This may not be the right topic after reading about nightlife, La Marcha and "drinking in Spain" in some other recent threads (all good things!)?

However, while I enjoy those things, I also enjoy eating health food, good organic foods, lots of dark leaf greens, Kale, Collards, etc. I like to purchase Spirulina and other "health-nut" items at the local Whole Foods.

Is Spain accommodating for health nuts, as described above? Do they have good organic dark leaf greens, spirulina or other blue-green algae type of stuff? Is there a market for it? What about good health food restaurants? Any tips? tks.

Hi edr, I am sure Richard will have a better take on this one but in my opinion Spain (at least Madrid) has become more and more "health food oriented". I am not big on them but there are a lot of vegetarian restaurants around the city and there are "herbolarios" ("health food stores") as well.

There is a huge one alled "Comme Bio" on Calle Mayor not far from the Puerta del Sol which is also a restaurant and is usually very full (not sure if it fills up with Spaniards, tourists or a mix of both).

I do get great honey at the tiny "Herbolario San Miguel" just behind the "Mercado de San Miguel" ("St. Michael Market") off the Plaza Mayor and the same owner ("Manuel")just opened a health food stand inside the Market itself. Both are well worth a visit if you are looking for health food profucts of any kind

Another place for even better fresh honey and other healthy & holistic delights is "Salud Madrid" near the Atocha Train Station on "Paseo Santa Maria de la Cabeza #3". Bring your own jar and they will fill it with the best honey on earth.

Saludos,
jer...

Yes, I think Madrid is becoming more and more conscious about healthy foods. The Comme Bio that Jer mentions is actually a chain out of Catalonia. They have just opened another one in the Chamberi area that friends have told me is much better than the one on the Calle Mayor.

Even the Corte Ingles supermarkets offer a line of biologically grown vegetables and they have a separate health food section in the Preciados store.

My personal feeling on the matter is that just eating healthy and wisely is better than paying the exorbitant prices they ask for "bio" vegetables. Keeping away from processed foods can be a lot more beneficial than anything else from my point of view.

And, of course, everyone knows that eating anything with chocolate is the best thing you can do for anything that ails you!!

Thanks guys!

Jer, you wrote:

"I am not big on them but there are a lot of vegetarian restaurants around the city and there are "herbolarios" ("health food stores") as well."

I agree with you. I'm not "into" Vegetarian restaurants, per se. I've never been to a good one, even in Los Angeles, where health nuts, health stores and even Vegan restaurants are abundant, there's not a really good "health food" restaurant - in my opinion.

I like to enjoy life and to eat incredible food. I'm a serious food connoisseur, from Sushi to Thai food, Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Indian food, French food and even Creole (New Orleans style). Therefore, I would enjoy the local Spanish food and drink at the hot spots, rather than eating at some nasty health food place that has no vibe, flavor or atmosphere.

However, I don't go out every day, so on "routine" days, I do like to eat healthy, organic fruits and vegetables - mostly raw foods. Thus, health food stores with good quality vitamins, water and produce is important to me. As they say, everything in moderation!

I'll check out some of the "herbolarios" tips! Thank you!

Hey, what about Sushi? Any decent Sushi restaurants in Spain that live up to serious Sushi fanatic's standards? I'm not talkin' the typical California roll, I'm talkin' good Sashimi ... like, Yellow Tail, Toro, Salmon, Uni, etc ... you know, that's like butter and melts in your mouth?

I realize this is a Madrid site, but if anyone needing assistance with where to eat really good, spicy food in Los Angeles or New York, I can hook you up - send me an email.

Cheers! edr

Hey edr.

Your vegetarian cravings (and mine!!) can certainly be satified in those asian restaurants. That is where I head when I am on my vegetarian day.

Sushi: I am a nut on this too. And in Madrid we are in luck because the basic ingredient is fish and where better than in the second fish consuming country in the world after Japan??? One of my favorites is definitely "Musashi" (Las Conchas, 4). That's a little tiny street between Opera and Callao. This is a little unpretentious place that is always full of Japanese and young in-the-know Madrile�os. Inexpensive but really good food.

I love Sushi as well but am not quite the Sushi nut Richard is. I know the basics and while there are a lot of places here in Madrid to get it, I find many not very tastt, rather expensive and a bit pretentious.

I have found a decent place that only delivers their Sushi or lets you take it away(no eat in). I personally like the Sushi there.

It is called Sushi Ya and is on Calle Cadarso #15 (behind the Plaza de Espa�a). There is a map as well as their entire menu with lots of yummy pics at their website www.telesushi.com (that domain is classic )

Richard, maybe you can try this place and let us know what you think.

Saludos,
jer...

Jer.
I am a pioneer client of Sushi Ya. Still like to sit down in a little atmosphere and know that it was just made...

But I have called in a lot of times when I just want to sit around and chill and have sushi at home....

This is getting real off-subject but interesting. I am going to open a new subject "Ethnic foods in Madrid... where to go".

Let's get on there and talk about Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Asian and all that. I think it could be interesting for we that live here and I would like to know where other folks go.....

Great idea Richard, I too thought this thread was getting off the health food topic originally started by edr.

So, if anyone wants to talk about health food in Spain, keep it on this thread but if you want to discuss ethnic foods in Madrid, please go to the new topic thread started by Richard at
www.multimadrid.com/cgi-bin/jersbbucgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=000031

Saludos,
jer...

I hope nobody will mind me reviving this old thread... where would one go in Madrid to assemble own cereal? I'm not big on boxed Kellogs or Nestle combos - I used to buy separatelly different types of muesli, sunflower seeds, corn flakes etc and mixed them together. Where would you go to buy those in bulk? Would it be mercados?

Nuts and seeds and dried fruit you can buy in bulk at a 'frutos secos' store. Herbolarios and some organic fruterias carry bulk muesli and grains. For corn flakes (copitos de maiz), you could just buy a box of the plain ones for mixing purposes...