Eating Clean While Eating Out

Recently I got some questions from readers what I eat when I go to a restaurant which give me some inspiration for writing this post. But first let me say, I don't always eat clean when I'm eating out. I believe that cheating sometimes is good for your metabolism so when I'm eating out I usually have whatever I am craving or looks good. But I can imagine that if you eat out a lot you can't do this every time.

I've discovered that eating clean while eating out can actually be very difficult. It can be very confusing when you read the menu since it's not always clear what is clean and what is not. So the first and most important tip is that you don't need to be afraid to ask for changes to the meal you choose. The most simple ones are that you could ask for whole wheat bread instead of white bread when you're having a sandwich or ask if they could serve the dressing on the side. By asking for any sauce of dressing on the size you can control how much sauce you put on your dish. Of course I can imagine that the people you're eating out with can get very annoyed when you make a lot of changes to the menu, but to be honest, that's their problem and most restaurants are happy to make the changes you request.

It can be more difficult if you're eating at places like fast food chains since they actually don't have any healthy options to choose from. So I mostly stay away from these places at all. Why spend your money there if you could have a much more tasty and healthier meal in an actual restaurant which is also more cozy?! Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese restaurants are on the other hand always a great place to get healthy and tasty food, except of course for the deep fried and battered things like spring rolls.

Furthermore, vegetarian options are almost always a good pick. Because usually they contain a lot of different vegetables. And salads are always good if you ask for the dressing on the side. But I can imagine that you/re not always in the mood for a salad, especially if you do the same as me, and often have a salad for lunch. So then I always first look at the fish dishes but stay away from deep fried, crumbed or battered fish! If you fancy meat I would advise you to first check the 'chicken section' as this is the most lean meat you can get. But if you want a clean meal, stay clear of side dishes like fries and mashed potatoes. And instead get a salad or (steamed) vegetables on the side.

I always stay away from pork dishes because I don't like it at all and pork is really hard to digest! But if you feel like having a steak choose a small one and same as for the chicken, replace the side dishes. Steak is often served with additional gravy and sauce so ask it on the side or simply omit it and ask only for, for example, baked mushrooms and onions.

In a lot of restaurants you get bread served as a starter. Always ask for whole wheat bread and stay away from the white bread and the spreads served with it. Just ask for some good quality butter instead! 

And last but not least, dessert. Sadly most places do not have a healthy option for dessert. But you can always ask if they could make a nice fruit salad. And sometimes they serve homemade sugar and lactose free sorbet ice cream! But besides that, all other dessert are high in fat and sugar so it's best to skip dessert all together and order a cup of (fresh mint) tea instead. Of course leave the cookie that is served with it!

So the main message is, if you want to eat clean when eating out, it can be difficult, but don't hestitate to ask the waiter for changes even is someone on your table is annoyed by it. You need to be able to be yourself despite what other people think of it!