Health

Hot, skinny people are ditching salads for ‘power bowls’

Nearly every weekend, friends Justine Parker, 28, and Lily Kunin, 27, have an exercise date at trendy Sky Ting Yoga downtown. But afterward, they don’t grab coffee, tea or a salad. Instead, they go out for a bowl — specifically a “power” bowl filled with vegetables, whole grains and protein.

Bowls make “healthy eating taste really good,” says Kunin, a health coach who lives in Chelsea. “You can combine so many different flavors and textures that it just creates this really satisfying meal. It’s almost like a hug, as corny as that sounds.”

“Even if I had the option to eat off a plate, I would eat out of a bowl,” adds Parker, who works in marketing at Elle magazine, lives in Greenwich Village and says she only ever eats out of bowls.

Chef Camille Becerra’s bowl-focused pop-up restaurant is a surprise hit.Gabi Porter

Forget fashion plates. For chic, wellness-conscious New Yorkers, it’s all about healthy, hearty bowls filled with veggies, proteins and flavorful toppings — without an empty calorie in sight. They’re more filling than salads, lower in carbs than sandwiches and popping up on menus around town.

“They’re based on macrobiotics — this perfectly balanced plate with whole grains, lots of vegetables, some type of protein, some type of crunch, a really amazing dressing,” explains Kunin, who notes that hardcore health restaurants with “hippie vibes” have had such offerings for years. Now bowls have gone mainstream.

They’re on the menu at fast-casual spots like the rapidly expanding Sweetgreen chain, trendy Inday in the NoMad, good ol’ Panera and hip sit-down restaurants like Jack’s Wife Freda and Egg Shop.

“Bowl meals are definitely a trend with traction,” says Aimee Harvey, managing editor of global content at food-industry consulting firm Technomic. “Bowls are up 29.7 percent in the entree category over a five-year period.”

At stylish Lower East Side hot spot Dimes, there’s an entire menu section devoted to savory bowls ($13 to $21). (There’s also a section for breakfast bowls.) “They’ve proven to be extremely popular,” says co-owner Alissa Wagner.

For those who love to share their meals on social media, bowls also happen to be conveniently photogenic.

“The bowl is very Instagram-friendly, you can see everything,” says Lukas Volger, a Brooklynite who has a cookbook called “Bowl” out in March. It’s one of no less than five bowl books out this year.

Hannah Bronfman (@hannahbronfman), the model and DJ, regularly Instagrams pics of the bowls she cooks up for herself to her 265,000 followers.

Kunin and Parker also love a good Insta-bowl. “We’ll always be seeing new bowls and tagging each other in photos,” says Parker. Kunin’s own Instagram (@cleanfooddirtycity) has 94,000 followers and an endless feed of rainbow-colored concave creations.

Even ardent fans of the concept have been surprised by its popularity. In January, former Top Chef Camille Becerra launched a monthlong pop-up serving bowls ($13 to $18) at Café Henrie downtown. It’s become so popular, her residency has been extended through the end of April.

“I never thought I would do a pop-up that just focused on bowls,” admits Becerra, 43.

For Vanessa Packer, 30, founder of the modelFit exercise studio, the concave vessel’s main appeal is that it makes everything taste better.

“Rather than a plate where you’re constantly pushing everything to the middle, a bowl brings everything together. You can coat everything in dressing and make a better bite,” she says.

Kunin agrees. “I’ve eaten the same meal on a plate,” she says. “It just wasn’t that good.”

D-I-Y AND DIG IN!

Make your own beautiful bowls with these ideas from health coach Lily Kunin and chef Camille Becerra.

1 of 6
Becerra adds a bit of an indulgence to her bowl with cured meats, but there are plenty of legumes and veggies to balance it out. Gabi Porter
Kunin's bibimbap is inspired by the classic Korean dish. Try it with gochuchang chili sauce for a kick.Lily Kunin of Clean Food Dirty City
Advertisement
For an Indian-style take, Kunin roasts sweet potatoes in Indian spices and dresses it with a mint-chutney (not pictured.)Lily Kunin of Clean Food Dirty City
Get your five-a-day and then some with Kunin's roasted vegetable bowl with quinoa and avocado. Lily Kunin of Clean Food Dirty City
Advertisement