Happy 2012 everyone!  Now that the holidays are over, it's time to start eating like we mean it again- the days of eggnog, massive meals, and excessive baked goods are finally behind us.  And with the prevalence of diet related resolutions I think there's no better time to answer one of our most common inquiries- what's the healthiest thing at BYB?

Now, there's no easy answer to this one.  By most people's standards everything we serve is well within the realm of "healthy"- in general you're already eating some combo of fruits, grains, nuts, seeds (and sometimes veggies) with a touch of honey on top.  Then there's the problem of what "healthy" really means?  And what are your goals?  Are you hoping to lose weight, to enhance performance, up your energy, build muscle, or just feel better?

So without getting bogged down in the details, let me offer a few suggestions:

1.  Don't be scared...  venture beyond the island and berry bowl.  The green bowl really is delicious.  I promise.  I can't tell you how many people have taken months to build up the courage to try it, but once they did never looked back.  And it's got a whole freakin salad's worth of spinach ground into it!  It's truly a nutritional powerhouse.  Or for the athletes out there, try the Diego's Power Bowl.  The combo of hemp seeds/hemp milk/hemp protein and peanut butter give this one a TON of protein, and still won't weigh you down.

2.  Breakfast Bowls.  This part of our menu is hugely underrated, especially from a health perspective.  It's packed with whole grains, local organic ingredients, and other nutritious whole foods.  Replace your bacon and eggs with our Oatmeal, Quinoa, or Spartan Muesli, and you will most definitely feel a difference.  The spacial constraints of menu boards don't let us fully communicate how great these bowls are.  Take the Spartan Muesli for example, the full list of ingredients is as follows:

• Organic thick-rolled Oats, Phat Uncle Farms Almonds, Rancho La Vina Walnuts, Organic fresh-ground Flax Seeds, Avila & Sons dried fruit medley, Peacock Farms Raisins, and home-made Cashew Milk, topped with fresh-cut Bananas, Strawberries, Blueberries, Hemp-seeds, and a drizzle of San Marcos Honey.  

3.  Modify your bowl.  Want less sugar?  Say "no honey, sub almonds for granola".  Want to add a great source of complete protein, omega fatty acids, and fiber?  Say "add hemp seeds" (or "sub hemp-milk", or "add hemp protein").  More vitamins and minerals?  Say "add bee-pollen".  Healthy bacteria and calcium?  "with a bed of yogurt".  Play around, we've got all kinds of good stuff.