Healthy Dining at Bay Naturals
By Becky Billingsley
Many restaurant diners look for nutritious choices, and Bay Naturals in Myrtle Beach offers some of the healthiest food in the Grand Strand area.
The restaurant part of Bay Naturals is tucked in the rear of the store, which is also a health food and vitamin market. There are a handful of indoor tables and counter seats, and plenty more tables outside in a covered al fresco area.
The menu consists of salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, fresh juices and smoothies, and Holmes says "89% of the ingredients are organic."
All of the smoothies are started with the Full of Fruit Classic, which has a base of apple juice, soymilk, almond milk or rice milk with organic bananas, strawberries, pineapple and blueberries. That costs $3.75, and different additions such as protein powders, liquid vitamins, joint ache relievers, liquid ginseng, Echinacea and more take the price up to $5.50 and beyond. There's also a cleansing smoothie and a chocolate one with protein energy.
Every day there are soups and sandwiches of the day, but the most popular meals by far, owner Angela Holmes says, are half a chicken or tuna sandwich with a cup of soup or with a house salad ($5.50-$7.50). For the chicken salad you get a choice of curry or dill, and other sandwich choices ($2.50-$8) are grilled tofu, hummus, eggless egg salad, breakfast burrito, pimento cheese, veggie dog, a BLT made with soy bacon, cheese quesadilla, veggie burger and veggie chicken burger.
On my most recent visit I had a veggie sandwich that was stuffed with organic sprouts, tomatoes, purple onion and lettuce, and the fillings were drizzled with fresh creamy dill sauce. My side was a slightly sweet and satisfyingly crunchy julienne beet salad.
The time before that I tried a grilled pimento cheese where the cheese had a nice mild flavor, and it was served on dense and chewy grain bread with a side of tortilla chips.
Soups change; recent selections included Spicy Sweet Potato, Black-eyed Pea and Lentil, Vegan Minestrone, Chicken and Cornbread, Veggie Chili and Vegan Curried Butternut Squash with Apple. The Chicken and Cornbread was incredible with a fine thick consistency to its broth and savory shreds of free range chicken. Their squash soup is the best I've ever eaten with an exceedingly fresh flavor and velvety texture.
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Most everything is made in-house and with choice ingredients, like the tuna salad that's made from tuna baked in the kitchen, flaked and mixed with chopped pecans, celery and veggie mayonnaise. The house Organic Mixed Green Salad ($5.25) is a verdant rainbow with a gorgeous garden of ingredients including red leaf, mixed greens, carrot curls, tomatoes, red onion and clover sprouts.
You can fill in the corners of your appetite with fruit organic juices such as the $5 Purple Dinosaur with carrot, apple, beet, lemon and ginger; or sides such as Beet Slaw, Guacamole, Salsa and Chips, Vegan Red Bliss Potato Salad or Cucumber Quinoa Salad.
It isn't all fruits and vegetables here: if you want a sweet, pick up an individually wrapped cookie off the counter so they can add it to the tab.
The kitchen uses biodegradable carryout containers and to-go cups, and they recycle all plastic, glass and paper.
At least once a month the restaurant is the site of a health-oriented seminar, and there are regularly scheduled sale days. The last Saturday of the month everything in the store is discounted by 15%; people ages 60 and older receive 10% discounts; and if you bring your own tote bag to carry your purchases home, you receive a 5% discount.
The market part of Bay Naturals has row after row of foods, supplements, household cleansers that qualify as earth- and/or body-friendly.
In cold cases there are organic sour cream, butter, cottage cheese, cheeses and milk. They have Tofurky, tofu hot dogs, tofu "chicken" and ham-flavored veggie protein.
You can buy hemp bread, women's bread, flax bread and Biblical bread. Energy drinks, designer waters, bottled organic teas and sodas, and all-natural coconut water are chilled, and there's a whole case devoted to organic and Greek yogurts.
They've got kefir, probiotic soymilk, vegan mayonnaise and Bubbies kosher pickles. Can't eat wheat? There's a case for you too filled with rice breads and other gluten-free breads.
Vegetarians can browse an extensive inventory of frozen foods and meals, from vegan meatballs to chicken curry made with antibiotic-free poultry. Dishes include gluten-free fish nuggets, ground turkey and turkey sausage. The sampling is international with Eggplant Parmesan, Vegetable Pad Thai, Lasagna and Ragout. Frozen food brand names include Amy's, Van's, Blake's and Tofutti.
You can buy organic frozen berries to scatter on top of organic breakfast cereal. Dessert is covered with items like Lactose-free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches and a whole 100% Natural Carrot Cake.
Four-legged family members have a section with organic dog and cat treats, natural joint pain medications and earth-friendly kitty litter. If that pet has an accident, nearby is an array of natural soaps and other household cleansers.
All the food mentioned so far is in just one aisle.
Turn the corner and you'll find dozens of natural peanut butter choices, organic jellies, natural and organic sodas and juices, and just about every power and protein bar brand on the market. This is your source for sushi needs with an assortment of nori and other sea vegetables.
You want flavor enhancers? Bay Naturals has spices, herbs, sauces, marinades, dressings and condiments. Those preferring to let someone else handle culinary subtleties can pick up canned side dishes or flavored rice mixes.
If you need to purify your body before filling it with healthy foods there is a long line of products that will cleanse your whole body of all toxins, or you can target specific areas such as the liver or colon. Body builders can choose from dozens of protein powders, and supplements range from alfalfa powder to zinc. There are remedies for bones and brains, colds and coughs, libidos and lesions.
Queen Bees will find Royal Jelly, while Royal Bs can pick up menopause relievers.
Cosmetics, lotions, wrinkle creams and skin toners that aren't tested on animals are available along with facial masks, eye drops and age-defying serum.
Of course there are herbal teas in every flavor and disease-fighting combination you could think of, and one colorful aisle houses bins containing an earth-toned rainbow of dried grains and legumes.
Bay Naturals is at 7611 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 843-448-0011.
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