Tips for Making Healthy Choices When Eating Out

By: Morgan Vitti, Assistant Program Director

We all know that eating fresh home cooked meals are usually the healthier route when it comes to our diets. Especially in a food industry so saturated in greasy, high sodium, sugar filled foods, it can be incredibly hard and overwhelming to pick healthy meals when eating outside of your house. Roundabout Meal Prep wants to help you feel confident eating out though! So let’s dive right in to it….

Tip #1 Check MyFitnessPal

If you don’t already have the app called MyFitnessPal downloaded on your phone, then I highly recommend you do that now. No really, put this down for one second and go download the app! You’ll thank me later. Most restaurants and all chain food establishments have their nutrition facts in MyFitnessPal. This can be a great resource for picking healthier dishes when eating out or to match certain macros if you are trying to replace a meal you would originally cook or meal prep at home. You might also be shocked when you find out some salads are more calories than the hamburgers! (Say what!)

Tip #2 Ask for Things on the Side

This is a common way to control some portioning in your meals when eating out. A perfect example would be getting your salad dressing on the side so you can control the amount that you put on. You can do this with many other things as well, like asking for the cheese on the side, or the sauce on your pasta or chicken on the side, etc.

Tip #3 Order Plain

This is one that I personally like to follow when my diet is strict but I still want to enjoy a meal out with friends or family. Most restaurants have no problem cocking you up a plain chicken breast (which you can salt and pepper as you please at your table), some rice, and a vegetable. If you smile and ask nicely of course!

Tip #4 Make “Alterations” to Your Meal

This one can take a little will power. You know that delicious trip tip sandwich you love so much with that warm bread and gooey cheese? Ask for this same meal but ditch the bread and only have half the cheese. It’s a great and easy way to ditch some calories. This same change can made to many meals. That way you can still enjoy the meal but take some of the guilt out.

Tip #5 Control Your Portions 

For this tip, ask for a box as soon as you order your food. When you’re food arrives then put some of the carbs, meat, etc into the box so you have a more controlled and healthy portion on your plate. You also get a bonus out of this tip because now you have a second meal for later! That’s a two for one kind of deal ladies and gents.

We hope these tips have you helped you navigate the world of eating out. With just a few of these ideas and a little will power you’re gonna master making healthy choices when eating out! We encourage you to share your tips for eating healthy while eating out. Comment below or DM us on instagram @ramp.reno. We’d also love to hear if you have any other topics that you would like us to write about! Keep on grinding.