JP/RICKY YUDHISTIRA

The belly rules the mind, according to an old proverb. If that is true, don’t worry – there is plenty of tasty fare out there made for guilt-free eating.

Things are getting easier for health-conscious eaters, with a growing number of food outlets offering environmentally friendly and healthy dishes.

Whether you’re turning to organic or vegetarian eating, or looking for foods free of monosodium glutamate (MSG), or sticking to a blood type-based or other diet, you can find them all. And the reward for looking is that your belly and mind can find a healthy compromise in your culinary experience.

This is just what Erdian Fahmarini enjoys when indulging her favorite bakso (meatball soup). After years of worries about bakso – because of the use of MSG and harmful chemicals such as borax and formaldehyde in most meatballs – Erdian was finally able to put her favorite dish back on the menu, thanks to Bakso Atom, which has outlets across Greater Jakarta and Bandung, West Java.

“We now feel safe indulging in bakso. [Bakso Atom] is not only delicious, but also free from MSG, borax, formalin and other preservatives,” Erdian, an account manager at a private company, said.

Adopting the tagline “healthy bakso”, Bakso Atom uses the meat of Bali cattle, which is more fibrous and contains less water.

And forget about bakso simply being a lump of mixed up cow liver, heart and intestines. Unlike regular bakso, “Bakso Atom has delicious and nutritious fillings of cheese, tofu and prawn,” Erdian said.

Also tapping into the growing trend for food that is both delicious and nutritious is Sedap Alami restaurant in Jl. Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta.

This homey-feeling eatery is popular among health enthusiasts for its own specialties in organic and MSG-free cuisine such as black and red rice, roasted rice, green noodles, tekwan (soup with sago-flour fish balls), along with kampung chicken, fish, vegetables and Chinese-style dishes such as kok tofu.

“We also have semiorganic traditional snacks like getuk lindri, apem, nagasari and pumpkin bakpao with fillings,” Yosefina, Sedap Alami’s owner, said.

Healthy? Check. The taste? Irresistible. According to Yosefina, what makes the dishes healthy is not just their ingredients, but also the way they are cooked.

“We cook some cuisine without oil, as well as use special cookware that preserve vitamins and minerals in the foods during the cooking process.”

But doesn’t that all add up to, well, a higher price? Yosefina offers reassurance her restaurant offers affordable treats.  

“Because most of the main ingredients used for our dishes are from my own organic farm in Cisarua, Bogor, I can keep the price as low as possible,” she said, adding the prices for dishes in Sedap Alami range from Rp 1,500 to Rp 10,000.

If Sedap Alami and Bakso Atom are not enough to convince you yet, try taking a drive to South Jakarta’s Jl. Pakubuwono and Jl. Wolter Monginsidi, or to Jl. Cikini Raya in Central Jakarta.

On these streets, you’ll find outlets of another healthy kitchen: Warung Daun.

Distinguishing itself from other restaurants that seem to offer pretty much all kinds of cuisine, Warung Daun has since 2003 specialized in Sundanese dishes – but using semi-organic ingredients and no MSG.

“At the moment, we only provide organic rice and vegetables, as well as certain organic fruits. However, we’re moving toward a full-organic concept in the future,” Pur Indratno, the restaurant’s general affairs manager, said.

Fresh organic strawberry juice, full-of-flavor nasi timbel (steamed rice wrapped in a banana leaf) and nasi liwet (rice boiled in coconut milk), along with luscious vegetables and roast fish, chicken and shrimp, are among the tempting dishes they offer.

“In the same way that we’re concerned about a healthy lifestyle, Warung Daun expects to encourage more people to enjoy healthy foods,” Pur said.

Sharing a similar concern with healthy foods is Healthy Choice restaurant, a haven for environmentally conscious eaters who prefer to keep their menu organic and MSG-free.

Whether you prefer Eastern tastes or Western ones, Healthy Choice provides a long list of healthy dishes, from nasi goreng (fried rice), laksa (curry soup), tom yam (Thai seafood soup) or even pizza. What’s more, their dishes are cooked using the safest cookware – no Teflon, aluminum, plastic, or microwave; but the highest-grade stainless steel.

The restaurant, which already has several branches in Jakarta – including in Plaza Indonesia and One Pacific Place shopping malls – also educates customers about healthy eating.

“I’m tired of seeing sick people and done with seeing Indonesians being fooled by their own overdependency on doctors,” naturopathy specialist Riani Susanto, co-owner of Healthy Choice, said.

“If we can prevent illness by eating healthy foods, why not do it, instead of spending money on expensive medical treatment?”

According to Riani, most people think that preventive measures against illness are difficult and not enjoyable.

“That’s not right. We want to educate people that eating right is one fun way to prevent illness; it’s a very valuable investment,” Riani said. “And if some people think it’s expensive to have this kind of lifestyle or add organic foods to their menu, think about how much you’ll spend curing your sickness.

“It was in 2004 and almost everyone laughed at what we offered. They thought organic foods are all expensive and weird,” Riani, whose restaurant also sells organic raw foods.

But luckily, she added, more people nowadays have come to see the advantages of investing in organic produce. “Now, many of my customers send their domestic helpers to my place to have free courses on cooking organic dishes,” Riani said, smiling.

“Our restaurant has no secret recipes. We’ll give them to anyone who needs them, because our main goal is to make organic foods part of simple daily life, not a luxury.”

So if you’ve been thinking about embracing a healthier lifestyle, these are just a few places to start. Whether you’re after a snack, meal or ingredients to cook at home, it’s easier than ever to put your well-being on the menu. Bon appetit!

Where to eat?

Sedap Alami

Jl. Bendungan Hilir Raya 41, Central Jakarta Taman Permata Buana, Jl. Pulau Biara Raya A8 No. 1, West Jakarta

*Prices: Rp 1,500 – Rp 10,000

Warung Daun

Jl. Pakubuwono VI No. 10, South Jakarta

Jl. Wolter Mongonsidi No. 41, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta

Jl. Cikini Raya No. 26, Central Jakarta

*Prices: Rp 5,000 – Rp 80,000

Bakso Atom

Jl. Pahlawan Revolusi No: 57, East Jakarta

Jl. Bumi No. 2A, Kebayoran Baru

*Prices: Rp 3,000 – Rp 6,500 per meatball

Healthy Choice:

Komplek Graha Mas Blok A 6-7,

Raya Pejuangan, Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta,

Jl. Kemang Raya 32, South Jakarta,

La Piazza Sentra Kelapa Gading, 1st Floor/ 1-3A, North Jakarta

Plaza Indonesia Mall, 3rd Floor, Unit 118, Central Jakarta,

One Pacific Place Mall, 5th Floor, Unit 12, SCBD Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav 52-53, Central Jakarta

Bukit Darmo Golf Boulevard Office Park I, Block B 9–10, Surabaya

* Prices: Rp 10,000 – Rp 200,000

Meal Catering

Catering for a healthy diet (organic, baby & kids, customized)

(021)-70067811

*Prices: visit www.mymealcatering.com

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