Paul Leavy|The Valdosta Daily Times

VALDOSTA — Fat-free and organic foods are on the menu.

Whether people are becoming more aware of the benefits of healthy eating, or they have healthy food choices now, the demand and interest for a nutritious diet is growing in Valdosta.

Rodeo Mexican Restaurant, for example, has added new light and vegetarian dishes to their menu — all with light cheeses and fat-free sour cream to address its customers’ requests.

Angel Ocasio, the assistant manager of the Rodeo restaurant on Ashley Street, has noticed that people are becoming more health conscious recently.

“More and more people are eating healthier and healthier,” he said. “That’s why we offer light and fat-free salad dressings and cheeses, and we added new dishes to the vegetarian and light menu.”

There is a place on Ashley Street that has been around for 40 years now. Ma Perkins Natural Foods is a store that offers vitamins and herbs, as well as organic snacks, supplements, organic juices, teas, magazines and books for a healthy lifestyle.

Doris M. Perkins has been the owner of the store for 30 years. She said that people usually go to her asking for specific products they heard of or found in a magazine or the Internet.

“People are into organic foods and are showing more interest, “ she said.

That is what Robin and Jerry Williams, the owners of Natural Health, believe, too. They opened their store for natural products on March 24 in Remerton.

Natural Health offers all kinds of supplements, minerals, vitamins, organic cosmetics, herb extracts, dairy- and glutamin-free products and children’s vitamins.

Robin Williams has a degree in biology, and living healthy has always been her priority.

People in Valdosta have always been concerned about eating properly, she said, but they were unable to find the products in Valdosta. They were going to Tallahassee, Fla., or other bigger cities instead.

“We are growing and working with the community,” said Robin Williams. “It’s getting better every day.”

Williams said they are making special orders for customers in case they don’t have the product in the store at the moment. They are also trying to support local farmers and are even considering opening a farmers market in the near future to offer locally produced meat.

The Main Squeeze, is another healthy place that just opened on Baytree Road three weeks ago. It offers fresh and all-natural juices and smoothies. Owner Spence Romine said customers show a growing interest in consuming nutritious drinks and foods.

In addition, the “Fresh thinking, healthy eating” Pita Pit started business in Valdosta a year ago. In an article from 2008, the owners Justin and Joey Nijem said the food is healthy because they grill the meat, and everything is prepared in front of the customer. They also have a great selection of vegetables to choose from as toppings. On the Web site pitapitusa.com, people can build their own pita, and a food calculator will show them the number of calories, fiber, fat, cholesterol, protein, sodium and carbs in it.

Valdosta State University also provides nutritious information to students who care for a healthy diet on the Web site balancemindbodysoul.com. They can ask a dietitian online if they have concerns or doubts about what is healthy.



Contact Information:

Ma Perkins Natural Foods, Inc.

Owner: Doris M. Perkins

(229) 244-5440

Location: 2110 N. Ashley St.



Natural Health

Owners: Robin and Jerry Williams

(229) 245-0100

Location: 1305 Baytree Road.



The Main Squeeze

Owner: Spence Romine

(229) 244-8966

Location: 1001 Baytree Road.



The Pita Pit

Owners: Justin and Joey Nijem

(229) 249-8070

Location: 607 Baytree Road.



Rodeo Mexican Restaurant

(229) 671-1866

Location 2801 N. Ashley St.

Web site: rodeomexican.com