In the dining sector, the decision to skip greasy, fatty foods in favor of healthy alternatives was honored for the first time this year.

A Bowl of Good on Mount Clinton Pike in Harrisonburg won Best Healthy Options, and owner Katrina Didot is happy for the recognition.

“We’ve won in other categories before, but haven’t been recognized in a few years,” Didot said. “Sometimes we get lost behind the downtown crowd a little bit, but we’re very pleased to be chosen, and I think it’s an accurate choice.”

Didot opened A Bowl of Good in 2005 with the goal of making food with healthy, unprocessed ingredients.

“We aspire to be passionate purveyors of good, locally sourced food, and have been since 2005, before the whole big local food movements,” Didot said. “I think we were forerunners in local, healthy, internationally-inspired food — all things that are very popular now.”

Lunch is their busiest time of the day, with crowd favorites like the Bowl de la Milpa — a Spanish inspired bowl — and the It’s All Greek To Me salad — featuring garbanzo salad with hummus, pita and dolmas.

“It may be in the middle of the work day … and you don’t want to eat a heavy hamburger that you will feel for the rest of the day,” Didot said. “I love a good hamburger, but you can’t do that every day.”

Although lunch is popular at the restaurant, their Saturday morning breakfast is often overlooked.

The “All-you-should-eat” buffet offers a variety of dishes from three cooks that change weekly depending on what they get locally.

But Didot wants to make sure potential customers know that healthy does not have to mean tasteless or bland.

“We’re healthy, but the food is delicious,” she said. “Healthy options should never be interpreted as not exciting and not yummy.”

For more information or to look at the menu, visit abowlofgood.com.