Although I’m a lover of preparing wonderful meals right at home, I also enjoy eating out at restaurants too! I like having a menu comprised of several delicious options, being able to choose and just sit back and allow someone to present a satisfying culinary experience for me. It’s kind of like going to the spa, but instead of getting pampered, I’m getting fed! For me, it’s a special treat. But there have been times during a particular busy week when it’s not about “a treat” but moreso about a necesssity, because I didn’t have food at home or didn’t have a moment for a trip to the market. That’s because life happens sometimes, and when it does, just remember that cooking healthy at home is a lifestyle, and a lifestyle is what we do habitually. One-offs are okay. The goal is to eat more home-cooked meals than not. But when you do want or need to eat out, let’s strive to have not only a delicious experience, but one that’s nourishing as well.
As a restaurant cook at a steakhouse (I don’t cook the steak—I mainly cook the seafood, FYI =)), I have a tip or two, or 18 rather, on how to maintain healthy habits when you do choose to eat out. Here are 18 ways to navigate your food experience to benefit your health when eating out during the workweek.
1. The Choice Is Yours
Before you decide on a restaurant, check the menu of the places you’re considering and choose in advance what you will or may potentially order. If you’re able to identify something that you’re willing to eat, that’s on the healthier side of the spectrum, then go for it. If not, take a look at the next restaurant option. Also, when you’re looking at the menu, if they acknowledge dietary restrictions and preferences like “Gluten-free”, “Dairy-free”, etc., that’s a good indicator that the establishment may accommodate health-conscious requests.
2. Keep Them In The Loop
Speaking of dietary restrictions and preferences, don’t be afraid to tell your server what yours are. You can even tell them, “So here’s the deal, I want to eat something flavorful and healthy. That’s possible here, yeah?” Your server sees the menu and the actual food being cooked all day long, so they should be able to guide you, or at least give good recommendations that will suit your goal.
3. Choose Good Ole H2O
My recommendation is always to go for the water, whether at home or eating out. It will effectively hydrate you. It helps you digest your food better. It also helps with appetite control, preventing overeating. And it’s the best alternative to high liquid-form sugar, dyes and other chemicals.
4. Make Doggy Bags A Thing Again
There’s this restaurant I like called Grand Luxe. The food is always delicious and they give such large sized portions. When I get a chance to eat there, I literally have at least 2 days of leftovers. That’s a lot of food! Over-portioning doesn’t just happen there, it’s become the norm—a part of the American culture. It’s troubling if weight gain is an issue, but it’s a perk if you work the culture, savvily. When you order your food, ask for a to-go box right off the bat. When your meal arrives, take half (or a little less than half) of your meal, pack it in your to-go box and set it aside. What just happned there? Out of sight, out of mind—and now you have leftovers for lunch the following day!
5. Sharing Is Caring, So Share
If you choose a place where they give decent food portions, consider selecting an entrée that you can share with the person you’re eating with. They would need to agree with something nutritious, and if that happens, it was meant to be. Sharing the meal it is!
6. Size Does Matter
As we’ve touched upon thus far, how our plates are portioned makes a big difference in how much we eat. Don’t leave it up to the restaurant to do that for you. Ask your server for a smaller plate or saucer, re-plate a decent serving, set aside the rest and enjoy the food and conversation that’s before you.
7. The Start Is A Major Part (see what I did there? =))
If you’d like to order an appetizer before jumping into your meal, order a salad or an app that’s comprised of veggie. Appetizers can be tempting, so go with a healthier choice or skip it altogether.
8. DIY—MYOD – Make Your Own Dressing
When it comes to salad dressings, you just don’t know what’s in them, especially when there’s no bottle to review the ingredient label. Make your own! Most salads come with the dressing on it, so ask them for the dressing on the side, or nix it altogether and make your own dressing. Here’s a simple mix you can whip up at the table, and it won’t be a faux pas to do this either. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic, Salt, Pepper, and squeeze of lemon. Many restaurants have most of these ingredients right on the table, or wouldn’t mind getting them for you at no cost.
9. Turn Down For What
Not every restaurant offers a little something complimentary before your meal comes, but there are a lot of restaurants that do! It’s usually bread, chips or the like which are empty calories and space fillers. When your server is coming your way with a basket of complimentary goodies, you’re best response if you’re looking to eat healthier during the workweek while eating out is, “No, thank you. I’ll wait for my meal.” They have a ton of those items prepared and set aside to simply giveaway—they won’t be offended by that.
10. Fries Are Not Our Friends
You’ll find that there are some items on the menu that “come with fries.” If your meal does, consider an alternative to the fries and simply ask. 9 times out of 10, the restaurant is used to and is okay with swapping out those deep fried treats for something nourishing like a side house salad or small portion of veggies. If the chef is down for it, go for it!
11. It’s Okay To Have Reservations
If you know you’ll be eating out in advance and you know where you want to eat, make a reservation if the option is available—especially for restaurants that get super busy. Reason being, if you’re waiting for a table when you’re hungry, when you finally do get seated, the free bread or chips, greasy smothered appetizers, and the meal that “comes with fries”, will look more appetizing than ever. Staying true to your goal is the goal, and hunger will tempt you to sabotage what you’re trying to accomplish here. Don’t wait—make reservations.
12. Eat Big, Early
You know you’re going to eat out for lunch or dinner later, so eat a big healthy breakfast. Research shows that when you eat a healthy and hearty at the start of your day, we’re more likely to make better food choices throughout the day. Satiate yourself early to keep cravings and possible temptations at bay later!
13. Choose Your Ambiance Mindfully
A study was conducted by researchers of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab who found that atmospheric music at restaurants effect guest’s eating behaviors. It was discovered that restaurant guest’s stayed longer and ate less food at establishments that played soft, slow and peaceful music—and had softer lighting as well. They didn’t change what they chose to eat but they actually ate 18 percent less of what they ordered, which equaled out to 775 calories, instead of 949 calories. Co-author of the research, Brian Wansink, said “These results suggest that a more relaxed environment increases satisfaction and decreases consumption.” So what do we get from this research? Pick restaurants that aren’t chaotic, loud and bright, i.e. over-stimulating. Over-stimulation can lead to over-eating. Another quick tip is to put your fork down in between bites and enjoy a conversation with who you may be dining with, if you’re not dining solo. All of this is about mindful eating.
14. Look At The Language
Be savvy with the language found on the menu you’re contemplating by picking up on key words. These are key words give you the heads up that the dish you may be considering is going to “stick to your ribs!” Here are some key words: Creamy, Buttery, Breaded, Stuffed, Smothered, Au Gratin, Parmesan, Cheese-filled, and Scalloped. A few key words to gravitate to are: Grilled, Broiled and Baked. If you want that particular dish that has a red-flag word, ask your server for alternatives. I do it all the time! It’s okay to ask for no cream or cream on the side, or for the item not to be breaded and fried—things like that. You’re the paying customer—ask for what you want.
15. Soup’s On! But Is It Brothy?
If you want a soup, choose the one made with a broth base and not a cream base. A cream base is normally made with a rue or flour and that’s a good ingredient to avoid when possible. A broth base soup is normally made with a chicken, vegetable or seafood stock or broth—a much lighter, cleaner option, health-wise.
16. More First, Then Less Next
Isn’t it a joyous feeling when your server swings around with your hot, aromatically delicious food? I love that moment! When the food arrives and you’re ready to dig in, tackle your plate with a ‘More Then Less’ approach. Dig into the items that are packed with more nutritional value, then move onto the other items on your plate. This approach ensure that you intake all the good stuff, getting the nutrients that you need—and it leaves a limited amount of room for the other items that may be less nutritious for the body. Now that’s strategy right there!
17. Do The Fork Dip Thing
If your meal comes with a sauce or dressing, ask for it on the side. When you’re taking a bite of the food, instead of forking the food then dipping it into the sauce, do it the other way around. Dip your fork into the sauce first, then fork your food. You’re basically coating the fork instead of smothering the food. You’re getting the flavor of the yummy sauce without masking the food and without taking in a ton of the sauce.
18. Simply Skip Dessert
Dessert is fun when you eat out, but remember that it’s a regular work night and you’re eating out because it’s a busy week and you didn’t have anything at home or didn’t have time to cook. Something to that effect, right? It’s not a celebration, girl’s night out, date night, or anything like that. If it’s not a special occasion or you didn’t specifically put it in your plan to have dessert, skip it. And when your server comes around asking if you want to see the dessert menu and you normally say “yes, just to see what you have”, this is a good time to say, “No, thank you. If we could have the check please, that would be wonderful.”
Do you have any tactics that you practice when you’re eating out and eating healthy? Share it below!
Love,
Yardley
OMEGA-3 BEAN + SARDINE POTATO BREAKFAST SANDWICH
Ingredients
1 cup Black Beans, cooked or 1 can Black Beans
1 can of high quality Sardines, in water (packed with Omega-3)
1 Potato, large
¼ Yellow and/or Orange Bell Peppers, cut in strips/Julienne
½ Onion, white, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Cilantro, dried
1 tsp. Parsley, dried
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (contain Omega-3)
Salt and Pepper
Instructions
-Potatoes-
Preheat your oven at 400 degrees
Wash your potato and pat them dry
Cut it vertically into ½ inch rounds. Choose an even quantity depending on how many sandwiches you wish to make out of that potato. I made two sandwiches from my potato.
In a bowl add your potato rounds and 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Be sure it’s well-coated. Line a baking sheet pan with foil paper and place the potato slices onto the pan, give each one space to cook.
Let bake until center is cooked and the outside is toasted, then remove from over
-Bean Spread-
Add 1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to a pot on medium-high heat
When heats up, add onions until translucent then add garlic until cooked but not browned
Add your paprika, cilantro, parsley and cayenne and let it cook for about 1 to 2 minutes while stirring periodically to bring out the flavors, then add beans to absorb the flavors
Stir when needed so they don’t burn or stick to the pan
Add ½ to 1 cup of water and take a fork to mash the beans into a paste or spread, the consistency is based on how much water you choose to add
Add salt and pepper to taste, and be sure to check the flavoring at this point. Adjust as desired.
-Peppers-
Add 1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to a pot on medium-high heat and sauté the peppers with paprika, salt and pepper to taste
Be sure the peppers still have a little firmness to it, not soft and limp. This improves the retention of nutrient content.
It’s time to assemble! Spread your beans onto the potato “sandwich bread” bread, add your paprika peppers, and crack open that can of high-quality, sustainable sardines and add them to your sandwich. Eat it as an open-faced sandwich with a fork and knife, or put two slices together and chomp into it like you would a regular sandwich.
Having a side salad is a great idea to get in your greens at this meal. I had kale, grape tomatoes, simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper!
Enjoy!
Here’s to powerful workweeks and good morning eats!
