The Healthiest Food Trucks In America

By Nicole McDermott ^[1]

Eating street meat straight out of a roach coach -- not exactly the most glamorous outpost for people looking for a quick bite. But lucky us, street vendors are hitting the road and glamming up fast food. We rounded up the best food trucks across the U.S. with meals on wheels that take a healthy, innovative, sustainable and gourmet approach to standard street fare. Good Humor trucks may have been at the forefront of mobile treats, but now gourmet sandwiches, smoothies and salads are taking over. Below is where to find 10 of the best. Then click over to Greatist to see the full list.^[2] ^[3]

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Blenders And Bowls -- Austin, Texas

Look out for this bright yellow truck with matching bananas strewn across the service window. Blenders and Bowls specialize in organic açaí bowls -- a thick blend of the açaí berry topped with hemp granola, a variety of fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey. These guys are all about the superfoods, like cacao, chia seeds, goji berries, hemp and yerba mate (just to name a few). A cold treat that can be made vegan or gluten free, the bowls go for $7 each. Track 'em down: @BlendersBowls, or visit the brick and mortar store at 206 East 4th St., Austin, TX.

Bon Me -- Boston, Massachusetts

This baby blue truck makes the majority of its drinks, dressings and desserts from scratch. Popular beverages like the Thai basil limeade and ginger lemonade add some spice to standard warm weather drinks. Main menu offerings include rice bowls (brown rice available!), the Bon Me sandwich and noodle salads (all $6). The most popular choice? The soba noodle salad with tofu and shiitake mushrooms drizzled with toasted sesame dressing, says Bon Me team member Jenn Ngo. Aside from daily protein specials, the truck always has Chinese BBQ pork, spice rubbed chicken and tofu and shiitake mushrooms. Track 'em down: @bonme

The Cinnamon Snail -- New York, New York

With a vegan and organic menu that changes seasonally, the snail features breakfast burritos and some pretty gourmet sandwiches when lunchtime rolls around. With no escargot actually on the menu, the snail gets its name from the truck's signature cinnamon rolls. Expect to pay around $7 to $8 for sandwiches (like the maple mustard tempeh), and $2 to $4 for desserts like the miniature cheesecakes and vegan donuts and, duh, those rolls. Track 'em down: @VeganLunchTruck

Clover -- Boston, Massachusetts

These trucks (in 11 locations!) feature a changing menu focusing on freshness with juices, summer salads and winter soups. The food truck fleet serves local, vegetarian, mostly organic meals. Clover jazzes up old favorites in fun ways like the hand-cut French fries with rosemary, zucchini fritters and chilled cucumber and mint soup. The trucks themselves run on recycled vegetable oil, and all the utensils, napkins and other items are compostable. All sandwiches, which sell for $6 each, come in a thick hunk of warm pita bread. Track 'em down: @cloverfoodtruck, or visit the brick and mortar store at 7 Holyoke St., Cambridge, MA.

GMonkey Mobile -- Durham, Connecticut

This vegetarian, eco-friendly food truck (it runs on biofuel), promises to source most of their ingredients from local farms and food producers. GMonkey offers vegan and gluten-free options, too! Vegan donuts, locally produced cheeses, sweet potato fries (cooked in 100 percent vegetarian canola oil) and organic smoothies are just a few options. Why the name? "G" for the truck's sustainability (g for green), and "monkey" for the animal's high intelligence and mostly vegetarian diet. The truck also features a raw food line, with items like the curried un-chicken salad (made from sprouted nuts and seeds). Meals range from $8 to $10. Track 'em down: @gmonkeymoblie

Good Food -- Madison, Wisconsin

This truck serves scratch-made soups when it's cold, and offers daily special salads and wraps made with fresh herbs year round. "A little fresh basil or cilantro (or both) makes everything better," says founder Melanie Nelson. While Madison has a lot of ethnic food carts, hot dog food carts, and all sorts of street-side fried treats, Nelson wanted to provide a truck focusing on leafy greens, veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts and lean proteins with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. Good Food vends if it's 10 degrees or 100 degrees, and whips up custom meals with choice of a fresh apple or banana. The "Meal Deal" -- the soup of the day plus a small wrap or salad -- goes for $7. Track 'em down: @thegoodfoodcart

The Green Pirate Juice Truck -- New York, New York

These guys offer fresh, healthy, delicious refreshments. Green Pirate not only pumps its customers with nutritious beverages -- they teach what they preach. Founder Deborah Smith, a graduate of the <a href="http://www.integrativenutrition.com/">Institute for Integrative Nutrition</a>, offers one-on-one juicing guidance. Try the fan favorite, Pear Essentials (pear, cantaloupe, lime, cucumber, mint), or The McCarrot Park (carrot, ginger, apple). Aside from fresh juices, the truck recently added a shake made with homemade organic raw almond milk, blueberries, dates, raw cacao nibs, organic vanilla and raw honey to the menu. Green Pirate also offers classes on healthy cooking, composting and cleansing. Get a .50 cent discount with your own 16 oz. cup from home. Track 'em down: @juicepirate

Green Truck -- San Diego, California

Green Truck believes in providing healthy, fresh, organic food -- but also spreads the green past the plate. Recycled vegetable oil from the previous day's cooking powers the trucks, and solar panels provide extra energy. They also use either recyclable or compostable utensils and packaging, which are then composted and delivered back to the farms that provide the truck's ingredients. Burgers, like the vegan Mother Trucker (gluten-free patty, tomato, local sunflower sprouts, beet sauce and goat's milk feta, aged cheddar or smoked gouda), and entrees like heirloom beet and quinoa salad sell for $7 to $10. Track 'em down: @GreenTruck_SD

Happy Belly Curbside Kitchen -- Atlanta, Georgia

This farm-to-street truck focuses on fresh, affordable food and donates 5 percent of its profits to the Boys & Girls Club of Atlanta. Some of the inventive creations include the Happy Belly signature kale Waldorf salad, with green apples, blue cheese, pecans, applewood smoked bacon and honey dressing, and the Puffin Paleo (free-range chicken on a bed of sautéed zucchini noodles, pine nuts and fresh basil pesto). Meals are $8 to $10. Track 'em down: @happybellytruck

Hola Arepa -- Minneapolis, Minnesota

This truck sticks to mostly sustainable Latin cuisine, and uses only locally raised all-natural meats. They specialize in arepas, Venezuelan cornmeal patties cooked on a griddle, split open like a pita and stuffed with deliciousness. And by deliciousness, we mean a choice of beans, tasty sauces, cheese, veggies and proteins like pesto chicken or slow-roasted pork. All of the arepas -- just $6 a pop -- are also gluten-free. Find Hola Arepa in downtown Minneapolis, most weekdays, and once a week in downtown St. Paul. Track 'em down: @holaarepa