When you’re trying to stick to a healthy diet, eating out can be frustrating and confusing and is often something people try to avoid. Sometimes though, life happens, and you’re left with either going with the convenience of a quick meal from a take-out or skipping a meal.
To most people, eating out, especially from a takeaway or drive-thru, means consuming a meal that’s higher in calories than most of us consume in a day.
However, here are 10 tips for healthier choices when eating out when you just have no choice but to grab a quick meal.
10 Tips For Healthier Choices When Eating Out
1. Choose Grilled Over Fried
Avoid anything fried or breaded, including nuggets, fried chicken and fried fish sandwiches. Many fast-food spots offer grilled options for most of their meat sandwiches.
2. Choose A Salad
Almost every restaurant and cafe now offers salads. Usually, they’ll have one with grilled chicken breast. If you consider the dressing’s calories and go easy on the creamy varieties, skip the croutons and any other high fat additions like bacon, you can get a very healthy meal.
3. Stick With The Single
When you order your burger, don’t choose the quadruple, triple, or double patty burgers. The more meat you put on, the higher the caloric content of that burger will be. Stick to a single patty burger.
4. Skip The Bun
A great way to save over 150 or more calories is to get your burger or chicken sandwich lettuce wrapped. This concept made popular by low carb diets such as Atkins and is now widely offered in most fast-food restaurants.
5. Don’t Order Fries
Some better options for side dishes are salads with light dressings, baked potatoes with light toppings, a fresh fruit cup, or apple slices.
6. Check Your Condiments
You can save a few calories by skipping the mayo, 1000-island dressing, tar tar sauce and other fatty condiments by asking for mustard instead. Add fresh toppings, like lettuce, tomato, and pickles for extra flavor and crunch.
7. Avoid Super Sizing
Super-size is a calorie death trap. Choose the smallest sizes when you are ordering your sandwiches, burgers, and sides. Often, children’s menus contain more reasonably sized portions.
8. Choose Your Drink Wisely
Avoid selecting drinks that are being advertised as coffee drinks but have just as many calories and fat in them as milkshakes. A bottle of water is the best choice for something to drink when you are getting a takeout meal.
9. The Name Isn’t Everything
You may think that a whole grain muffin is a good choice because it’s made with whole grains. This isn’t always the case. Often, muffins at coffee shops and fast-food restaurants are simply glorified cakes that are high in calories and fat.
10. Plan Ahead When You Can
If you know you’re going to have to hit the drive-thru for your meal, knowing the healthier options ahead of time can make it easier than trying to make a decision at the last minute. If you’re ordering with children as well, giving them only the healthier options to choose from will allow them to get excited about getting to pick their meals as well.
The Foods To Eat Before & After Your Workouts
By following the tips above, you can enjoy a meal that, while it may not be the healthiest of all options, is lower in calories and fat and won’t leave you feeling bloated and crampy later.
People are often amazed at how small dietary changes can reap huge results with their fitness goals. And it’s important to remember that your body needs a certain kind of nutrition in each stage of your exercise workout. Whether you want to build muscle or improve your cardio performance, this free report, 15 Foods To Eat Before & After Your Workout provides details on the foods you should eat so you can reach a new personal best.
