With an eye on healthy growth for both the body and the greater Summerville community, Lean Kitchen owners Chris and Tiffany Phillips know food can be a fast option and still pack a tasty, nutritional punch.

The lifelong health enthusiasts and parents of three boys know how challenging it is to sustain a daily diet that blends variety, real nutrition and that unicorn of a low-calorie yum factor – especially if comestible retailers are on the other side of a traffic-jammed town.

“We see the growth that is happening in the Nexton and Carnes Crossroads areas and recognized the need for healthy food options here,” said Chris Phillips, a retired U.S. Navy man who has coached baseball in the community for more than 20 years and works out three or four times a week.  “Lean Kitchen meals and supplements can enhance anyone's lifestyle and diet,”

Tiffany Phillips is a daily Peloton enthusiast who has worked in the healthcare industry for 27 years.  The couple opened Lean Kitchen this past June at the 2139 N. Main St. location, only a stone’s throw from the College Park intersection.

Between his work with developing children in sports and hers with patients, the couple has a comprehensive understanding of how critical a healthy diet is to a well-functioning body and mind. Whether the customer is a family with growing children or a busy professional working toward fitness or weight-loss goals, the need for practical, healthy food options that can be juggled into a fast-paced schedule remains the same.

The Lean Kitchen line offers a plethora of foodie-fabulous choices. Patrons can dine on Lean Kitchen’s chicken bacon ranch wraps, try a taco or roasted red potato bowl, go pescatarian with the fish tacos, or lean toward land and sea with the shrimp and sausage entrée. Even children are fans of the options, especially the meatball mac-n-cheese “muscle bites.”

There are 32 well-proportioned menu items, a few vegan options, plenty of gluten- and dairy-free choices and the expected low-carb alternatives. The ingredients are what one would anticipate finding in a health-conscious home: lean beef and turkey, white meat chicken, olive oil, organic vegetables and wild-caught seafood. 

“Our meals are never fried, never frozen and they’re all cooked in house,” Chris Phillips said. “Given the variety available, the meals are cost efficient and highly convenient. If you don’t consume something by the ‘best by’ date, it can be frozen and it’s just as good.”

The couple has a certified nutritionist and personal trainer on staff, and they also have a supplement line geared toward fitness, muscle growth and muscle recovery. Their shelves hold protein options, pre- and post-workout items, vitamins, collagens, superfoods, green powders and CBD products.

They offer an “order ahead” choice for Sunday-to-Monday pickups and Monday deliveries to zip codes surrounding the 29486 area where their store is located. Customers can also drop by in the midst of a busy lunch break and select meals right from the coolers.

“You won’t get bored because there are so many options to choose from, and the meals make it convenient and keep you from going through the fast-food line on busy days, which means you get the nutrition you need with the convenience we all desire,” Phillips said. “There’s a common theme of higher protein and lower calories and all the meals we offer have balanced macro (nutrients) and scan on My Fitness Pal and Weight Watchers apps.  This makes it easy to stay on track for your nutrition goals, for those of us who are tracking our macros.”

The seven main macronutrients are water, protein, carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, minerals and fats.

“The variety our meals provide is fabulous because you aren’t eating the same thing every night,” he noted. “We’ve always been health conscious, but we would have been more health conscious if we had this type of option of simplifying healthier eating habits, even with our busy lifestyle.”  

Nutrition authorities across the Internet, from Harvard University to the National Institute of Health and even major insurance companies such as Aetna, report good nutrition that consistently provides thriving levels of vitamins and minerals, a lack of processing and keeps the starchy bleached flour choices to a stringent minimum are not just good for physical health, but lead to better and more consistent moods.

Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health conditions worldwide. A diet closer to the Mediterranean model that includes a high percentage of lean proteins, fresh vegetables and healthy fats like olive oil and avocado as well as nuts, seeds and fruits is associated with a decrease in depression.

For the health-forward couple, nurturing the community they love in this way is important.

“We live in Summerville and we love it, and we love being part of community events like Third Thursday, various running events and Chamber of Commerce functions,” Phillips said.  “We wanted to give back to the community and make healthy meal options and overall good health more accessible.”