Those who want to lose weight or take a lot of weight will find a diet that suits their goals
Nourish Durango opened at 2800 Main Ave last month. Glub and Go Restaurant focuses on diets loaded with carbohydrates, fats and protein. (Cameron Cabot/Durango Herald)
A new grab-and-go restaurant has opened in Durango, offering macro-friendly meals with a variety of options. The soft launch will occur on March 17th, with the grand opening scheduled for May 3rd. Nourish also offers dietary plans and nutrition education services.
Kristen Johnston decides to open up nutrition after her husband experienced ongoing gastrointestinal problems. “He’ll spend every night in his stomach trying to get rid of the pain he doesn’t know what to do,” said Johnston, the restaurant’s founder and owner.
Johnston’s husband saw a nutritionist put him on an elimination diet. He began to feel significantly better, leading Johnston to recognize the importance of nutrition and how food affects overall health. She believed Durango had no macro-friendly grab-and-go meal options.
“Macro” stands for macronutrients of carbohydrates, fats and protein.
Johnston works with Nourish manager Jamie Baker and is a nutrition coach. Baker becomes health-conscious about food after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11.
“Here, when you come and eat, it’s all on the label. I don’t have to guess how much protein, carbohydrates, or fat there is,” Baker said. “It saves me so much time and my long-term health will benefit from it.”
Baker’s mother also suffered from diabetes, resulting in loss of vision in one eye. She works to see how her mother suffers from the illness and ensures that her long-term health is better.
Nutrition Durango manager Jamie Baker is taking orders for Grub and Go. (Cameron Cabot/Durango Herald)
Located at 2800 Main Ave., Nourish also offers meal plans that work in conjunction with grab-and-go meals. Customers can choose a 14-day meal plan and receive 14-day meals for 14 days. This option offers flexibility and can include the ability to pick up all your meals at the beginning of the week.
Nourish is taking steps to integrate into the community. I want Johnston and Baker to know that residents are affordable options. Nourish’s grab and go meal ranges from $11.95 to $16.95. Johnston and Baker aim to source as much local and organic food as possible without giving customers higher costs.
“The other thing we want to do is have a satellite fridge,” Baker said. “The gyms and hospitals get their fridges. We keep them in stock.”
Nourish Durango offers a wide variety of grab-and-go meals for the day and for food group meals. (Cameron Cabot/Durango Herald)
Not only do Johnston and Baker want to provide people with a macro-friendly, protein-based diet, they also want to educate the community about their health benefits. Johnston launched “Nourishing Nights,” a free educational session held at Nourish.
“I have a year planned for guest speakers who are medical professionals in all areas of the health and wellness industry,” Johnston said. “We want them to talk about hot topics in their industry not only to promote their business, but also to help them bring in new clients and educate their communities.”
Guests range from an overall dentist to midwife talking about health and nutrition during pregnancy.
Nourish also cautions about waste. Johnston and Baker are looking for ways to turn leftover kitchen scrap into dog food. “We want to ultimately turn scrap into human-grade dog food that can be sold at a lower price than what farmer dogs usually do,” Johnston said.
Nourish offers glass container options to further reduce waste. With a one-time purchase, customers can receive reusable containers and return them to future meals.
“Our grand opening is Saturday, May 3rd. We’ll give away gifts and hand out free meals and free items,” Johnston said.
ckabot@durangoerald.com
One example of a protein-packed grab-and-go option that is friendly to many macros in Nourish Durango. This is steak, broccoli and potato meal. (Cameron Cabot/Durango Herald)
