This months’ article is on how to eat “clean” when eating out. I find it’s much easier to eat clean when I’m cooking at home; I have control over what I cook and eat there. But, it’s not that way when eating out in restaurants – even when eating in those places you’d consider are healthier; there are always hidden traps.
Let’s do a little role play – let’s say you’re sitting in a restaurant, determined to order a healthy meal because you’ve been exercising and trying to lose weight; so you want to eat healthy, too. You’re studying the menu and looking at each and every item when the waiter comes to ask if you’ve decided what you want. You tell him you’re trying to eat healthy and ask for his recommendations. He recommends the pasta and veggies with a side salad and you think that it sounds healthy, so you order it. While you’re waiting, you munch on the bread you didn’t tell him to take away; then the salad comes loaded down with dressing, so you order a diet coke as your beverage. The next morning you step on the scale and realize that you gained weight and wonder where you went wrong. You thought you were eating healthy!! What most people don’t realize is that it matters more what you eat than how much you exercise. Yes, exercise is important, but if you burn off 500 calories in your workout routine, then end up eating an extra 1000 calories after your workout, you’re not going to lose weight! In reality, you are going to actually gain weight.
So, here are a few tips for eating out, what to eat and what not to eat, and they are divided into categories.
Appetizers
Appetizers are a great way to start out a leisurely meal, but can also derail your good intentions very easily.
DON’T ORDER:
• Anything fried. Fried foods are a favorite, but will do damage that even the most intense workout won’t undo.
• Bread. It comes smothered in cheese or covered in butter, and even when it’s plain it fills you up with more carbohydrates than your body needs.
• Things that come with dipping sauces. The dipping sauces have added sugar and other things that will ruin your diet plan.
DO ORDER:
• Green salad. Tell them you don’t want croutons and you want the dressing on the side.
• Antipasto. A plate of thinly sliced meats, olives and cheese will start you off with some protein.
• Lettuce wraps. These are delicious, filled with protein and are low in carbs.
Beverages
Calories in drinks are high and sneaky because you don’t think about them as you drink them, they don’t fill you up and you end up taking in far more calories than you bargained for.
DON’T ORDER:
• Regular or diet soda. On one hand you’re drinking corn syrup through a straw, on the other you’re drinking chemicals that cause you to crave sweets. It’s a no win situation.
• Sweet cocktails. Many restaurants are advertising sweet cocktails –resist the urge. Sugar plus alcohol equals loads of unneeded calories.
• Sweetened tea. You may feel righteous for ordering iced tea, but if it’s sweetened then you may as well be drinking fully loaded soda.
DO ORDER:
• Water. Don’t laugh! Water is the best beverage of all…. NO CALORIES!
• Unsweetened iced tea. Don’t ruin it by adding that packet of sugar. Learn to enjoy the natural sweetness to the tea. Or bring a packet of Truvia with you to sweeten it with no sugar.
Entrees
This is where the real damage is done. When you order something carb-loaded you leave the restaurant feeling heavy and lethargic.
DON’T ORDER:
• Pasta. I don’t care if it comes with red or white sauce, meat or veggies. If you’re trying to lose weight and maintain a lean body then never, ever order a plate of pasta, even if it’s whole-wheat pasta.
• Pizza. Another dish that has far more carbohydrates than you need. If you’re craving the pizza toppings then simply order those over a salad.
• Burgers. If you really want a burger then ditch the bun and the fries, and have your patty wrapped in lettuce.
• BBQ ribs soaked in sauce. If it is cooked in the sauce you might as well pour sugar down your throat.
DO ORDER:
• Meat with vegetables. Fish, steak, chicken, take your pick and pair it with green vegetables. Beware of sauces the restaurant might add to the meat and ask for the sauce on the side.
• Salad with protein. Ask for no croutons and make sure you have a nice piece of protein on it, and have the salad dressing on the side or use oil and vinegar.
• Soup and salad. Stick with broth based soups that contain protein and pass on the breadsticks.