Local Restaurant Offering Healthy, Convenient Choices

With obesity on the rise in children and the general public alike, many people blame fast food restaurants as being a part of their problem for their menu items that are often high in calories, despite being convenient for families on the go.

Now, one local restaurant is combining convenience with smart, healthy eating in the hopes of providing an alternative to their high-calorie counterparts.

Sikikou Japanese Restaurant, located at 41 Mountain Boulevard, has recently introduced its “Live Healthier Low-Glycemic Menu” so that families on the go can eat great, even on the run.

Yee Jao is a certified weight management coach with the Healthier Living Network who works in conjunction with Sikikou to deliver healthy menu options to customers. Jao stated that the goal of Sikikou is to create awareness toward healthier lifestyles.

“All of these things are healthy,” said Jao. “We wanted to figure out how to help the community by giving them something convenient and fast, but also healthy—truly healthy—for them.”

Jao stated that many of life’s stresses can come from the foods we eat, especially for those who do not always eat healthy foods despite attempts to remain health-conscious. These stresses, coupled with any others that life can offer, can put a damper on one’s outlook.

“If you don’t take care of yourself with your most basic needs, you’re going to have a lot of stress in your life,” said Jao.

Sikikou is owned by Sunny Sun, who obtained a medical degree in China before emigrating to the United States seven years ago. Sun believes, as someone with a medical degree, that she can provide insight into healthier lifestyles.

“I can see a lot of differences in lifestyles between eastern countries and here,” said Sun. “With my background, I want to help people. I feel I have a responsibility and feel I can help.”

Because of her medical background, Sun will further alter menu options on a case-by-case basis if a customer has certain medical issues to fit each meal into each customer’s diet.

“If I know they have medical issues, I give suggestions to modify the regular menu,” said Sun. “It’s very helpful for some people.”

Jao stated that all of the meals on the “Live Healthier” menu are properly portioned. This prevents customers from overeating due to oversized portions, and also makes it unnecessary for patrons to stress over calorie counts.

“We don’t count calories. This whole program is not about deprivation at all,” said Jao. “You just need to be smart about choices and portion control. We all know the basics; it’s just a matter of doing it.”

There is still plenty of information to be had, even in a community as health-conscious as Warren. Jao and Sun both hope that Sikikou can be a part of that educational process for people who are looking for healthier eating choices, but don’t know where to begin.

“It seems like the community is in tune with trying to be healthier,” said Jao. “They just need a little bit of information.”