Eating Out Without Pigging Out

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I hope everyone has been doing well and staying on track, if that is what you are trying to do. This week, I have been out a few times with friends for meals, and it is always a struggle to find healthy food at restaurants. Unless the restaurant you are at is awesome and has the calorie and nutrition content on their menus, or available to look at in a pamphlet, it can be very hard to find something healthy to eat that won't bust your diet.

There are a few things that I do to help myself keep on track when I eat out...

1. Read carefully, and know your foods. When you go out to eat, the first thing you might think of as "healthy" is anything on the salad menu. This is often very misleading, and salads can contain more calories than you might think. Let's take a look at one of my favorite restaurants, Red Robin:

If I were looking for a healthy choice, my first look would be a Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad.

Looks pretty healthy huh! For this salad alone, you are looking at 772 calories!!! Now, granted there are things you can do to lower that number, such as no avocado, no jalapeno coins, etc. But let's take a look at the Red's Tavern Double Burger...

Now that's what I want to eat. For this burger, with two patties and a side of steamed broccoli, you are looking at 695 calories. It's still a lot of calories, but much less than a salad. This is why it's important to know your foods. Dressings have a lot of calories in them, and unless you can eat a salad without dressing, go for something you will enjoy (within reason). My usual go to's on a menu are chicken breasts, or burgers without the bun wrapped in lettuce. These are more satisfying than a salad, and have more protein, so you will stay fuller longer after your meal.

2. There's an app for that. In this day of smart phones and apps, there is really no reason to not know the calorie content of what you are eating. Most chain restaurants list their nutrition facts on their sites, but let's say you are in an unfamiliar area and don't know what's around you.  When I worked as an insurance agent, I was on the road 12-14 hours a day, and it's very hard to eat healthy on the road, especially in unfamiliar areas. One of my very favorite apps was HealthyOut. This app lets you put in your current location, or an address, and will list for you the restaurants in that area and the dishes on that menu that fit within your tailored dietary restrictions.

This app is amazing not only for people on diets, but for people with any type of dietary restrictions as well! And, it's a free app!

I hope that these suggestions help you make better choices when you eat out with friends.

Happy eating!
Jenelle