I believe in balance and enjoying an active social life. Here is a foolproof guide to eating out and being able to slay any menu anywhere.
Top 6 Tips for eating out Healthy:
Limit Dairy & Gluten. The best way to make healthier choices is to limit your dairy and gluten consumption. Both of these foods are intolerance triggers for many of my clients and are highly inflammatory foods. The standard American diet usually includes both of these foods at every meal and your body has a hard time dealing with and processing that much exposure to inflammatory foods.
Investigate. I love looking up menus beforehand to find my favorites and then I can talk to the server about customizing or making substitutions.
Protein power up. If I am eating later I will always eat a “radiant approved” protein bar or some nuts a hour or two before my meal. I hate looking at menus when I am STARVING.
Eat your Veggies. Make sure you get your servings of veggies in. I like to see my clients eating 6-8 servings of veggies daily (which is 3-4 cups). When you get the foods into your body that it needs to thrive, you will naturally eat less of the stuff you should not be.
Limit Alcohol. I try to only have one cocktail before dinner. Any more than that makes my good thinking go out the window and I will usually eat way more than I actually need to because my brain stops recognizing when I am full.
Healthy Menu Decoded:
Bread Basket - JUST SAY NO
I have no idea why this was started but its such a terrible idea. Eating this will fill you up on carbs and force your body into craving more sugar/carbs for the rest of the night. I would much rather actually enjoy my dinner and not be rolled out of the restaurant.
Appetizers
My favorite appetizer items to order are fried brussel sprouts, cauliflower, oysters, roasted mushrooms or veggies, shrimp cocktail, salads, or broth based soups.
Salads
Avoid cream based dressings, cheese, and crutons. I like to choose dressings like Italian, olive oil & vinegar, anything vinegar or anything lemon. I usually add salt & pepper to get a little more flavor.
Sauces
These are dangerous. Depending on the restaurant they are likely made with inflammatory cheap oils, dairy and sugar. I hate trying to figure out if I should take a chance with a sauce and would rather just avoid them altogether.
Sides
Go nuts with the veggies but remember the rules I listed above about dressings and sauces. I do choose rice or potatoes but its rare, I get so full on the other things I need to eat.
Entrees
I love ordering things I do not usually make at home, and in my house its seafood. I look for broiled, blackened, grilled, roasted or steamed. I will look over the other protein options as well, but just always be leery of the sauce. If I am craving pasta I will see if they offer a gluten free option, this usually tastes like crap and is not as good as my at home gluten free options so its hard for me to get a good pasta eating out. However if you do choose pasta eat a tomato based sauce instead of a cream one.
Desserts
I love choosing a sorbet or a decaf coffee. If they have a dairy free or vegan dessert (its so rare) I will usually order it. I always share my desserts, there is just no reason to eat it all by myself.
Drinks & Cocktails
I love water, iced tea, hot tea, and sparkling water with lemon.
If it is a cocktail night, I try to limit myself to 2 drinks. I like choosing wines that are on the lower sugar side like Brut Nature Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. I usually get sugar blasted when I order a craft cocktail but sometimes they are so tempting. The safest bet is sparkling water with your choice of liquor and fruit or mint.
Great tips!!!