Creamy Sauce or a Healthy Salad?
The decision to eat out can be a struggle
It’s only two weeks into the New Year and the ink of our resolutions is still damp. One of mine is to to spend more time with friends. This week, I am blessed with a date on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with friends. I couldn’t be more thrilled to spend time with them! It also means I’m eating away from home most evenings this week.
Do you find eating out to be a challenge? I know I do! Part of me feels compelled to pay for something I would never cook at home – scallops or lobster, maybe a fancy cut of beef. Another part of me knows that my body won’t respond well to heavy creams and sauces that go with these delectable dishes. The logical part yells out – get a simple salad with grilled chicken because it’s aligned with your food goals. It’s an inner battle of wills.
I’ve tried several techniques. These are a few of the ones I’ll be implementing this week:
- Look up the restaurant menu online. Larger chains will list the nutritional information
- Consider starting with a soup or salad to get your vegetables in first.
- Intentionally only half the main dish and take the rest home.
- Most restaurant sides are starches: rice, potato, fries, etc. Ask instead for steamed market vegetables. This will reduce the total calories consumed.
- Revise your lunch or snacks to have some wiggle room in your choices. Maybe you can have just a few sweet potato fries but no protein pancake or fruit in the afternoon.
This is what my work week looks like for me:
| Time | Portions | Food Description |
|---|---|---|
| Morning Commute | 1 red | 1 scoop protein powder with water, ½ tsp vanilla, and dash of cinnamon |
| Mid-morning | 1 red, 2 green, 1 orange | 1/2 chicken-breast, cubed with salad and vinaigrette in a mason jar |
| Mid-afternoon | 1 red, 1 purple, 1/2 yellow | protein pancake with berries and 2 tsp maple syrup |
| Dinner 1 | 1 red, 2 green, 1-1/2 orange | Risotto with shallots, mushrooms and asparagus, topped with grilled fish. Steve is having spaghetti. |
| Dinner 2 | 1 red, 2 green, 1-1/2 yellow | Eating out (yikes) |
| Dinner 3 | 1 red, 2 green | Stir fry vegetables with beef |
| Extra snacks | 1 blue, 1 purple | 2 brazil nuts and small handful of almonds, 1 piece of fruit, CoQ10 tablet, and herbal tea |
| Sweet Craving | 1/2 yellow | 1 fig or 1-2 date (eaten slowly) and probiotic capsule |
| Right after work | 30-60 min activity | YouTube workout video or classes: Pilate’s (Wednesday), hike (Saturday and Sunday), yin yoga (Sunday pm) |
What kind of strategies do you use to stay healthy when eating out? Do you have a way to track the macronutrients in restaurant food? Let me know in the comments.
Photo Credit: flintman45 via Compfight cc
