Resolve to try ethnic dining for the New Year

Lyla

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.

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The Mediterranean Diet includes high amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, beans and nuts.

The Mediterranean Diet includes high amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, beans and nuts.
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The Mediterranean Diet includes high amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, beans and nuts.

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.

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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.

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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.

Agnes All Natural Grill

Caribbean

416 E. Third St. Dayton

(937) 368-8787

Ajanta India Restaurant

North Indian

3063 Woodman Dr., Kettering

(937) 296-9200

Akashi Sushi Bar

Japanese / Korean

2020 Harshman Rd., Dayton

(937) 233-8005

Amar India Restaurant

North Indian

2751 Miamisburg Centerville Rd., Centerville

(937) 439-9005

Azra’s Mediterranean Cuisine

Mediterranean

2nd Street Market, 600 E. Second St., Dayton

(937) 813-2756

Cafe Terra

Greek / Turkish

8351 N. Main St., Dayton

(937) 387-9622

Cedarland Bakery and Restaurant

Lebanese

4515 Linden Ave., Dayton

(937) 610-2888

Ginger & Spice

Chinese

1105 Brown St., Dayton

(937) 716-1298

Kabuki Korean Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Japanese / Korean

848 S. Main St., Centerville

(937) 435-9500

Kung Fu Noodle

Chinese

2801 S. Dixie Dr., Dayton

(937) 938-9027

Linh’s Bistro and Restaurant

Vietnamese / Chinese

5532 Airway Rd., Riverside

(937) 252-1857

Ozu852

Japanese

852 Union Blvd., Englewood

(937) 832-3000

Nanyea Restaurant Coffeehouse and Bar

Ethiopian

6129 N. Dixie Dr., Dayton

(937) 396-4013

Nelly’s Chicken

Bolivian

79 S. Main St., Centerville

(937) 859-5555

Prems Chennai Delight

South Indian

725 Lyons Rd., Washington Twp.

(937) 949-3850

Salar Restaurant and Lounge

Peruvian

400 E. Fifth St., Dayton

(937) 203-3999

Shen’s Szechuan & Sushi

Chinese / Japanese

7580 Poe Ave., Dayton

(937) 898-3860

Sima

Japanese / Korean

1771 Woodman Dr., Kettering

(937) 258-7040

SKY Asian Cuisine

Japanese

4090 Wilmington Pike, Kettering

(937) 949-9883

caption arrowCaption

Sky Asian Cuisine’s snowflake roll ($16) dressed with grilled sea bass, spicy lobster and avocado wrapped in soy bean or and served with an orange mayo and eel sauce is a decadent, creamy option that is as rich and savory as it sounds. ALEXIS LARSEN/CONTRIBUTED

Sky Asian Cuisine’s snowflake roll ($16) dressed with grilled sea bass, spicy lobster and avocado wrapped in soy bean or and served with an orange mayo and eel sauce is a decadent, creamy option that is as rich and savory as it sounds. ALEXIS LARSEN/CONTRIBUTED
caption arrowCaption

Sky Asian Cuisine’s snowflake roll ($16) dressed with grilled sea bass, spicy lobster and avocado wrapped in soy bean or and served with an orange mayo and eel sauce is a decadent, creamy option that is as rich and savory as it sounds. ALEXIS LARSEN/CONTRIBUTED

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 [email protected] with the information and we will work to include it in future coverage.

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