London is a fantastic city and I have had the pleasure of working as a freelance Personal Trainer here for many years.
There are literally thousands of places you can stop by and have lunch but only a few in my opinion offer really good healthy food.
As a Holistic Personal Trainer I recognise the importance of nutrition in all of my clients lives and lunch is no exception. So when I get asked where I recommend for lunch in London I have a few suggestions.
The lunch options I recommend below are based on my ‘All Natural’ approach to nutrition, this includes:
- Organic Food & Free Range High Animal Welfare Standards
- Wheat Free, Dairy Free and Gluten Free (NO bread and sandwiches)
- Fresh Food Prepared Daily
- No Microwaves
- No Additives, Preservatives, Sugars etc.
I have not included any independent lunch places here, although there are many great ones, I wanted you to have the option to find one of these places regardless of where you are in London.
OK, so here goes with my top 5:
# 1 –POD FOOD
I tend to eat lunch here more than any other place in London. They offer amazing wheat free Thai Green and Red Curries along with a great selection of salads and super foods.
They make a point of never using those nutrient destroying microwaves and promote local and seasonal ingredients.
I love their general approach to business and the environment too.
They have branches all over London:
It’s a great idea to join their loyalty program and get a free meal every five ordered. I’ve had so many free meals at POD now I love it 🙂
# 2 –LEON RESTAURANTS
If you want good hearty food from a company that cares not only about their food but where it comes from then Leon is the place for you.
Leon offers a range of hot and cold food with a seasonally changing menu. They only source meats from farms that they can trust and most of their menu is Low GI, Dairy Free, Wheat Free and Gluten Free.
Not only are their lunch options delicious but they offer some great breakfast meals too including their popular poached egg pots.
I love their meatballs and I find it refreshing to find a place that offers a good range of decaffeinated teas to wash down your meal with.
Leon have a good selection of restaurants in London including:
- Carnaby Street
- Ludgate Circus
- Regents Street
- Spitalfields
- Canary Wharf
- Cannon Street
- The Strand
- Bankside
- Old Compton Street
- Kings Cross
They have a great cook book you can buy too 🙂
# 3 – WHOLE FOODS MARKET
I love this place and could spend hours just walking around and checking out all the great food and drinks. Not only can you get some great lunch, buffet style but the stores are loaded full of organic foods for you to take home for evening meals too.
My favourite lunch option in Whole Foods is the lunch box which usually consists of 1 protein and 3 sides.
They have stores all over London with a beautiful one just opened off Picadilly Circus. Other branches include:
- Camden, Parkway
- Kensington, High Street
- Clapham Junction, Lavender Hill
- Stoke Newington, Church Street
# 4 – PLANET ORGANIC
Planet Organic only have 5 stores in London but if you can find one then you are in for a real treat. In the same vein as Whole Foods, Planet organic is a organic supermarket that serves hot and cold food too.
The hot food served is buffet style so you get to choose exactly what you want. They offer lots of great raw food, sea vegetables and Superfoods too!
As the name suggests most fresh veg and meats are organic and seasonal which means more nutrients for us.
Many of their offerings are Wheat, Dairy and Gluten Free which I highly recommend for most of my clients who I suspect have food intolerances.
They have 5 stores in London:
- Devonshire Square
- Muswell Hill
- Islington
- Torrington Place
- Westbourne Grove
The branch that I visit in Torrington Place has a great juice bar where I buy my wheat grass shots to really get my lymphatic system rocking!
# 5 – ITSU
Finally this is my Sushi option. Lots of fresh fish that is line caught and lots of salad options.
Itsu have small eateries all over London and 2 main restaurants in Chelsea and Notting Hill.
They offer hot and cold food including soups, sushi boxes and salads. I personally don’t eat their hot food but love their sushi boxes and fresh salads.
All their chicken is farm assured, and they use the highest grade of Salmon that is never frozen. Most options are totally Gluten free just be careful with soy sauce as this does have a trace of gluten.
They offer some nice green tea options and some totally caffeine free hot drinks too.
They have locations all over London in both the City and the West End.
Over to You
Do you have any healthy lunch places that you want to share?
Vitao (Previously Vita Organic) in Wardour St is my absolute fave, I used to work near there and ate there every day, slow-steamed vege and all wheat/gluten/sugar free, I still go out of my way to eat there when I can! Also Food for Thought in seven dials have a wonderful sherpherdess pie 🙂
Thanks for these Sarah, I’m going to be around Wardour Street on Thursday so I’ll check Vitao out, I think I know the one you are talking about.
Hi Greg – did you manage to get there and check it out? Interested to know what you thought! Also about the Itsu sushi boxes, I thought the idea was to avoid white rice? I do go to my local one in Victoria but they don’t offer a brown rice option, I do have their salmon and tuna tartar with miso soup which is a good lunch however.
Great post! I agree with you. I really love Tossed and would put that in my top 5. Build your own delicious salad! Met the owner and he is so passionate about healthy eating.
http://www.tosseduk.com
Yes Tossed almost made it in their but the stores I have visited didn’t impress me too much and I have had similar feedback from other people too! If they would just step up their game one more notch then I would consider them again. I’d happily meet with the owner and give him my honest suggestions.