In eating out the rule of thumb is just do the best you can. Life isn’t about being perfect–it’s about doing your best. So I am going to give you some examples of healthy decisions to make when eating out. I broke this section down into 3 categories of restaurants.
Favorite Dining Places:
Bone Fish Grill or Seafood Restaurant: I get whatever fish they have that isn’t farm-raised with double vegetables and a salad. For dressing I request olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Thai or Sushi Restaurant: I usually get a coconut chicken curry dish, skip the white rice and do veggies. If I’m feeling crazy I might ask the server if they have brown rice and throw a bit of that in as well.
Olive Garden or other Italian Joint: I skip the pasta and get extra veggies like a side of spinach, mixed veggies, or broccoli instead. I also tell the waiter to please not bring me the basket of breadsticks that go straight to the belly and butt, and then give him or her a quick lecture on why they should replace their breadsticks with raw veggies and hummus.
Lunch places:
Whole Foods Market: If you live in Nashville, there is a 50/50 chance that at any given time that you will see me in here. Whether I’m having a lunch meeting, doing my usual grocery shopping, or teaching a shopping or cooking class, this is my favorite place to grab something healthy.
Jason’s Deli: Great organic options, huge salads. I love this place.
Panera Bread: Chicken, side salad, and green tea.
Fast Food Places:
Chipotle or other Mexican places: I skip the tortilla shell and go ‘naked’ on this one (and also skip the rice). I get black beans, pinto beans, peppers, onions, chicken, and tomato salsa. If you’re into fajitas, do the same thing but skip the shell. If it looks authentic, I get some avocado or guacamole as well.
Chick-fil-a: Grilled chicken breast (skip the bun) and get a side salad.
Starbucks: Green Tea (hold the whip cream and caramel) with a piece of fruit.
McDonalds or other competitors: Fast… No, I’m not telling you not to eat, I’m telling you to get out of the building–fast!! But seriously, just do the best you can. Chicken breast and fruit is probably your best bet.
There are also plenty of local restaurants in Nashville where I live that serve local produce, grass-fed beef and free-range eggs. You can do an Internet search for local restaurants in your city that serve farm fresh foods.
What is your favorite restaurant for eating out?
I travel a lot for work and just got back from a trip to the DC area yesterday where I went to a local Whole Foods for lunch and ate at Chipotle in the Dulles airport for dinner which was a great find. If I’m in an airport without something like Chipotle and don’t have time to get salmon or salad from a sit down restaurant, I’ll just pick up one of the prepared salads from one of the stores. I skip the dressing and any croutons and try to remove some of the cheese. But as you say, it’s the best I can do.
The hardest thing for me is breakfast if I don’t have time to run to a grocery store and pick up some berries or fruit the night before. Usually the hotels have some sort of fruit and I make sure to pack plenty of Larabars for the trip.
This is great… hilarious
Since I’m a vegetarian, I’m usually limited to salads, and other veggies when we eat out. Unfortunately, sometimes I get dessert.