By Taylor Crimford
So you want to eat healthy? But you also want to eat out! Luckily for you, you can do both and do it quite easily!
Believe it or not, in my opinion it’s actually easier to eat healthy at your favorite restaurant than by trying to cook healthy at home! Here’s why – as our lives get busier, it is harder to find the time to plan healthy menus, go grocery shopping, and then actually cook meals. At least it is for me, and honestly, I’m beat at the end of the day and while I enjoy the 10 minutes it takes for me to eat a meal, it is not worth the typical hour it takes to prep, cook and clean up. And not to mention arguing with my wife as to who is going to load and unload the dishwasher!
And so, I end up eating out quite a lot. And I’ve learned that with a little planning, paying attention to what’s offered on restaurant menus, and asking the wait staff for healthier alternatives to what traditionally are considered unhealthy foods, eating out and eating healthy go hand in hand.
So what do I mean by planning? Well, for one it means that I try to limit eating out to once a day. So, if I eat out at lunch then I eat at home for dinner. When I do cook, I try to make plenty of leftovers so that many days I have a free meal!
Also, planning means that I plan what restaurant I go to and have an idea of what healthy alternatives are offered there prior to going out to eat. Having many different menus all in one place in Menu Dining helps me do this because I can scan the menus to see what sounds appetizing when making my decision on where to eat.
For example, say that for lunch I want something quick, yet tasty. As I look through the menus I notice Tiger Bites has a grilled chicken pita served with lettuce, tomato, onion and satzikis! And they have a coupon for free chips and drink with sandwich purchase. So I called and they have baked chips and diet drinks. Voila! An easy, tasty, healthy meal!
Or perhaps one evening I want to have a glass of wine prior to dinner. I notice that Olive Street Bistro offers Cappelini Al Pomodoro which features angel hair pasta tossed with fresh diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. Add in a fresh salad and Voila, another, delicious healthy meal! And as an added bonus, in the coupon section of this magazine, Olive Street Bistro offers half price wine from 2 – 6. So I pop in prior to six, order a glass of red wine (which studies have shown to offer a myriad of health benefits) and have a great, healthy dinner!
As I mentioned earlier, I also pay attention to what is offered on restaurant menus. Most people know that chicken can offer a healthy alternative when choosing a meal. Virtually every restaurant offers some type of grilled, smoked or otherwise healthily prepared dish using chicken.
For example, Blue Moon BBQ and Grill’s menu offers a smoked chicken lunch plate special for only $4.99. BBQ smoke adds a wonderful taste to chicken with no unhealthy by-products. And you get two sides with the lunch plate special, and since they offer corn on the cob, green beans, turnip greens and other healthy alternatives, choosing a chicken plate is a no brainer!
Virtually every restaurant offers healthy meals straight from the menu, whether they feature chicken, fish, lean cuts of beef, salads, vegetables, etc. I’m sure that as you look through the accompanying menus you’ll find plenty of healthy alternatives straight off the menu pages.
Another option for healthy eating is to ask your waiter or waitress for available ingredient substitutions. Many times you can substitute brown rice for white rice, whole grain breads and rolls instead of white, low fat dressing for your salad, the list goes on. Ask if a they offer grilled, baked, or broiled poultry, fish, or seafood if it is not offered on the menu, you’d be surprised at how many restaurants are happy to honor this type of special request.
And while I mention it, many people miss the boat when visiting restaurants by not ordering fresh fruits and vegetables. Restaurants receive food deliveries every day and thus can provide some of the freshest food available. Did you forget the strawberries you bought a few days ago that have been sitting in the fridge, and now have a craving for them? Too bad, they are way past their prime. However, if you order fresh strawberries at a restaurant they probably were delivered that day!
Even fast foods can be made healthier through simple substitutions. If you are ordering a hamburger, skip the cheese and have mustard instead of mayonnaise.
Finally, I personally don’t feel that every time I eat out, I have to watch calories, fat content, etc. Sometimes I just want a big, fat, juicy cheeseburger loaded with mayonnaise and served with a heaping side of French fries. Now while this won’t make anybody’s top ten list of healthiest meals, its something that I like to eat every once in a while. What I’ve tried to do as I get older and more concerned about cholesterol, calories, etc. is to designate 50% of my meals as healthy. Sometimes that means bran cereal instead of eggs and bacon in the morning, sometimes I just eat veggies for lunch, and sometimes I have a simple salad for dinner. I figure that concentrating on making half of my meals “healthy” clears the way for me to eat other things that I want the rest of the time. And as I have pointed out earlier, eating healthy doesn’t mean any sacrifice at all, just choosing foods that offer the health benefits that you desire, and always remember moderation is the key. So by all means, eat smart, eat healthy, and you can eat out as often as you want!
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