Cooking healthy meals is hard enough at home. When trying to make fast food in bulk for others, it's even harder. Still, 46% of Americans want to eat healthier, and fast food is a great place to start!

Well, food trucks are quickly becoming one of the best and most popular options for healthy fast food. If you're planning on starting a food truck business, then making your food healthy will help you attract the most customers. Here's how!

Understand Your Target Market

Who are you trying to attract exactly? Do you want to drive vegans and vegetarians, health-conscious people, or anyone walking by who might be hungry? Understanding this is essential to determine what food to make.

Also, it will help you make decisions about the equipment you use, your marketing strategy, and so much more. We'll discuss this further later on, but keep in mind that over 51% of Gen Z actively shops with brands that align with their values. Not only that, but younger people are the prime target for food trucks!

Learn about your city and what kinds of foods are most popular. Some of the most popular diets include:

• Paleo
• Keto
• Mediterranean
• Vegan
• Vegetarian

The list goes on. Offering specialties like these can help attract more customers who are willing to pay top dollar for foods that match their dietary preferences and lifestyles.

Start With Your Ingredients

It really doesn't matter what kind of food you want to make, whether it be Mexican, cheeseburgers, or anything else. It's best to start with the building blocks of your food, which are the ingredients.

There are some easy changes you can make to your ingredients list that can make a major difference in health and sustainability. Here are a few examples:

• Whole grain bread (or wraps, paninis, etc.)
• Low-fat sauces
• Low-sugar condiments
• More plant-based alternatives

The list goes on. For the last item on the list, this doesn't have to mean choosing large brands like Impossible or Beyond, as they can be quite expensive. There are also veggie substitutes, legumes like lentils or beans, and so many other alternatives that are healthy and affordable.

From there, choosing sustainably-sourced ingredients, especially from local distributors, will help improve your brand image, as well as the health and quality of your food!

Choose Your Equipment Wisely

Another important piece of the puzzle is your equipment. For example, choosing air fryers instead of deep fryers will dramatically improve the health of your food.

Not every change will make quite the same difference, but there are still plenty of ways to improve the health of both you and your customers. Using a generator for electric stoves instead of gas, non-stick pans that require less (or no) oil, and other equipment can add up to major differences.

Also, if you want to improve the health of your food, make sure you aren't using equipment that can contaminate it. Always look for equipment with no added PFAS or other dangerous chemicals.

Experiment With New Recipes

You want your food truck to stand out, so you don't want to copy the same generic foods you see everywhere else. Instead, get some inspiration from others and try new recipes. The more unique your menu is, the more you'll stand out, which is perfect for retaining customers.

Also, think about what gaps are left for certain people. Have you ever seen a ketogenic stir fry or a paleo-friendly Middle Eastern dish in a food truck? How often do you find vegan hotdogs?

Whatever it is that you want to offer, the best method is to pick a style and try new recipes until you find your menu. You can even ask customers for feedback until you find what works best!

While you want to offer something for everyone, don't underestimate the value of niche foods. Offering some specialty items can help attract a loyal customer base. Did you know that a 5% increase in customer retention can result in up to a 95% increase in profit?

Still, you don't want to limit yourself. If you specialize in one style of food, we recommend keeping a few core menu items that most people will enjoy. From there, experiment as much as you'd like!

Make It Your Brand

Making health a part of your brand will help attract health-conscious customers and, most importantly, retain them. People are always looking for healthy and sustainable meal options, and making it clear that you offer those options will help drive hungry mouths to your truck.

Remember, most health-conscious people also care about the environment. If you're trying to attract a younger audience, then it's critical that you align with their values.

When it comes to sustainability, there's no limit to your options. Anything from an electric truck to your serving utensils will help you improve your image as an eco-friendly food truck.

Essentially, you want to own a healthy image. Making it a loud and clear part of your brand will certainly help attract health-conscious guests.

Start Cooking Healthy Fast Food

Now that you know how to make healthy fast food in your food truck, put these tips to use. The best food trucks will have their own unique recipes, the right ingredients, and the right equipment. Once you have those, you can boast to your audience about your values to help make a successful and sustainable business model!

Stay up to date with our latest tips for your food truck business, and check out our takeout containers to find the best sustainable materials for your mobile restaurant!