Everybody has thought of it, but no one has done it. And we desperately need it! How do we get food that tastes better than what you find in almost any restaurant or chain in America for a fraction of the cost? How do you “eat good, feel good, and do good” when you eat your lunch? Imagine eating food that delights your palette, heals your body, and supports the transformation of our agriculture and food supply by networking and supporting small, local, clean, and organic farms and fisheries. Imagine eating dishes spiced with herbs grown in the middle of the restaurant. Imagine eating in a soothing environment built from reclaimed or recycled materials, light by LED lights that energize your body and reduce your carbon footprint, while sitting on amazingly comfortable chairs and booths made from recycled materials. Imagine eating together at a community table and building connection and friendships while you have dinner? And imagine being surrounded by inspirational quotes from Hippocrates — “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” or Margaret Mead — “never doubt that a small group of committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” And imagine doing this for $4 to $12 a meal, getting your meal served with a smile in five minutes, and having this available in food deserts and underserved communities? And imagine that, with every meal, you are helping to create happier healthy communities because a portion of every sale is given back to do the right thing and inspire good. Imagine being a philanthropist and building sustainable health, food, energy, and communities with every bite—it's a socially responsible way to eat. You get to take care of your senses, indulge in pleasure, heal your body, and as bonus, take care of your community and the planet. It sounds too good to be true, right? But you can bet your LYFE on it. LYFE Kitchen, that is—a low cost, great tasting, healthy, new, scalable fast food chain. It is an entirely revolutionary way to eat. I have always said that your fork is the most powerful tool you have to transform your health, heal our environment, and reduce human and economic suffering from chronic disease (which, by the way, kills almost 50 million people each year and will cost our global economy $47 trillion over the next 20 years or triple the national debt). And now you have a new way to use your fork. But no one is going to put something on his or her fork that tastes bad! I have believed in the concept of LYFE since I heard about it but was skeptical about how you could create super delicious food that uses the best ingredients and costs less than most meals you could eat at home. But LYFE Kitchen has figured it out, leveraging the culinary genius of Art Smith and Tal Ronnen into yummy, satisfying, delightfully flavored foods that even a fast food junkie could love. They’re made with fresh, whole, real food, low in calories, sugar, and salt but dense in nutrients, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, and taste. I filmed a public television show about my book The Blood Sugar Solution in Palo Alto, CA, the site of the first LYFE Kitchen restaurant. I ran for my LYFE from my hotel to get breakfast—a sandwich made with farm fresh organic eggs, tomatoes, arugula, fresh salsa, and a turkey patty served on a crispy, fresh but skinny whole grain English muffin, served with a side of fresh salsa and fruit salad. It cost less than $6 and contained about 400 calories. It was so good, I went back with my team for a dinner of grilled, sustainably-raised barramundi with Napa cabbage, baby spinach, edamame, and scallions in a spicy vegetable broth for $11.99 and with only 303 calories. I added a side of grilled artichokes with lemon aioli for $3.99 and roasted Brussels sprouts and winter squash for $2.49 and with 181 calories. Every bite was a delight and a surprise. To drink, I had a cucumber-mint cooler with only 47 calories and a truckload of taste. And for desert, I had a vegan non-dairy banana rum “cheesecake” made with cashew cream and a pecan crust full of protein, fiber, and good fats that would put most fine deserts to same. And there is regular American fare with a twist—“unfried chicken,” or free-range chicken, and roasted mushroom pasta (made with whole grain pasta and creamless sherry sauce made with cashew cream) or fish tacos or the classic burger (from grass-fed beef on a multi-grain bun). LYFE Kitchen has something for everyone: the kids, burger lovers, vegans, gluten-free folks, and foodies. And now, they have a whole grocery line of frozen foods that makes eating real, whole, delicious food easy and inexpensive. Imagine a Costco meal for a family of four for ten dollars! LYFE is like a magic trick. You never even know you are doing something good or eating something that gives LYFE rather than takes it away. We vote with our fork three times a day, and that drives change in our health, in agriculture, in the environment, and our economy. If you want to get your LYFE back and give LYFE to your family and community, let’s support this movement, and very soon, I hope we will bring LYFE to every community in America (and around the world). Now, I’d like to hear from you … Have you ever eaten at LYFE Kitchen? What’s your favorite meal on the menu? In what ways do you vote everyday with your fork? To your good health!Mark Hyman, MD
