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How to eat healthy when eating out at restaurants…. what to order for each meal, healthy dessert options and what alcoholic drinks are best!
Want to eat healthy, but still have a social life?
SAME! 🙋🏻♀️
I vividly remember when I was just starting my healthy eating journey. I avoided going out to eat because I didn’t think I’d be able to find anything on restaurant menus that would fit into my clean eating lifestyle.
So sad, right?
If I did decide to go out I would order the plainest meal like a salad (but without the cheese, nuts, avocado and dressing) because I thought that was my only option and I feared fat. <– I’m so glad that myth has been busted. The world is healthier for it and food tastes SO MUCH BETTER!
If you’re feeling the same way… kind of lost when you go out to restaurants, have no fear! I’m share my tips for healthy eating at restaurants and breaking down what to order (and what to steer clear of) at a variety of restaurants today.
General Tips for How to Eat Healthy at Restaurants
Whether it’s me going out or others asking for advice when eating out, I have some general practices I follow. The cliff notes to eating out, if you will!
- Limit alcohol. Obviously, I treat myself to a drink (or two) on occasion, but I limit myself to drinking one day a week so I don’t get a drink every time I go out. Alcohol adds calories – no matter what type of drink you order – and it lowers your inhibitions so you’re more likely to eat more or things you wouldn’t normally eat. Overall, just be mindful of what you’re drinking!
- Skip the chips and bread. Depending on what type of restaurant you go to, the server might provide free bread or chips when you arrive. Pass on these! I find that I mindlessly snack on the bread or chips and then I’m not even hungry for my actual meal. Sometimes the chips or bread are extra delicious and “worth it” so I’ll treat myself and indulge, but most of time they’re not.
- Avoid the words “creamy” or “crunchy” when ordering. Creamy typically means heavy dairy or cream, and crunchy typically means fried. Both=loaded with extra calories.
Healthy Eating at Breakfast Restaurants
Depending on what type of breakfast restaurant you’re going to, there will be a wide variety of options. Here are some items to look for on the menu:
- Scrambled eggs (or egg whites)
- An omelet with veggies + salsa. Skip the cheese if you are sensitive to dairy!
- Soft boiled eggs
- Breakfast hash – a combination of veggies and eggs
- Oatmeal. Dried fruit and nuts are great topping options! Use honey or maple syrup to sweeten if you don’t love plain oatmeal.
- Plain yogurt with granola and fruit
- Fruit bowls are always a great side option!
- Black coffee or an Americano (espresso with hot water) – if you want to add a sweetener, opt for honey, maple syrup or stevia.
There are certain foods I recommend limiting. If going out is a rare occasion and you want to treat yourself to one of these items, that’s totally okay! Another trick I have is to order a side or small option to split with the table – that way you still get to taste these items, but aren’t basing your entire meal off them. If you regularly go out for breakfast, limit the following items:
- Processed breakfast meats – they’re loaded with a lot of unnecessary ingredients like preservatives and sodium!
- Breads and fried potatoes
- Heavy, creamy sauces
- Pancakes, french toast, muffins, pastries… all the sweet stuff! It will spike your blood sugar and unless it’s made with whole grains or flourless, it will likely have you hungry (and craving more sugar) in an hour.
What to Order for a Main Dish
There are creative ways to build a super healthy main dish when you go out to eat! Try to balance out your plate so 1/2 of your plate is veggies and then 1/6 of your plate is a lean protein, 1/6 is a healthy carb and 1/6 is a healthy fat option. If you’re trying to lose weight, stick to 1/2 a plate of veggies, 1/4 a plate of lean protein and 1/4 a plate of healthy fat. Skip the extra sauces and keep your meals as fresh as possible!
- Protein – Choose grilled, steamed, broiled or baked salmon, chicken, fish, or other type of meat
- Veggies – The sky is the limit here! Load up on salad, root veggies, green veggies… whatever your heart desires
- Healthy carbs – besides veggies, I love:
- Sweet potato or butternut squash
- Rice, buckwheat, millet, farro, quinoa, amaranth or brown rice noodles
- Healthy fats – nuts, avocado, fatty fish, and olive oil are all great healthy fats to add to your plate
What to Order for an Appetizer
Just say no to the bread basket! Whenever we eat out, I always try not to arrive at the restaurant starving. It’s much more tempting to go for the bread or unhealthy appetizers when I would gladly eat anything in sight. Instead of ordering fried appetizers, opt for a salad, ceviche, a dip with veggies or another lighter/healthier choice!
What to Order for Dessert
If you’re dying for dessert, opt for a fruit-based option like sorbet or apple crisp. Similarly to sweet breakfast options, when I’m craving a dessert I order one for the table and take 2-3 bites instead of eating the whole thing!
Let’s Chat Alcohol
Alcohol can be a slippery slope for some people. It lowers inhibitions and may cause you to eat more or choose foods that may not serve your body. Remember, the liver has to work overtime to metabolize alcohol. If the liver is too busy metabolizing alcohol, it won’t be able to burn fat! Having said that, I understand that sometimes you want a drink to accompany your dinner or to celebrate a special occasion – that’s totally normal!
“Healthiest” Alcoholic Drinks
Your #1 option is red wine. Red wine is one of your healthier options due to its antioxidants (polyphenols, flavonoids, and resveratrol).
If you prefer liquor my go-to to vodka with soda water with lime or grapefruit juice. I love palomas so I’ll often ask for a no-sugar added paloma. If you LOVE drinks like moscow mules, mojitos or margaritas, you can always order them without the simple syrup to cut back on the sugar and calories.
And my biggest tip — don’t forget about that water! Drink a glass of water between every alcoholic drink to sty hydrated. Trust me, you’ll feel so much better the next day.
I know eating out can be stressful for people following strict diets or trying to eat healthier but I hope this guide helps give you a starting point! My number one tip is to do your best and don’t stress too much. It’s all about balance and if you’re only eating out every once in a while it shouldn’t affect your health and fitness goals.
If only concerned with calories your suggestions do have good value. However, calories are the least of my concerns with restaurant food. Those places rarely have organic anything. Thus, there is virtually nothing on the menus that are not chemical grown food, GMO’s, glyphosate a special-to-be-noted pesticide, artificial colors/flavors, et.
Here is my solution. I never eat out except for the social aspects of the occasion. Thus, I bring my own food from home. I typically call in advance to inform the restaurant that I have special food requirements and need to provide my own. They invariably try to satisfy needs saying they can do salt-free or more veggies. However, they never can provide organic or assure their foods are clean so will usually say okay to me. Only once, about a week ago, did a restaurant balk and it was a pretty low level eatery at that. The manager was not there to speak with so I put my food in my lap and still ate it. This was an unplanned meal in the midst of a court case so no time to go running around for other places or even to go back to the court for a place to sit an eat.
My position is simple: my body, my health, my choice. I will often buy a cup of tea from the establishment or a glass of wine which happens very rarely. And if eating with a group of people, the restaurant is making their money and I have no qualms about taking care of myself and expect my cohorts to respect this. Like abortion rights–if you are not going to take responsibility for the consequences of your demands, then you have no right to make them!
Tanya, this sounds very extreme and boring
I agree with Natasha. That doesn’t sound like the best way to live & eat intuitively which is more in line with the lifestyle I believe Eating Bird Food promotes.
On a separate note. Brittney, is that picture of hash the Harvest Hash from Picnik Austin? It’s one of my favorites and I even recreated it at home with a recipe on my own blog!
Absolutely love the tips you’ve made! Super helpful, yet not overtly limiting or strict.
I agree with Natasha. That doesn’t sound like the best way to live & eat intuitively which is more in line with the lifestyle I believe Eating Bird Food promotes.
On a separate note. Brittney, is that picture of hash the Harvest Hash from Picnik Austin? It’s one of my favorites and I even recreated it at home with a recipe on my own blog!
Really appreciated, information shared was really fantastic, good job, keep sharing and make us aware through your article.
Rightly said, eating in restaurants makes it so hard to resist on bread and fried foods. But you have some great tips here! I have saved it to read every now and then in between my trips outside.
I found it interesting when you said that you can opt for a fruit-based option like an apple crisp when you are dying for dessert. My husband and I are planning to bring the kids to a family restaurant for dinner. We want to celebrate our youngest son’s school achievement. Since I am hypertensive and diabetic, I want to ensure that I would only consume healthy dishes while enjoying the event. I will do all your tips.
Thanks for this! It is all pretty common sense, but when outlined like this it makes it feel more manageable and reinforces that once in a while it is OK to cut loose a little bit and enjoy a social meal without completely stressing out. Thank you!
100%! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment, Lou Ann. I appreciate it!
I appreciate your advice about choosing black coffee for the drink and using stevia or honey for the sweetener. A lot of
time restaurants do not offer honey or stevia for sweeteners, but they do serve black coffee. If I decide to eat out, I’ll just bring my bring stevia with me. Thanks!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed this information.
My work won’t start until 11 AM next Monday, so I was thinking of grabbing brunch before my schedule instead. I’m thankful for your advice when you told us to avoid food on the menu that has the words “creamy” or “crunchy” if we want to eat healthily since they often mean heavy dairy or fried food, so they’re quite loaded with calories. I’ll be sure to take note of this while I look for a restaurant near my workplace that sells a delicious brunch menu.
I am so glad these tips are helpful, Elina!