Dining Out Tips, Tricks and Suggestions
Navigating restaurants can be challenging when trying to eat nutritious food. The great thing is that you can absolutely enjoy going out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert when you are focused on nutrition.
There are plenty of restaurants that have vegan, vegetarian, and overall healthy options to order. While it is easiest to order at places geared towards nutritious eating, if you end up at a place that serves the standard American diet (SAD diet) you can still make good choices.
Dining Out Rules of Thumb
- When eating out with friends, order first. You will be much less likely to jump on the, “OK, I’ll just have a burger too” bandwagon if you have already placed your nutritious order.
- Eat out with friends who have the same goals as you and encourage each other.
- Choose restaurants you know have nutritious options.
- Order vinaigrette based dressing, which helps lower the saturated fat content and order dressing on the side. This allows you to control the amount that you put on your food.
- Keep it simple when ordering. Order things that have a clear explanation of what they are. For example, ordering a bowl with quinoa, kale, shredded carrots, mushrooms, and chickpeas is going to be easier to list, whereas pasta with sauce might leave you guessing.
- Always remember you can modify or change up your order. If something has an ingredient that you don’t want, don’t be afraid to ask for it to be taken off or replaced with a more nutritious option! I do it all the time!
- Ask for more vegetables. Ask for extra veggie toppings on wraps, pizzas and sandwiches. Order sides of leafy green salad or cooked vegetables. Substitute your fries with vegetables.
- Choose whole grains. Look for dishes made with whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, barley or oats. Many restaurants now offer whole grain buns, tortilla wraps, pasta or pizza crust upon request.
- Get sauce on the side. Sauces, condiments, dressings and spreads add fat and sodium to your meal. Ask for these on the side and then use just enough to get flavor.
- Skip sweetened drinks. Drink water instead of soda, sweet tea or lemonade. Try sparkling water with lemon or lime wedges.
Healthy Options
Here are a few of my favorite restaurants with nutritious options. Time to use your new ordering skills!
Dena DePiazza is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach and is certified as a Certified Pain Management Coach. She is your personal advocate for living an energized and passionate life. She works with clients to help them create healthy lives in a way that is flexible, fun, and free of denial and unsustainable discipline. By working together, you can discover lifestyle choices that best support you. Dena helps you learn to make gradual, lifelong changes that will enable you to reach your current and future health goals.
with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences. She is a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Nutrition Coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Nadia enjoys providing the guidance and support people need to achieve good health and considers herself their biggest cheerleader when they decide to make their health a priority. As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Nadia works with clients one on one to help them optimize their health through holistic health practices. She helps reduce the symptoms of chronic illness through nutrition and lifestyle practices, but is not limited to helping anyone who wants to learn how to make better choices. She teaches clients basic kitchen skills, how to read labels and will even do grocery tours. As a personal trainer, Nadia works with clients of all levels, ages and in various settings. She has taught group fitness classes and worked with clients one on one. She emphasizes the importance of staying injury free and building strength to move about their day without pain.
Karissa originally attended Westmont College in beautiful Santa Barbara, and began her B.S. in Psychology, then transferred to Montreat College, in the Appalachian hills of North Carolina, graduating Cum Laude with a B.S. in Music Therapy, and a double minor in Psychology and Music Business.
