Be Prepared When Eating Out

I don't know about you, but I love going out to eat. You get to go somewhere, sit down at a table, have someone wait on you, and then clean up after you and your family when you leave. The down side to eating out is that it is hard to find healthy options that don't put you above and beyond your caloric intake for the day. Sometimes the items on the menu that you think are healthy are actually the worst. One of the best things I have learned while trying to loose weight is to be prepared! There are a lot of restaurants that have websites with nutritional information posted. I have learned that these websites can be very helpful when trying to find better options, whether it is for you or for your children. Here are some of my favorites:

Starbucks

My Favorite: A Tall Brewed Coffee. But for those of you who enjoy all that other stuff...they have a list of 20 choices under 200 calories.


Panera

My Favorite: You Pick Two-Smoked Turkey Sandwich w/ Classic Cafe Salad. Or..Black Bean Soup. 

Chilis

My Favorite: Fajita Pita w/ Side Salad. 

McDonald's

My Favorite: Vanilla Ice Cream Cone

Chick-fil-A

My Favorite: Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich or the Chargrilled Chicken Salad with fat free honey mustard dressing. 

Taco Bell

My favorite: Soft Shell Chicken Taco. It's even better if you choose the Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco.

 If you do your research you can be prepared to make healthier decisions at most restaurants. It takes extra time in the beginning learning to read all the charts but eventually you will be able to go into a restaurant knowing which items to steer clear of and which items you can afford to splurge on. I definitely do not recommend eating out every night, but once or twice a week should not have to ruin your healthy eating habits!