Eating out is such a nice treat and a wonderful break from cooking and doing dishes. However, if you are trying to make healthy decisions about food it can be a challenge to eat out. There are sometimes when you are going to decide that you are not worried about what you are eating when you go out for a nice dinner, and that is perfectly wonderful. Some meals out are meant to be treasured moments where calories have no meaning and you should just indulge in the glory that is a big cheeseburger with fries or a big slice of cake at dessert 🙂 However if you are someone who may eat out a lot or when you do eat out want to make smart choices it can be a real challenge navigating a menu.
For starters, if you are eating at a restaurant that has 20 or more locations federal law requires they include nutritional information in their menus. That can make it very easy to chose lower calorie meals. But if you are like me then you enjoy eating at small local restaurants that are not required to post this information, and so you are on your own to make good choices!
Here are some ways that I order at restaurants:
*Begin by checking out salad options. I love salad so I would probably start here even if I was not trying to make healthy choices but it is important to remember that salads are not always good for you. Try to find one that includes a form of protein in it and extra vegetables on top. If it includes cheese you can ask for it on the side and be sure to always ask for dressing on the side! Stay away from fatty dressings likes ranch, blue cheese or thousand island. I like to keep it simple with a balsamic vinaigrette. Just remember the more toppings the salad has the more calories it is going to have.
*If a salad does not sound good I then like to check out the fish options, many restaurants will offer fairly simple fish options and you can sub in a side of veggies instead of sides like rice or potatoes.
*If eating somewhere like Italian I try to choose a pasta that has a simple tomato sauce and then you can ask to add vegetables on top and then add your own Parmesan. Angel hair pomodoro is a good option for Italian. Stay away from really cheesy entrees or rich creamy sauces, eggplant Parmesan may sound healthy but remember it is breaded and fried!!
*Stop at one piece of bread or no piece of bread from the basket! Ask for olive oil to dip it into instead of butter, the calories are not that much different but the health benefits from olive oil are extraordinary!
*Ask for any sauces to be on the side, typically restaurants add way more sauce than you really need so this way you can control how much you have.
*If you are ordering a higher calorie dish immediately ask for a to go box and dish half of it up right away to take home
*Share!!! The majority of the time I eat out with my mom we will share food, I can order a salad and she a sandwich and then we split. That way you can still have that yummy meat and bread sandwich and a healthy salad as well.
*Mexican, Italian and Asian I would say are the absolute hardest places for me to eat healthy. Not that they don’t have healthy options it is just that obviously cheese enchiladas or lasagna sound much better! Lucky for me we really limit eating out so if I splurge at places like this I don’t feel guilty 🙂 I know that one meal out a week with extra calories in it is not going to send me back to a unhealthy life. It helps me to plan ahead, if I know we are having a big dinner out then I have a smaller lunch. Remember, eating out like any other part of healthy living is about moderation.
Most importantly, don’t stress out about it. Living a healthy lifestyle does not have to mean denying yourself everything. When you start to eat healthy it becomes a part of your being and eating a healthy piece of fish at a restaurant feels natural and wonderful, not like you are “dieting”.
Run and Rest 