You may have been striving to achieve the perfect beach body and healthy lifestyle for spring break. However, with midterms and due dates piling up it may have been hard to achieve. But there's no need to stress, there's still time to accomplish your goal for summer. 

It can seem hard to do this while being a college student. Some may not have the ability to get their hands on healthy food. It's tempting to pick up fast food when you're rushing from class to class. On top of that, the thought of finals approaching and warm weather taking over makes ice cream sound more appealing.

However, its quite simple.  If you're looking to ditch your old habits and pick up the healthy lifestyle, Purple Bowl is a great place to start. This restaurant has been open for a few months now and is located conveniently on Franklin Street, only a short walk to campus. 

Purple Bowl, a family owned business, was opened by Taylor Gilland. Taylor ran track at UVA and valued the idea of fueling one's body with healthy food. He stumbled upon acai and fell in love with the healthy benefits it provides. 

Acai is high in antioxidants and is great for recovery after an injury. Purple Bowl uses organic and unsweetened acai in their bowls. This generates a bowl that's low in added sugar and that's filled with a multitude of health benefits.

I spoke with Steph Bryant, the nutrition consultant at Purple Bowl, to get the insider information on the products at the restaurant. She explained with confidence that Purple Bowl's acai bowls are lower in sugar than other competitors. The restaurant uses products that have little to no added sugars. 

If you're interested in more of the macronutrients and calories included in the acai bowls, the restaurant has the nutritional facts behind the register.

Cassie Sumfest

If you're not in the mood for an acai bowl, the restaurant offers different toast options and soups. A popular toast variation includes the avocado toast sprinkled with chili flakes. If you're looking to have a little bit of everything, you can order the soup in two different sizes; cup and bowl, as well has the acai bowls in three different sizes; snack, regular and giant bowls. 

What's great about this restaurant is the ability to build your own bowl. You are given the choice to pick the size, the base,  fruit toppings, and additional toppings. There are three different bases including the classic acai, vanilla protein base and a green base. From there, you can pick two or more fruits and three or more additional toppings. 

After eating at Purple Bowl you'll leave content and satisfied. Acai provides a slow-release energy after eating which is in contrast to the fast-releasing energy which can cause sugar crashes, leaving you sluggish after consuming carbohydrates. In addition, acai is great for weight loss support. Acai berries contain amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. Essential fatty acids are also heavily concentrated in acai. Fatty acids are beneficial and are correlated to lower heart disease, lower risk of cancer and increased longevity. Furthermore, all of these vitamins, proteins, fats, and slow-release energy make acai bowls perfect for weight loss support. 

With all of this in mind, it's quite obvious to see that visiting Purple Bowl could help you reach your goals of adopting a healthy lifestyle and getting that beach body you always wanted.