Healthy Restaurant Eating: Cafe Yumm
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Eating out doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Restaurants are getting better and better about offering foods to fit a variety of dietary choices, whether you have a food allergy or intolerance, are trying to lose weight, or manage a chronic disease. Today, I’ll focus on one of my favorite spots to eat when I need something quick: Cafe Yumm! If you haven’t been, I’d recommend trying it out; they have several locations in Oregon. They have several healthy options (as well as several less healthy options) so I’ll share my top choices with you today!
Menu
Cafe Yumm offers a variety of dishes:
Bowls - a mix of rice, beans, and a variety of toppings
Bento - rice + chicken/tofu/tempeh + Asian slaw
Wraps - one of their bowls wrapped in a white or wheat flour tortilla
Quesadillas - cheese + various toppings in a white or wheat tortilla
Soups & salads
Bowls
Most of their bowls include a mix of rice, beans, veggies, and various toppings that are easily customizable based on any allergies or likes and dislikes.
The Original Yumm! bowl includes:
Brown rice
Black beans
Salsa
Original Yumm! Sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Avocado
Diced tomatoes
Black olives
Cilantro
You have the option of adding some extra protein as well:
Tofu
Tempeh
Chicken
What is Yumm! sauce?
So what exactly is Yumm! sauce? It is a blend of canola oil, almonds, nutritional yeast, garbanzo beans, soybeans, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. The result is a creamy and delicious sauce. This combination provides you with healthy fats and protein to help fill you up. A bowl without Yumm! sauce or something similar will likely leave you feeling hungry soon after you finish eating.
Want to make your own copy-cat Yumm sauce at home? Try this similar recipe!
Special dietary needs
Cafe Yumm is a great place to go if you have a food allergy or intolerance. They have menus for a variety of special diets here. Most of their menu (with the exception of the quesadilla and wraps) are gluten-free.
It’s also easy to remove the cheese and sour cream to make it dairy-free (and vegan as long as you don’t add chicken). They will even let you sub out the dairy for extra avocado or cabbage & carrots.
The Yumm! sauce does have almonds and soy, so you’ll need to skip it if you have an allergy to either. Luckily, they have alternative salsas or dressings to still make your bowl taste delicious!
Nutritional considerations
Carbs
If you have prediabetes, diabetes, or are just watching carbs, check out Cafe Yumm’s nutrition calculator for their complete list of nutrition information for all menu items. Some of their meals are high in carbs because they consist of rice and beans, which are a staple of many of the dishes. Luckily, they’ve recently added cauliflower rice as a substitute for brown or jasmine rice, so this is a way to cut back on carbs.
Their wraps and quesadillas are also higher in carbs, especially the wrap which is basically one of their bowls (complete with rice and beans) inside of a large tortilla, so I’d recommend skipping the tortilla if you are looking for a lower-carb meal.
Fat
If you’re watching fat or calories, you could consider skipping the cheese and sour cream. There is still plenty of healthy fat in your meal if you include the Yumm! sauce, avocado, and olives.
Sodium
Many of their soups contain quite a bit of sodium, so I’d skip the soup if you have high blood pressure or are just watching your sodium intake. Their tortilla is also high in sodium; each wrap or quesadilla on their menu contains more than 1,000 mg of sodium, which is at least half the daily recommended intake for most people.
What do I like to order?
My personal favorite is the Original Yumm bowl. I usually skip the dairy and sub for cabbage & carrots to add extra veggies. I also like to add seasoned tofu for some extra protein. I find it to be a satisfying meal packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fat that keeps me full for hours!
My favorite Yumm bowl (served in my own bowl).
Overall, Cafe Yumm is a quick and healthy option when you need something on the go. Like all restaurants, there are several less healthy options, but if you investigate the menu before hand, you can make a healthy choice. Stay tuned for more future posts about healthy restaurant eating!
