There are resolutions galore that have already been made by now, many to do with food, diet and exercise. Each year roughly half of Americans surveyed want to save money and get into better shape.
Eating healthier is a huge part of that and I have a suggestion to consider for the new year and new you — ethnic dining.
Global cuisines tend to use less meat or no meat in dishes, are hugely flavorful and tend to be more nutritious than a typical American diet. The benefits of a Mediterranean diet have been lauded for decades by dieticians and the medical community. In fact, a Harvard University study found eating a traditional Mediterranean diet was associated with a 25 percent reduced risk of death from cancer and heart disease.
But it doesn’t stop there. Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian and other ethnic cuisines and diets have been found to have terrific health benefits thanks to generous use of vegetables, herbs, spices, less frying and the incorporation of leaner meats and seafood.
If you haven’t ventured out, Dayton has a very vibrant ethnic dining scene, rich in delicious dishes that won’t break the bank on calories and will leave you full and satisfied. Bonus: Many of the dishes that can be found boast antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, vitamins and minerals to help really feed your body in a way that many meals don’t.
A New Year’s resolution of eating once a week or once every other week at an ethnic restaurant promises to create a positive ripple effect not just for you, but for the community.
A true commitment to more ethnic dining in 2022 will not only result in getting a little healthier while you are exploring the local dining scene, but it will help challenge your palate and get you started thinking differently about the food you are eating. It will also benefit the local community as these restaurants are almost all locally owned.
Here’s my list of spots I plan on trying to get to in the first quarter of 2022 to enjoy. In order to pare down the hundreds and hundreds of choices at the beginning of the year I limited myself to just locations in Montgomery County and eliminated any Latin and South American and European choices as it’s easier to land on high calorie choices on those menus.
Clearly from my list, there’s no shortage of options, so use this as a jumping-off point and think big about how to expand your horizons while eating healthier and exploring the wide world of food this year.
Caribbean
416 E. Third St. Dayton
(937) 368-8787
North Indian
3063 Woodman Dr., Kettering
(937) 296-9200
Japanese / Korean
2020 Harshman Rd., Dayton
(937) 233-8005
North Indian
2751 Miamisburg Centerville Rd., Centerville
(937) 439-9005
Mediterranean
2nd Street Market, 600 E. Second St., Dayton
(937) 813-2756
Greek / Turkish
8351 N. Main St., Dayton
(937) 387-9622
Cedarland Bakery and Restaurant
Lebanese
4515 Linden Ave., Dayton
(937) 610-2888
Chinese
1105 Brown St., Dayton
(937) 716-1298
Kabuki Korean Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Japanese / Korean
848 S. Main St., Centerville
(937) 435-9500
Chinese
2801 S. Dixie Dr., Dayton
(937) 938-9027
Vietnamese / Chinese
5532 Airway Rd., Riverside
(937) 252-1857
Japanese
852 Union Blvd., Englewood
(937) 832-3000
Nanyea Restaurant Coffeehouse and Bar
Ethiopian
6129 N. Dixie Dr., Dayton
(937) 396-4013
Bolivian
79 S. Main St., Centerville
(937) 859-5555
South Indian
725 Lyons Rd., Washington Twp.
(937) 949-3850
Peruvian
400 E. Fifth St., Dayton
(937) 203-3999
Chinese / Japanese
7580 Poe Ave., Dayton
(937) 898-3860
Japanese / Korean
1771 Woodman Dr., Kettering
(937) 258-7040
Japanese
4090 Wilmington Pike, Kettering
(937) 949-9883
Dayton Eats looks at the regional food stories and restaurant news that make mouths water. Share info about your menu updates, special dinners and events, new chefs, interesting new dishes and culinary adventures. Do you know of exciting outdoor spaces, new exciting format changes, specials, happy hours, restaurant updates or any other tasty news you think is worth a closer look at? E-mail Alexis Larsen at alexis.e.larsen@hotmail.com with the information and we will work to include it in future coverage.
About the Author