I'm someone who eats out a lot and it can sometimes be hard to make healthy food choices when it comes to ordering from fast food places and restaurants. It's unrealistic to cut out fast food and resteraunts completely (for me anyway) because it's a huge part of socialising and you shouldn't be scared to have lunch with your friend just because you are unsure if what you order will be healthy.
Grill'd/Burgers
Burgers don't have to be all bad, especially ones freshly made with quality ingredients like those from Grill'd. I always get the "Simon Says" burger (bottom left) which has grilled chicken, avocado, salad, relish and herbed mayo. It also comes with cheese and bacon but I always ask to have it without those because they are just unnecessary calories that I don't even like anyway. I also always get a snack sized chips just to control the portion a bit more and choose the wholemeal over the white roll. I also love getting the healthy sides like olives and nuts (seen above right).
Montezumas/Mexican
Mexican food doesn't have to be all bad; full of cheese, fatty meat or sour cream! When I go out for Mexican I always get an enchilada, which sounds pretty fattening right?! But no, I actually ask for it without sour cream and with minimal cheese (you still need some cheese to stick it all together but the amount they use without you asking for less is ridiculous). Another huge thing that actually makes a big difference is getting a vegetarian enchilada because instead of meat they use beans that are much healthier for you. Sometimes I get tacos instead but I find there are too many carbs for such a small amount of protein because you don't get as many fillings in a taco as you do in an enchilada.
Mexican food doesn't have to be all bad; full of cheese, fatty meat or sour cream! When I go out for Mexican I always get an enchilada, which sounds pretty fattening right?! But no, I actually ask for it without sour cream and with minimal cheese (you still need some cheese to stick it all together but the amount they use without you asking for less is ridiculous). Another huge thing that actually makes a big difference is getting a vegetarian enchilada because instead of meat they use beans that are much healthier for you. Sometimes I get tacos instead but I find there are too many carbs for such a small amount of protein because you don't get as many fillings in a taco as you do in an enchilada.
Japanese
Japanese food is generally pretty healthy as they usually have a wide variety of salads and vegetables. Some of my favourite things to eat from Japanese restaurants are steamed vegetables (super healthy for you), edamame (soy beans, also super healthy), salads (pictured above right is a potato salad), tempura (slightly unhealthy because it's deep fried but still vegetables) and of course nori rolls!
Japanese food is generally pretty healthy as they usually have a wide variety of salads and vegetables. Some of my favourite things to eat from Japanese restaurants are steamed vegetables (super healthy for you), edamame (soy beans, also super healthy), salads (pictured above right is a potato salad), tempura (slightly unhealthy because it's deep fried but still vegetables) and of course nori rolls!
Fancy
Tavern
Takeaway Sushi Places
I'm talking the really expensive, fancy resteraunts where you don't even really understand what the menu is saying..best bet is to go with a lean piece of meat like chicken or even beef that has some vegetables on the side. A nice hearty meal without all of the carbohydrates you would get from a pasta dish.
Nandos
I rotate between two different things at Nandos, the chicken wrap and the chicken pita. With both I always ask for no mayo and when I get a pita, I ask for extra salad! I do prefer the wrap to the pita though because there is less bread.
Tavern
Tavern food is the best and it's always so tempting to get delicious fatty wedges with sour cream or a big steak with mashed potatoes but I always stop myself because I know I will regret it and I end up getting a salad. I love their "Tuscan Vegetable" and "Caesar" salads; I usually allow myself the sauce, cheese and bacon but you could totally ask for it without to make it even healthier.
Pancake Manor
If you ever go to Pancake Manor (or any other pancake place) I recommend choosing crepes over pancakes and that's just because they are much better for you as they have a higher nutritional value unlike sugar coated pancakes. Also try to get the salad on the side instead of chips. I always end up ordering Mushroom Crepes with a Garden Salad on the side and it's super satisfying and delicious but sometimes if I have a sweet tooth I let myself share pancakes with my boyfriend.
Sushi in general is pretty healthy for you but some options are healthier than others. For example, I try to avoid crumbed then deep fried chicken (usually called crispy chicken, honey chicken, tempura chicken and chicken schnitzel) and opt for the healthier alternative of breast chicken (usually sweet chilli chicken with cucumber or chicken and avocado). Most of the time though I don't choose the rolls with any meat in it and look for the salad/vegetarian options. Mostly because salad is of course much lower in calories than meat and they usually don't have any sauces which may contain hidden calories. The raw fish and seafood options are probably a much option but I personally cannot stomach any sort of seafood at all so never get those.
Subway
Italian
Okay so Italian food is known for having meals with super high amounts of carbohydrates in it but there are healthy options. I love getting Italian Caesar salads, bruschetta and sometimes even pizza. Everything in moderation is okay and won't hurt you but generally I go for the bruschetta as a starter and a salad as the main. Water is always best but if you must get Coke then go for Coke zero as it has next to no calories but remember that it does contain aspartame (a toxic chemical that creates a reaction in your brain to think something is sweet).
Noodle Box
The two dishes I love from Noodle Box are Pad Thai and the Nasi Box (Rice and vegetables). I get replace the meat in the Pad Thai with tofu and the meat in the Nasi Box with extra cashews to reduce the cholesterol and saturated fats while increasing the protein.
I always get the chicken breast schnitzel on multi-grain bread with all the salads and marinara sauce. The chicken breast schnitzel is much healthier than a lot of the other options (like the meatball sub) because it is a breast piece of chicken (lots of protein) and only has a thin layer of tempura around it (compared to some of their other deep fried chicken options). By choosing a multi-grain bun over white gives you much more nutrition and is always the healthier choice. I like to get all of the salads because it adds more nutrition and fills you up and I never get mayonnaise just because it's so many extra calories but I really enjoy marinara sauce which is low in calories but still makes the sandwich really delicious and moist. I also never get cheese because I am not someone who really enjoys cheese anyway but it does take out a lot of extra calories considering they are full fat slices of cheese.
Sushi Train
Similar to what I said about takeaway sushi places, sushi is generally pretty healthy for you with all of the nutritional benefits from the seaweed and vegetables. That being said, sushi can contain a lot of mayonaise and unhealthy sauces not to mention a lot of the stuff is deep fried. I try my hardest to stay away from these things but at Sushi Train most of the chicken is deep fried. The healthiest options are edamame (soy beans), agedashi tofu (crispy tofu in miso soup) and simple vegetable rolls like avocado, cucumber or even teriyaki chicken. I do probably overindulge in the deep fried dishes like; chicken and avocado, chicken and egg, as well as tempura but still don't consider Sushi Train to be anywhere near as unhealthy as most takeaway places and burger joints considering all of the nutritional values you get out of a lot of the ingredients.
Similar to what I said about takeaway sushi places, sushi is generally pretty healthy for you with all of the nutritional benefits from the seaweed and vegetables. That being said, sushi can contain a lot of mayonaise and unhealthy sauces not to mention a lot of the stuff is deep fried. I try my hardest to stay away from these things but at Sushi Train most of the chicken is deep fried. The healthiest options are edamame (soy beans), agedashi tofu (crispy tofu in miso soup) and simple vegetable rolls like avocado, cucumber or even teriyaki chicken. I do probably overindulge in the deep fried dishes like; chicken and avocado, chicken and egg, as well as tempura but still don't consider Sushi Train to be anywhere near as unhealthy as most takeaway places and burger joints considering all of the nutritional values you get out of a lot of the ingredients.
Cafes
Most cafes have a salad option and I always choose that over a pasta dish or burger. The best kinds of salads are when they have lean grilled chicken in them compared to a deep fried schnitzel or something. I also try and avoid cheese in my salad and much prefer leafy greens to something like iceberg lettuce. Although those delicious looking sweet treats look to die for, definitely skip those though despite how tempting they are!
Okay so Italian food is known for having meals with super high amounts of carbohydrates in it but there are healthy options. I love getting Italian Caesar salads, bruschetta and sometimes even pizza. Everything in moderation is okay and won't hurt you but generally I go for the bruschetta as a starter and a salad as the main. Water is always best but if you must get Coke then go for Coke zero as it has next to no calories but remember that it does contain aspartame (a toxic chemical that creates a reaction in your brain to think something is sweet).
The two dishes I love from Noodle Box are Pad Thai and the Nasi Box (Rice and vegetables). I get replace the meat in the Pad Thai with tofu and the meat in the Nasi Box with extra cashews to reduce the cholesterol and saturated fats while increasing the protein.
Okay, phew, this actually took a lot of effort to write but I really wanted to let you guys know that it's completely okay to eat out and I'm proof of this. I try and eat healthy as much as possible and I still really enjoy eating out and don't find that it negatively effects my diet at all! It's all about portion control and choosing the right thing on the menu. I think the main thing for me is that I avoid meat and cheese in my dishes and always replace it with more veggies and I always opt for a healthier bread, lighter sauce or a salad instead of chips. Just little things like that really do make a difference.
Thank you so much for reading!
