readily available, Whole Foods!



Jamba Juice
Nutrition Info Posted:YES
Nutrition Info Printed: YES
Nutrition Info Available Online:YES

Jamba Juice has nutrition info galore. Unfortunately, a lot of the base mixes they use for their smoothies are loaded with sugars and carbohydrates. 

The ones I would pick are: Apple n Greens, Berry fulfilling, Berry up BEET, Mango Mantra, Orange Carrot Karma, Strawberry Nirvana ( all in the sixteen size) 
Orange juice in the twelve size, carrot juice in twelve or sixteen - those these juices are not really lunch meal replacements - they are a bit high in calories for a beverage. 


I would add boost of whey or soy protein to any smoothie you order to decrease the likelihood of post meal slump. 


The spinach and cheese breakfast wrap looks good - nutrition-wise. Has anyone out there tasted it? Sodium is a bit high at 530 mg a serving  (goal is less than 1500 mg a day). 




These three served what you could expect for sushi, Indian, and Chinese, respectfully. I must note that the Indian restaurant did not have much business compared to the other two at lunchtime. I don't know about you, but Indian food give me MAJOR post- meal slump. I can expect a very non-productive afternoon after and Indian lunch.......


AA Ichiban Sushi
Nutrition Info Posted:NO
Nutrition Info Printed:NO
Nutrition Info Available Online:NO
Bombay Garden
Nutrition Info Posted:NO
Nutrition Info Printed:NO
Nutrition Info Available Online:NO


Chinese Fast Wok
Nutrition Info Posted:NO
Nutrition Info Printed:NO
Nutrition Info Available Online:NO

 So, WHAT DID I HAVE FOR LUNCH?
I decided on this special tandoori vegetarian gyro at Pita Grill - I had it made into a platter instead of having it on pita. I was especially excited about the mango chutney and the fat free yogurt.

 Here is how my lunch was served. MMMMMM!
Looks low carb, but I have no nutrition info :(

 When I got it home, I realized they did not add the FF yogurt, so I dressed it with Chobani Greek Yogurt  - I only had a Fat free Strawberry on hand, but it worked - Texas Pete for some spice.


With the hot sauce and Greek yogurt, it was okay - I would give it a B- since the seitan was a bit dry, but I finished the whole dish. No post-meal slump, no heavy feeling after, but I must say I was hungry about 3 hours later - perfect time for another snack. Eating every 4 -6 hours keeps your metabolism from slowing down so that works!


Happy Lunching