4 Ways to Make Healthier Choices When Eating Out

Chef Joe and I were out and about today while the kids were at school and we decided to grab a bite to eat for lunch. Years ago, our first instinct would have been to just grab a quick slice of pizza or a sandwich from a convenient place that was cheap and quick. The question of whether or not the food was healthy wouldn’t have even crossed our minds. Don’t get me wrong…we still get pizza and hoagies every now and then, but it is much less frequent than it used to be.

Times have changed.

My family and I eat home-cooked meals that Chef Joe or I prepare using fresh, whole food ingredients the majority of the time. When I shop for groceries, I am very mindful of the quality of the food I choose in terms of organic vs. conventional, pastured vs. “vegetarian fed” animal products, and I try to buy as seasonally and locally as possible. I can’t always shop perfectly, due to budget and availability, but I do the best I can. I always encourage my clients to do the same. This is fine for eating at home, and for packing food to go for lunch, but it really doesn’t apply at restaurants.

Just because food comes from a nice restaurant doesn’t necessarily mean it is good quality.

Obviously there are different categories of eating establishments: fast food, chain restaurants, fine dining, etc. which are also priced in different categories. Prices are set by different criteria: location of the restaurant, size of the restaurant, how fancy the decor is, the level of service, the restaurant’s target demographic (the “ideal” client the restaurant is trying to attract), whether the restaurant is a chain/franchise or not, and most importantly, where they get their food.

The quality of the food you will find at fast food restaurants and chain restaurants is significantly lower than that in higher priced establishments because it is highly processed and loaded with fillers, high amounts of preservatives, and other food industry byproducts (the now infamous pink slime, for example) and chemicals. Meat products from these establishments are always “mystery meat”. 

This food is also high in sodium, calories, trans and saturated fats, “bad” carbs, and contains little to no nutritional value. While it might satisfy hunger temporarily, it won’t actually give the body what it needs in terms of vitamins, minerals, or fiber. Because of this, you will feel hungry again soon after eating. In addition, the proteins, carbs, and fats are not easily digested which can cause the buildup of toxins.

Now that's what I call ambiance!

The higher-end chains, small family restaurants, and fine dining establishments get their food from higher quality vendors. The foods are less processed, but the animal products still come from conventional factory farms that use hormones, steroids, antibiotics, pesticides, and other chemicals. The produce is also conventionally grown (likely from genetically modified seeds) with the use of pesticides and fungicides, as well as fillers, waxes, and other chemicals.

Despite an establishment’s best efforts to adhere to safety, storage, and sanitation codes, improper handling often occurs which could lead to food poisoning and serious food-borne illnesses like E. coli, salmonella, and listeriosis.

But eating out is still fun…

Despite all of the above, I still enjoy eating out. It’s a very popular pastime in my family and we make a big thing of it on special occasions. I know that many people eat out on more than special occasions. Some have jobs that require a lot of entertaining, and others travel frequently, for example. We’re not going to stop eating out, although we do it much less frequently than we used to. So I thought it would be good to share some tips on how to make eating out a healthier experience.

1.     Consider all available choices.

Today, Chef Joe and I were running errands in the ‘burbs near lots of shopping centers and plazas. Our possible food choices were Whole Foods Market, Southwest Moe’s, The Olive Garden, Pizzeria Uno, Iron Hill Brewery, McDonalds (I think you already know we did not choose that one!), and Kumo Asian Bistro. What did we choose? I bet you think we chose Whole Foods Market, but we didn’t. That particular Whole Foods didn’t have a lot of available seating at the time and we wanted a quieter atmosphere. We chose Iron Hill Brewery instead.

We picked Iron Hill because it had a comfortable atmosphere, they weren’t too crowded and we were in a bit of a rush, and it is a higher quality restaurant than the other choices in terms of the food. The menu also had some really interesting selections.

2.     Always start with a salad.

In Kimberly Snyder’s book The Beauty Detox Solution, she recommends always starting meals with a green salad, or something that has an alkalizing effect on the digestive tract. 

This is especially important when you anticipate eating something not-so-healthy or of questionable quality, because it will help the stomach neutralize incoming acidic foods and keep the passageways clear for better digestion. It also will fill you up a bit so that you won’t gorge on the heavier, maybe less-healthy foods. I ordered the Red Quinoa Salad, and Chef Joe ordered the Red Beet and Goat Cheese Salad. The portions were very reasonable, and truthfully I could have stopped eating after the salad (which was delicious, by the way--I am totally going to try to duplicate it at home).

3.     Order vegetarian foods when possible.

After I learned about the horrors of where most meat in the American food supply comes from (Google “factory farming” if you want to learn for yourself), I made the decision that while I am not a vegetarian (at least not at this point in my life), I only want to consume animal foods when I know how where they came from and how they were handled. For me this means pasture-raised, traditionally farmed. No feed lots, and no food pellets made with food industry scraps and processed corn, soybeans, and grains that are not those animals’ natural diets; local, and organic when possible. I believe certain animal foods do have health benefits as long as they are made from healthy animals, and have been handled ethically and properly. At most restaurants, even fancy ones, this is simply not the case.

So even though the produce and grains in the vegetarian meals are still most likely conventionally grown, I would rather eat a plant food with pesticides than an animal food from a stressed out, unhealthy animal that has been pumped full of drugs and other substances. Fortunately, most restaurants order at least one vegetarian entrée option and have several vegetarian salads, soups, and side dishes to choose from. Today I chose the Mediterranean Wrap. This was also delicious and quite satisfying. In fact, it kept me full for so long that I didn’t even feel like cooking dinner at my regular time. If you are at a restaurant that does not offer a vegetarian option, you could always double up on salads and sides.

This was the Red Quinoa Salad...that pear puree was to die for!

4.     Savor the meal.

Take it all in—dining should involve all of the senses. Appreciate the visual presentation of the food—that’s one good thing about ordering vegetarian meals—they are much more colorful and visually appealing. Inhale deeply and enjoy the aroma. Did you ever cook a meal and realize that once you were done you were no longer hungry? It’s because the aroma of the food actually satisfied some of your hunger. Listen to the sound of the food and appreciate the texture as you chew the food. Notice the feel of it in your mouth. 

Take the time to actually chew the food—it is helpful if there is music playing in the background because you can chew rhythmically to the music. Chewing helps to activate digestive enzymes in the saliva which begins breaking down the food while it is still in the mouth. If you skip this part, your stomach and other digestive organs have a lot more work to do to properly break down the food. If the food is not properly digested, the body can’t adequately assimilate and absorb the nutrients.

I believe that food should be more than just sustenance, and while home-cooked food is always the healthiest choice, eating out doesn’t have to be something you dread if you are trying to stick to a specific way of eating. It just takes a little bit of mindfulness.