Local eateries recognized as being healthy

The Active Living Coalition of Monroe County awarded 16 local restaurants the “Healthy Restaurant Bloomington” designation this month as part of a community-wide effort to provide healthy choices for those who dine out.

While more outwardly healthy restaurants like FARMbloomington made the grade, the list also included some surprising choices.

Some bars, including Kilroy’s Bar and Grill and Kilroy’s Sports Bar, received the
designation.

“The idea is to promote local restaurants in our community who also promote a healthy environment in their restaurant and a healthy community around them, which Bloomington local restaurants do a wonderful job of,” said Hannah Laughlin, Get Onboard Active Living program coordinator with IU Health.

She said 18 restaurants associated with the Bloomington Independent Restaurant Association were assessed earlier this year based on 32 criteria.

The criteria fall within five different categories: promoting physical activity, healthy eating and portion size, community support, a family-friendly environment and whether the restaurant has employee-wellness initiatives.

Restaurants had to meet 18 of the 32 criteria to be designated. If they did not meet the criteria initially, resources to do so were provided.

The restaurants were then allotted time to implement recommended changes and utilize these resources as directed by the coalition.

“It seems to be something that the restaurants are invested in,” said Samantha Schafer, registered dietitian at IU Health Community Health and member of the coalition. “They do want to make our community a healthier place, and this is one way they can contribute to doing that.”

Three local restaurants — FARMbloomington, Lennie’s and The Village Deli — are currently being evaluated based on the nutritional information of certain meals they offer, Laughlin said. This second phase of the evaluation process, called the BIRA smart meal, is intended to make smart choices the easiest choices.

“Our idea is that diners in Monroe County can come to a Healthy Restaurant Bloomington and know they’ll have an option that is a healthy option,” she said.

Registered dieticians like Schafer analyze a restaurant’s menu to see if items meet certain health criteria. If they do, a designation describing the nutritional information of that item will be on the menu. If not, recommendations and suggestions on ways of how to meet the criteria are made.

Laughlin said the amount of money people spend eating out has doubled in the last 40 years, and the need to make diners aware of healthy choices is important.   
 
“What we really are trying to do is just to educate people about how foods that aren’t prepared at home are sometimes less healthy than foods we would cook,” Laughlin said. “It’s just one more community-wide approach to address the obesity epidemic.”