By Callie Sharkey
Eating healthier is a common goal — for parents trying to juggle busy schedules with healthy food habits, and for adults trying to lose weight or keep to dietary restrictions. Sometimes, these challenges leave us rushing around and settling for whatever food we can find, which is often fast and less than healthy.
But a City of West Palm Beach police officer named Wolfgang Brunet set out to change the way people eat, recently opening a new Ideal Nutrition storefront in Wellington, one of five operated by Brunet’s company.
“During my law enforcement career, I worked long hours and found it very difficult to prepare healthy meals at home. Other police officers shared this frustration with me. I knew there had to be a better way, so I opened a small kitchen in West Palm Beach and started making fully prepared meals with fresh, locally sourced ingredients,” said Brunet, CEO and founder of Ideal Nutrition. “This idea blossomed into what Ideal Nutrition is today. Making life healthier and more convenient for other people is the greatest joy for me.”
While you may have seen Ideal Nutrition delivery vans around — they currently deliver from Vero Beach to Miami — this is no ordinary meal service. Each meal is perfectly portioned as a single serving for only $7.70 per meal. One price, no matter the meal, and you don’t have to be a subscriber.
“Our meals are never frozen — that is a big staple in our company. The meals are not all pure protein and vegetable, some have a delicious starch on the side, but it’s all balanced and already portioned so you’re not going to overeat,” Ideal Nutrition Marketing Director Dena Chislak said. “I eat the food every day. The Chicken Cordon Bleu is probably my favorite. When you cut into it, it’s cheesy but not too much. It already has your vegetable, your starch, and you’re done. I don’t have to worry about anything else. It’s so delicious.”
Brunet’s kitchen opened in 2016 and was intended as a meal delivery service. Now, Ideal Nutrition has a 43,000-square-foot kitchen where all meals are carefully and safely prepared and packaged for delivery to the five stores, or directly to customers’ homes.
“Consistency is the key: high quality, fresh food that is already prepared for you,” Brunet said. “The work is done for you. Life can be so much easier when cooking is taken care of and there’s no cleaning up. I believe everyone should be able to afford that luxury, and now they can.”
Brunet likes to keep his Florida company supporting Florida by using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. For this reason, the menu rotates several meals each week.
“We like to keep all the traditional dishes for people who count on those, but there is always something new and exciting. A lot of the menu is based on what is local and what is easily available right here. We don’t like to haul food in from outside Florida,” Chislak said. “For the first time, we are making these overnight oats as a meal because it has become a hit lately, and I think people appreciate having options. It doesn’t matter if you are paleo, keto, vegan — we have everything, so that goes back to the convenience factor.”
Chislak recommends anyone looking to try out Ideal Nutrition to visit online and check out the menu, and feel free to call the Wellington store to order or see what is in stock. Don’t want delivery? That is why the storefront exists, and curbside pickup is available for those in a hurry.
“Just take the meals from the bag to the fridge, and you’re done. Put it in your microwave or air fryer, and in two or three minutes, you’re good to go. Unless it is one of the wraps or muffins, which you can eat right away or put it in the fridge for later,” Chislak said. “The containers are 100 percent recyclable and BPA free.”
A mother herself, Chislak is thrilled that her children not only eat healthy food but can also hit the fridge and eat what they want because they love the meals.
“My seven-year-old is one extremely picky eater, so I think she is the best endorsement I could make,” Chislak said.
She used to have a subscription to another popular meal service, but she still had to prep, cook and clean. When Chislak crunched the numbers, it was more expensive than if she went to the grocery store in person. “Now, the price is so affordable, and I love telling people about it,” she said. “It’s healthy and you can afford it. It’s cheaper than getting fast food from the drive through!”
Be on the lookout for Ideal Nutrition at community events, especially ones that involve first responders and the Police Athletic League, including camps for kids. One of the company’s newest partners is the local nonprofit Little Smiles.
Not sure what to try first? Check out Brunet’s favorite, No. 18, the Paleo Grilled Chicken and Sweet Potato Mash, which is gluten-free and often tops the list of favorites.
Ideal Nutrition’s Wellington store is located at 10160 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite C-160, near LA Fitness in the Pointe at Wellington Green. Visit www.idealnutritionnow.com to see the current menu or call the Wellington store at (561) 990-2160. For more information, there is a live chat on the web site, e-mail support@idealnutritionnow.com or call (888) 557-2018. Call center hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays.
