How to eat out a lot... healthily.

Healthy Restaurant Eating 

Disclaimer. Before you take this advice and run with it, I want you to ask yourself this important question: 

“Am I eating at this restaurant because I’m really excited to eat their food? Or am I eating here because It’s where I’m meeting someone and/or it’s for convenience, after all a person’s gotta eat.”

We dine out for a lot of different reasons.

If you really want to eat that restaurant’s food and you don't have a health condition that makes it risky. Then stop here, and enjoy the moment!

If you eat out more often than you’d like to for your health, either for social reasons or for “I don’t feel like cooking” reasons, then read on.

(But pst, if it’s because you don’t feel like cooking. Check out my other blog post all about how to make cooking feel easier. It can be faster than takeout, I promise!).

Next, ask yourself...

Hit pause and think about your goals. 

Then you think about what you are consuming with those goals in mind.

Ask yourself, 

1. How often have I eaten out this week? 

2. How has my body been feeling?

3. Is this a foodie experience or do I simply need fuel?

4. Do I need to pay attention for the sake of my cholesterol? Blood sugar? IBS?

5. Do I want to pick something healthy today?

If the answer is yes...

Think about this when you look at the menu:

1. Will my plate(s) add up to be balanced (50% produce, 25% protein, 25% starch)?

2. Is there healthy fat like olive oil, nuts, olives, avocado?

3. The carb source, is it high fiber? (whole grain or a starchy vegetable).

4. Is there an option that has lots of vegetables that looks tasty?

5. Is there a vegetable in a different menu item that looks good?

Ask the waiter to add that vegetable to the meal that you order.

And this...

If you don’t feel great after you dine out, you might be hitting some of these roadblocks:

Roadblock #1: Hunger Games

How it feels: 

“I didn’t realize I was starving until we sat down. I was so hungry that I ordered double what I normally eat.”

Solution: 

Don’t skip meals. Even if that means having a small snack an hour before you get to the restaurant. Think of this analogy. You wouldn’t drive the last hour of a roadtrip with your gas tank on empty. Just give yourself a little fuel. 

Roadblock #2: I don’t want to be that customer

How it feels: 

“I don’t want to be that customer who asks a million questions and makes everyone wait while I specialize my order.”

Solution: 

Start small. For example, if you want to add more veg to your order you may notice the appetizer list is lacking. Try requesting a side dish as your first course. Restaurants will often have side dishes of roasted or otherwise tasty vegetables.

Another idea, challenge yourself to request one addition or one subtraction to the next meal that you order. Notice how nobody bats an eye.

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Thanks for reading. I hope this gave you some food for thought. heh heh.