Healthy Things to Do in Minneapolis
Eat, workout and plan a healthy trip to Minneapolis.
Healthy Restaurants
Mill Valley Kitchen in St Louis Park offers California-inspired cuisine like rainbow trout, grain bowls, and flatbreads. They list the calories of each item right on the menu so you’re never unsure about what you’re getting.
The Herbivorous Butcher offers vegan sausages and cheeses that rival the wares at any traditional butcher shop. They've got a large variety of meatless items such as bacon, brats, ribs, breakfast sausages, and sandwiches.
How about some global flavor? World Street Kitchen specializes in creating dishes that incorporate tastes from around the world. They offer rice bowls, tacos, sandwiches and lettuce wraps
Taste the flavors of the southern U.S., Caribbean and Mexico at Brasa. They source as many local products as they can and they always use 100% natural ingredients. The star of the show here is their rotisserie chicken. Try it on one of their plates paired with vegetarian black beans and yellow rice, or get it in a bowl filled with veggies and spices. They also offer a completely vegetarian menu for the non-meat eaters.
This fast-casual spot is perfect for healthy foodies. They offer Instagram-worthy plates and allow you to customize your meal to your liking, from bulletproof coffee and farro porridge to a deconstructed sushi salad and one of their most popular items, the Paleo Plate
Local, organic ingredients make the food at People’s Organic high quality, tasty and something you can feel good about eating. Think salads that will keep you full for more than an hour, sandwiches loaded with nutrients and farm-to-table entrees like street tacos and grilled salmon. Plus, breakfast all day!
Right across the street from Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun), Brim is the perfect casual spot to meet friends for brunch, stop by for happy hour, or grab a bowl for dinner and then take a stroll around the lake. Their menu easily caters to those who are vegan or gluten free, with options like a vegan poke bowl, gluten free club sandwich, and gluten free/vegan cookies and pastries galore.
Staying Active
Go shopping. No, seriously.
The Mall of America is the largest mall in the United States, which makes it great for shopping, but also for walking! Plenty of people head to the mall to get their daily dose of exercise by walking the 1.15 miles around each level. Plus, no sales tax on clothing or shoes? Added bonus.
Get on (or in) the Water
Rent a kayak, pedal boat, or stand-up paddle board from Wheel Fun Rentals, enjoy a swim from one of the many public beaches on six different lakes, enjoy a keelboat lesson from the Minneapolis Sailing Center, or check out all the other ways to enjoy our rivers and lakes.
Go cross country skiing or snowshoeing at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
16 miles of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails wind along 1,000-plus acres of woodland, prairie, wetland and open fields at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Choose from a variety of trails and pick your difficulty level. It’s a great workout with even better views, and a truly unique way to see the beauty of our nature in Minnesota.
Try a group fitness class
In Minneapolis, we love to move our bodies however we can. Whether that's taking a walk around one of our many lakes, or heading to a local fitness studio to burn those muscles. From classic yoga where you can stretch and flow, to Barre and Burn, where the intensity is turned up a notch, YogaFit has multiple locations with multiple class times every single day. Another favorite is Basecamp Fitness, offering a 35-minute high-energy, circuit workout so you can get in and get out but still get a great workout in. Other great options include Alchemy 365 (merging yoga, strength, and conditioning), Solcana (queer-friendly, social-justice minded feminist gym) ALTR (small-group HIIT classes), ZeSa Fitness (balance training and functional training), Embody (Gyrotonic classes), and The Firm (CrossFit, cycling, yoga, boxing, and more).
Your boots are made for walkin’
How about some good, old-fashioned walking? (Yes, even in the winter!) Walking around the city is the best way to get the vibe of each neighborhood and see the natural beauty we have in the heart of downtown. Wander down by the river, take a walk around one of our 13 lakes, or walk down Nicollet to do some shopping. And yes, walking from brewery to brewery in Northeast does count as exercise.
If you're looking to get deeper into nature, we've rounded up some great resources for you, from family-friendly hikes, wheelchair-accessible trails, and the top bike trails and scenic routes.
