How to Eat Clean at a Restaurant

Lets face it, it’s really nice to not cook dinner every once in a while, especially when you’re really busy and you can finally have the chance to relax and enjoy yourself. But like many of us who are trying to eat healthier avoid going out because of the unknown calories the meals can have. Im here to tell you though, that you can still eat out and eat clean, it’s that easy, you can still enjoy the tasty dishes that restaurants offer, without the extra calories and added fat. Here are some tips for cleaner eating at a restaurant.

1. Try to avoid the bread basket. Bread isn’t that bad for you, but when they serve it at a restaurant, there are typically more servings than people at your table, leaving most to, without realizing it, eating way more than a small serving. It’s even worse when they serve it with butter, because you can’t measure how much butter you are putting on, which can pile on fat and calories very quickly. If you really want a slice of bread, go for it, just have one though, moderation is key.

2. Ask for Dressings and sauces on the side. Salad doesn’t have many calories in general, but the calories and fat in salad dressing can add up quickly, just two tablespoons can have over 120 calories. Most restaurants usually serve 1/4 of dressing per salad, which could be 240 extra calories. Sauces on the other hand, can be really fattening, most restaurants drench their dishes in high calorie and high fat sauces, so ask for them on the side as well so you can put a bit on and save a lot of extra calories and fat.

3. If you ask for dressing/sauce on the side, dip your fork into the dressing/sauce before taking a bite of your dish. This ensures that you will get dressing/sauce in each bite with using way less dressing/sauce.

4. Try to choose a Lean protein, Starch and Veggie for your meal if possible. This ensures that you can make the most of your meal nutritionally. Options could be salmon with a sweet potato and broccoli, Lean steak with rice and green beans, or a small serving pasta with grilled chicken and tomatoes.

5. When in doubt, eat half. Usually portions in restuarants are pretty darn big, so if you wanna go for a splurge, eat half! If you want to have fettachini Alfredo for your meal, by all means do so. If you wanna treat yourself to a double cheeseburger, you can do it, just stop eating when you are full. Plus eating half saves money because you can have the other half of your’e meal the next day!

6. Don’t be afraid to customize your meal. You CAN ask for the sauce on the side, you CAN sub in extra veggies as your side instead of pasta, you HAVE all the power to make sure your eating healthfully! Like the other night, we went to a mexican restaurant, I ordered the Fresh Tuna Fajita, I asked for no toritillas, sour cream or cheese, but instead extra lettuce shreds, salsa, gaucamonle, tomatoes and extra roasted peppers, and voila, my own fajita salad, perfectly clean, such an amazing taste!