My Fit Foods: Tasty, Healthy Food, Ready in a Flash

A few days ago my wife and I enjoyed lunch together in a novel location: My Fit Foods, on I-35 just south of Parmer. We’d seen the store there, along a row of restaurants on the east side of the freeway, and we’d also noticed the kiosks in selected HEB grocery stores, and we’d wondered what they were all about.

Time to find out! And the short answer is, we enjoyed My Fit Foods.

Before going any further, though, I want to supply some clarifications. My Fit Foods isn’t a restaurant in the usual sense. No, it’s a prepared-foods store like I’ve never seen before. Think of weight-loss programs like eDiets, Jenny Craig, Medifast, Weight Watchers and so on, only you go pick what you want when you want. (These all work, by the way; but you must follow their procedures or they won’t.) I must confess, I haven’t seen offerings from many of those commercial programs, but I’ve heard stories. Based on the little I do know, I think My Fit Foods may have them all beat lopsided.

Originally the location held a Bennigan’s or something; I must confess, I seldom paid attention to what was in that area, flying by on the freeway. Now it’s a modern-looking installation that houses a large food preparation room (with big picture windows so a visitor can watch the action) and a smaller sales area. Between the two rooms is a wall of refrigerator cases, floor to ceiling, stuffed full of My Fit Foods dishes.

These dishes are healthy entrees and sides, carefully packaged and ready for you to take home or to work. If they are intended to be eaten warm, then a couple of minutes in the microwave does the trick. They’re not frozen, and they’re good for you. A look at their offerings shows that clearly. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all covered, and different sized portions of any given entrée are available. Mexican, seafood, BBQ, American fare; it’s all pretty much covered. Nearly 100 items in the list, and special items are added upon occasion.

I found their food to be attractive looking. Clearly the best I’ve ever seen that came ready-to-heat. A lot of care in preparation and presentation is obviously exercised. Good attention to the marketing values as well, which goes with the concept of “special” and “premium.”

The nutrition’s the thing, though. Four main concepts about My Fit Foods nutrition are clear. Low glycemic index carbohydrates; these are not simply for diabetics, you know! They’re better for everybody’s blood sugar balance. The proteins are lean, with several from vegetable sources. Most of the fat content, little though it is, involves heart-healthy fats, such as polyunsaturates. Macadamia oil, avocado pieces and the like; long on flavor and on cardiovascular benefits. The spices are chosen to increase antioxidant content as well as provide great taste.

Vegetarian and gluten-free items are available as well. And I don’t mean a token one or two items; a significant portion of the menu, as you can see from the above link.

Wifey and I bought a sample entrée each and a drink to share, and used the microwave units in the store to heat our lunch. We sat in the small dining area and watched the store traffic as we dined. It was a simple meal, but very tasty. I had Brian’s Fit Enchiladas, which include chicken and some zesty salsa. PJ sampled Cynthia’s BBQ Chicken. The best testimonial is, we ate the whole thing. And took the nice, little plastic boxes home, as they’re attractive storage units that hold the right amount for one entrée! Since they’re microwaveable, they’re worth saving. Clever, these My Fit folks.

We saw several people come in and buy anywhere from a single meal to what appeared to be 4-5 days’ worth of dishes. Almost every one of these customers appeared to be busy professionals, with more than half wearing medical scrubs and the like. Clearly the My Fit concept suits their needs.

I’ve saved the weight loss portion of the review for last. Why? Because My Fit sales people don’t make that big a deal out of it. A very clever marketing point, actually. After all, the name speaks to weight loss already. Why flog the horse? Sure, they’ll chat with you about benefits, and things like their 3-day and 21-day challenges for weight control. Since nearly everyone I saw in the store, customers and employees alike, were fit and trim, I’d say the concept’s working well.

There’s only one minor point, hardly worth mentioning: Why isn’t there one of these kiosks out at the airport? With airlines scrimping on everything, including meals (which were dreadful enough already), My Fit should be in every commercial airport terminal in America…

My Fit Foods North Austin, 12415 N IH-35 Austin, TX, 78753. Phone 512.821.2531. Specially-prepared, healthy and slimming entrées, snacks and more, with a small dining area for those who don’t wish to take with. Gluten-free available. Vegetarian available. Weight control plan consultations available.

Enjoy the (Dieting Done Differently) Heat!