Healthy Foods to Eat in Restaurants: Why dining out doesn’t have to mean missing out

The whole point of eating well is to increase your confidence, health  and ability to get out the door enjoy life to the fullest - so what’s the point if you can’t enjoy yourself once you get out?

Dining out at restaurants isn’t cheap, and you shouldn’t have to pay more for an experience that is less than satisfying; it’s a chance to splurge and shouldn’t be restricted to not-so-special, no-thrills, no-taste menu items.

Fortunately, when it comes to SlimWell’s proven weight-loss program, you can ditch the stress and guilt that can come from eating out and enjoy those foods you crave, from greasy burgers to delicious desserts — just don’t make it your daily habit.

For those of us who dine out frequently (or who want to save their splurging for dessert), there are lots of delicious options for healthy foods to eat out there that will allow you to stay on track without too much sacrifice.

Here are some tips to help you eat healthy and limit calories in restaurants:

• Save half: Not only will this limit the calories you intake, it saves money and sets you up to enjoy a tasty meal, twice! Or, if it isn’t something that will keep for long, why not split it with a friend? (You can burn a few extra calories fighting over the last few bites).

• Skip the Calorie-Heavy Fillers: Skip the free bread, soda with refills and cheese-covered appetizers and focus on enjoying your main course. Typically these are big enough to satisfy your hunger, which will reduce waste and expense, and are less packed with the fat, sugars and salt of most starters.

• Compromise: There are plenty of ways to significantly reduce calories, without sacrificing the flavours you most enjoy about a dish. Substitute out heavy, rich sauces and dressings for less fattening, equally flavour-filled alternatives. Hold the cheese, ask for condiments on the side and eliminate anything you don’t care about if it’s adding calories.

• Get Proactive: If you know you are going out for a calorie-filled meal, find ways to burn more calories that day doing what you are doing anyway. Take the stairs, park further away from the door, or if you can, schedule 15 minutes of activity designed to get your heart rate up. 15 minutes of exercise can pave the way for an hour of guilt-free eating out.

• Experiment: Challenge yourself to test out new, healthy foods to eat. You’d be surprised just how delicious food can be when it’s prepared by a professional. Just because you hated the frozen fish your mom served on plain rice, doesn’t mean you won’t absolutely love cod with tomato-dill relish and lime mayo, smoked mackerel with beet and apple salad and creamy horseradish dressing or even Spanish, rice-stuffed squid.

• Finally, try to focus on enjoying the full experience of eating out, and don’t just focus on the food. Take in the atmosphere, be social and revel in the chance to be served.  

Over time, you may discover that the real joy of eating out has more to do with the company you keep than the food you eat.

Did You Know: At BeDoWell.Life, our programs all come with ongoing guidance from our Certified Nutritionist who will ensure you understand the right foods for your body and goals. Together, you can come up with a plan that will have you losing weight, feeling great and living the life you want!

Contact us today for more information on what we offer and how to get started!