Fresh Bites and their nutritious pre-prepared grub

By: Rose Spicher

The pubs and restaurants of Xingguo Lu. Fantastic dim sum joints scattered through the city. Delicious international fare around Xiaobei, Taojin and beyond. And we must never, ever forget the heavenly banoffee pie at Social & Co. Gosh, why are we not losing weight?

Living in Guangzhou, finding nourishing food to eat every day is a struggle. Preparing low-fat meals at home is time consuming; munching salads every day is boring; and restaurant ‘health food’ usually contains hidden calories, not to mention that it can be expensive. Fortunately, we now have a new option. Fresh Bites is a daily meal service that aims to make eating well simple, convenient and accessible. 

Anastasia and Daniel Silva have been in Guangzhou for nearly 10 years. For much of that time, Daniel and his partner Jose Murillo have been building their company, the Dan Fitness Clan. 

“Fresh Bites started after years of working in our home, trying to develop the best meals for our fitness. We did a questionnaire, asking our clients about the most difficult part of their fitness, and they all marked ‘nutrition,’” Daniel explains. A trained exercise and nutrition specialist and the daughter of a chef, Anastasia seized the opportunity to turn her enjoyment of healthy cooking into a project that could benefit others and provide a much-needed service. She started to prepare simple, good-for-you meals for Dan Fitness Clan clients the way she did for her family. 

So what’s on the menu? A few examples: lightly seasoned ahi tuna burger, served with roasted zucchini and sweet potatoes. Perfectly glazed chicken with green beans and brown fusilli, garnished with strawberries and walnuts. Pan-seared salmon with brown rice, greens and a few sprigs of cilantro or spring onion on top. Everything Anastasia prepares is ‘clean’ – low in sodium, sugar, fat and oil. There are no added sauces except her homemade glazes and seasonings. Every serving is packed with a generous portion of protein from a lean source – usually fish or chicken – fresh vegetables and a helping of complex carbohydrates.

Anastasia designs each day’s meal based on what is seasonal and what looks good at her local market. Meals are also customizable – if a client wants one with more vegetables, less protein or no grains, Fresh Bites is happy to oblige. 

The concept doesn’t stop with lunches and dinners. Anastasia makes her own cottage cheese, and Daniel’s protein pudding is one of their most popular offerings. By beating chocolate protein powder with a small amount of water, he achieves a smooth, thick, chocolaty pudding. This is combined with oats and a thin layer of peanut butter and bananas for a sweet treat that is the perfect post-workout snack. In the future, they plan to offer even more protein-rich nibbles such as homemade protein bars and muffins. 

Fresh Bites’ fare is carefully planned, and all the components are weighed out exactly to control the calorie count and ensure the correct proportion of macronutrients. They are labeled with nutritional details and hand-written inspirational quotes. Delivery is provided in the Zhujiang Xincheng and Liede area, and customers can also arrange meeting times for pickup. 

Proper diet comprises one component of the Silvas’ and Murillo’s vision for a more united community of people who want to stay in shape. As Daniel says, their mission is “changing minds and building bodies. We do Fresh Bites because we know it makes life easier for people who need healthy meals.” The Dan Fitness Clan also provides classes and personal training, as well as coaching a youth soccer league. Additionally, they work in cooperation with Kara Wutzke of K2Fit, another fitness company in Guangzhou, and are a sponsor of the K2Fit Challenge, providing meals to winners as well as many of the participants. 

The Fresh Bites service is expanding rapidly, giving health-minded folks a new, more wholesome option in Guangzhou.

// Snacks and meals cost RMB35-65. Contact Anastasia by adding her on WeChat (anastasiasilva) or by phone: 135 4344 2240.

[Photos by Claire Zheng] 

// snacks and meals cost rMB35-65. Contact anastasia by adding her on WeChat (anastasiasilva) or by phone: 133 4344 2240.