After years of trying to find the perfect balance of healthy, inexpensive meals that could be picked up while on-the-go, Anthony Leone finally got fed up with over-priced egg white sandwiches from the deli. So the entrepreneur took matters into his own hands and created Energy Kitchen.

“I thought, ‘I can’t be the only guy or person trying to eat this way,’” he said. “There are probably a whole bunch of us in the city, and if we can try a healthy alternative, where everything is steamed, baked or grilled and nothing is fried, well, we have great concept on our hands.”

Photos of people doing sports hang on the walls of every store, next to signs with slogans like: “Fast food doesn’t have to be fat food,” and “You just got served a healthy meal.” The space is bright, clean and cheery: The walls are white tile and reflect the bright lights. It looks and feels like a fast food restaurant, but one that would be located inside a hip gym, and the atmosphere gives you a sense of doing something good while you eat.

After five years of peddling meals cooked just as he planned—as healthy and hearty as possible—the 40-year-old restaurant proprietor proudly opened his ninth location, this one in Chelsea, last month. Within a few weeks, people in the area were already hooked.

“I came in about a week ago and have come almost every day since,” said Chelsea resident Dan Castle, who craves the restaurant’s 390-calorie bison burger.

Castle said he enjoys Energy Kitchen because it offers healthy meals and every dish has less than 500 calories. All items are proudly listed with its respected caloric and fat content, making it easy to know exactly what you ordered and leaving little room for excuses for excessive, fatty eating. At a time when obesity is on the rise, and holiday meals are always a threat to expanding waistlines, this knowledge proves useful.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, last year over 24 percent of New Yorkers were deemed obese. In the last decade, fast food restaurants have been blamed as one of the major contributors to this fact, which is one reason Leone wants to redefine what fast food can be. He wants it to taste good and be good for you.

To test out this theory, this writer decided to pick the dish that in, my mind, would be the fattiest, worst item possible. So, out of their extensive menu of wraps, burgers and sides (such things as home-style potatoes, lentils, brown rice and mushrooms), I ordered the bison cheesesteak. At 473 calories, this proved one of the highest caloric count items on the restaurant’s menu (and costs $8.29), but less then Subway’s 6-inch “Big Philly Cheesesteak,” which clocks in with 520 calories.

While the calorie difference between these sandwiches is fairly close, the real trick, claimed Leone, is nixing the other things you would order on the side. Energy Kitchen doesn’t give you the option to of ordering a bag of potato chips or a sugary soda, which ranges from about 150 calories for a 12-ounce cup. Instead, they offer bags of Smart Puffs and bottles of low-cal VitaminWater.

“You can’t mess up when you come here and veer off your routine or diet,” said the energetic Leone. “It’s healthy made easy.”

This way of eating and working in restaurants has always been a big part of Leone’s life. He started working in the food industry washing dishes when he was 14 and eventually graduated from Florida International University in hospitality management. Now, with five successful years running and opening more Energy Kitchens, Leone looks forward to franchising the business (three of the locations already are franchises) and spread out regionally. He has big plans: By 2019, he hopes to have over 1,000 locations.

Like his Energy Kitchen signage, the Queens native speaks in inspirational jargon. One of Leone’s favorite sayings is, “It’s fast food without the guilt.” And, in a way, he is right. It’s like those Lean Cuisine or Yoplait commercials where the women talk about all the rich foods they just ate, and then, surprise! It’s actually good for you.

The catch is that Energy Kitchen’s meals taste excellent. The cheesesteak came out moist and gooey with low fat cheese, mushrooms and grilled onions. They make a rich creamed spinach with tofu as a side order, which only has 120 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. Compare with Boston Market’s—Leone’s former employer—which tallied up 280 calories and 23 grams of fat.

Leone keeps his meals low on fat and calories by not using oil or butter in anything. Also, all the food is prepared fresh, the bread is whole wheat, the red meat is low calorie bison or ostrich, and they keep the portions well sized but not gigantic.

Of course, the real trick to his success lies in making a product people want, and in some cases, need. Leone claims he eats at his restaurants everyday, and he’s not surprised when other people do the same.

“We wouldn’t be around this long if the food didn’t taste good,” Leone said, gesturing to the menu and the line of customers.

Visit www.energykitchen.com for more information, menus and a list of locations.