ionie Living Food & Tonics — Restaurant in Sarasota

August 26th, I woke at dawn with that distressing feeling of inflexibility in my wrists and hands, fearing the pains that would come when I went to move them and dreading having to get out of bed knowing that I would be making gingerly steps due to my inflamed hips. I was sick and tired of what I believed to be signs of arthritis. I knew it was only going to get worse if I did not do something and do it now.

I decided that, although I believed my diet regime was very healthy and I did some moderate exercise, I needed to stop pretending I was doing enough for my health or that I was too busy to improve my routine and do some immediate research and step it up.

After taking a morning walk, for the first time since I can’t remember when, I spent the day researching and contemplating previous consultations with Ionie and I decided to utilize the opportunity that Ionie and her café provide and pursue a course of action. I was going to eat as vegan as I could discipline myself to do and make a real, doable exercise plan.

Preparing food for meals is time consuming and I almost always choose the path of least resistance. I love eating fruit for breakfast and my daily salads. Beyond that I was scrambling for main courses and adding a variety of dairy products including yogurt, kefir and cheese and canned salmon, tuna and sardines and processed meats like sliced turkey or ham and picking up some cooked meat from the grocery deli.

I began ordering nutritious take-out meals, smoothies, juices & teas from Ionie’s 3-4 times per week. I laughed at my self for how I had been eating as I was now eating better than ever and the food was not only tremendously more beneficial and nourishing, everything I have tried is simply delicious. Believe me as I have tried just about everything, multiple times!

It has been 7 weeks since I started my new regimen. It has been life changing. I walk 2 miles in the morning 6 days a week and my hips are so vastly improved, I no longer live in fear of tying my shoes! My wrists are tremendously better. I rarely get the miserable sharp, spiking pains in them and the morning stiffness is 80% gone.

I wasn't much overweight. I'm 5'10" and weigh in at 177 lbs. I have been wanting to lose my midriff bulge and have lost 7 lbs! That is real weight loss. I feel great and am going to lose a few more.

Thank you Ionie and Olga and all your wonderful team for your help. The incredible, mouthwatering, healthy, live, organic food you prepare is the best investment anyone could make for their health. All my life I have been determined to do whatever it takes to keep from giving all my money to doctors as I grow older. If you value your well-being, investing in meals from Ionie’s is an...

i don’t think i could possibly capture this experience in words at the level it deserves. for context, i am a full time RV traveler who has seen all of 45/48 states, i am a mostly lifelong plant based eater and have been 100% organic from scratch for almost 2 years - my standards for food are high. and not just health, but energy. you’re consuming the energy of those who created it. this meal was an outright spiritual experience. we have eaten at all of the best organic/raw/vegan restaurants in the country and this takes top 5 out of any place we’ve eaten. the owner and staff have very special lights and could be seen truly enjoying what they were doing. between the 4 of us we had golden milk sweets a smoothie nori noodles pizza juice - so a little bit of the whole menu and it was all EXQUISITE. every detail was nailed, especially the presentation. the place was immaculate clean and the second we walked in it smelt healthy, no chemicals. i’m tearing up writing this because i’m so grateful to have experienced this - this is how food is meant to be. this is real food and nourishment made with love. ionie team: from someone who’s fairly well qualified to say this, you are one of the best healthy restaurants in the country. thank you for sharing your art and love with us 🤍 - ameris and eric

ps: your address has angel numbers (444) and another special...

Incredible health food option within walking distance of the Westin and Ritz resorts. My husband and I were attending a conference at the Ritz and one of the other guests had highly recommended we try Ionie for lunch and we are so glad we did. The food was so fresh and flavorful, and the staff and chefs were all very personable and attentive making sure we were taken care of and enjoying our visit and the food. They even took the time to explain the unique health benefits of their food which is all served cold to preserve the digestive enzymes and nutrient integrity. I was also amazed that not only are they completely plant-based/vegan, but they are also GLUTEN AND SOY FREE which was a huge benefit for me since I have allergies to both, making traditional vegan options at most restaurants even more limited. I was elated that I was free to eat everything on the menu! I ordered the Mac and Cheese, and my husband ordered the Lasagna and they did not disappoint. Loved it! We will surely be back before our trip concludes! Thank you, Ionie - we wish we had more options like...