How to Eat Healthy Anywhere
Navigating Menu Mayhem At Our Favorite Restaurants
Going out for a work dinner, with friends for brunch, or with our loved one for a date night can feel daunting when we’re trying to stick to New Year’s resolutions or even simply making nutritious, balanced choices. Or we may need to stop somewhere quickly just for a pick-me-up so we’re not starving through that early morning meeting. How are we supposed to order when it feels like everything on the menu is loaded with carbs, has 100 grams of sugar, or is drowning in butter?!
If we’re the type of person to go to our local Starbucks, Chipotle, or Panera at least once a week, we might consider ways to better align our food order with our health goals. Alternatively, if we eat out fairly often and don’t want a one-day treat to snowball into an everyday Garfield-the-cat-moment, I have solutions! The tips and tricks I share below will help us navigate what I fondly call menu mayhem, at any restaurant so we can live life and make progress with our weight/health goals.
Whether your stop of choice is Starbucks, Dunkin, or your local coffee shop, it’s likely that they’ll offer flavorings…by way of syrups. Perhaps you decide vanilla sounds good. Next decision: regular syrup, sugar-free syrup, or rethink the vanilla idea entirely? Something to note with flavor syrups: most of them tend to be the Torani brand. The Torani brand vanilla flavor syrup serving size is two tablespoons…and it’s not clear how many tablespoons are in a single pump! Different employees may also do a half pump or a full pump when we’re used to the other, which also introduces some variability into the nutritional content and sweetness of our drink. One serving size of the Torani vanilla syrup is 20 grams of added pure cane sugar! The sugar-free Torani vanilla syrup has 0 grams of sugar but is made with sucralose and manmade preservatives. Which option is better, the sugary normal flavor syrup or the extra preservative-filled sugar-free flavor syrup, depends on your individual goals, and needs.
Personally, I go with cane sugar. If we’re going to order a drink with flavor syrups in it, we can ask the employee how many pumps they usually add, then request half the normal amount. When we get a sugary vanilla latte, we’ll also want to blunt the sugar’s impact on our system by consuming protein, fat, and/or fiber with it. We can do this by adding some low-fat milk into our coffee to assist our body in digesting that sugar bomb we just dropped!
Craving pizza? Places like California Pizza Kitchen have great salads; consider opting out of the cheese and dressing and adding a protein to get your veggies in and fill up! Lettuce wraps are also a great choice. Soups may complement your appetizer or salad to round out your meal, just be sure to ask if flavors like tomato basil soup have dairy. If so, I’d advise staying away (they’re likely using heavy cream). And if you want pizza (it is CPK, after all), go to the restaurant with friends and share! Enjoy a few bites or one slice to satisfy your craving without going overboard. You could even order a kid-size pizza and a full-size salad! Get creative with your approach to the menu and think of ways to satisfy cravings without skimping on the nutrients your body needs. Build your meal with a focus on protein and vegetables to stabilize your blood sugar, keep you fuller for longer and moving toward your health goals.
When I was in Nashville for a conference, our breakfast options were…well…limited. Cracker Barrel, it was, most days! Truth be told, theirs is not the most health-forward menu. Still, I was determined to make it work! If you’re on a road trip instead of flying to travel (given everything going on) and a Cracker Barrel is all that’s in sight, you can make it work too! I found a meal on the menu with egg whites, fruit, grits, and turkey sausage. I swapped the grits for potatoes and ordered extra egg whites, which kept me full and satisfied until my next meal! You could also go for a salad and fries or a burger without the bun. When ordering your food, you could also request that it’s cooked in olive oil or a cooking spray instead of in butter.
Sitting down at a restaurant like Cheesecake Factory or P.F. Chang’s? Cheesecake Factory has the most incredible salads. If you’re worried about toppings like croutons or wontons (or want a more nutritious vegetable other than corn) you can always swap those ingredients for something more healthful! With salads, you’ll want to watch your cheese and add-ons and make sure you’re getting quality vegetables. A bun-less burger with grilled onions and sauteed mushrooms is also a great go-to! For P.F. Chang’s appetizers I recommend lettuce wraps, chili garlic green beans, edamame, or kung pao brussels sprouts. Though these can be more indulgent veggie options, it’s better to get some sort of veggie into the meal. I’d even advise staying away from the salads and instead going for the appetizers since the apps actually have more veggies involved! For entrees, my personal choice and recommendations would be Mongolian beef, miso-glazed salmon, beef and broccoli, chicken, or stir-fried eggplant. If you have the option to steam your food and put the sauce on the side, go for it! Generally, try to avoid rice, tempura, and noodles; think of them more like a condiment than a food group.
Want fast food that isn’t really “fast food?” Chipotle and Panera are my go-tos for this. With these two restaurants, you already have the tools (above). At Panera, go with soups that are tomato or broth based. If you really want a sandwich, try sourdough bread. Make sure you’re getting veggies in with a salad! Panera usually offers fresh fruit, usually an apple, as well. For Chipotle, I always ask for a bowl with all greens in the bottom and no rice. I’d avoid refried beans and go for pinto or black beans. I ask for all the veggie options, including grilled veggies and salsa. I might add some steak, chicken, and maybe a little sprinkle of cheese, depending on my mood. Guac is also a tasty option, though it’s extra!
Speaking of guacamole, going to your local Mexican restaurant? Go for the guac and ask for veggies instead of, or with, the chips. For real! Most places will do it. You don’t need to deprive yourself, but you also don’t need an entire basket of chips. Fajitas are also a great option. As with Chipotle, watch the cheese, sour cream, and tortillas. Corn tortillas are generally a little better than flour, but you could also ditch the tortillas altogether and go with lettuce instead…just ask for this one too. Again, pinto and black beans are preferable to refried.
Date night or celebration dinner at a steakhouse? Easy! My favorite thing to do is make a meal of apps and sides. Appetizers like shrimp cocktail, tuna tartar, oysters, crab cakes, or crab cocktail can be delicious, nutritious, and filling. Taking three bites of sides meant for the entire table can also give us the taste we’re craving of those indulgent delights. Mac n cheese anyone? Or stick with a baked sweet potato and veggies to stay closer to your plan, on the sides. Look for cooking methods like grilled, blackened, roasted, steamed, or broiled.
Notice any themes with all these restaurants and menus? Remember protein and fiber at every meal make removing fat no big deal. You can always build your own meals by customizing them to have less of what we don’t want or more of what we do (more veggies!). Look at a menu as if it’s telling you what they have in their kitchen, instead of telling you how to eat everything. Making a meal of apps and sides can be more nutritious and just as satisfying! Again, opt for foods that are grilled, blackened, roasted, steamed, or broiled. One more time: make sure to get your veggies in!
Finally: remember everything fits into the plan. If it isn’t brunch without mimosas or a date night without dessert, let’s live our lives and enjoy the food that makes outings special! If you’re hungry, eat(!), even if the food available isn’t ideal. Balance is necessary for living a fulfilling life; don’t be afraid to improv your meals when everything can’t go exactly to plan.
