Dining out-how to choose the ‘best’ and ‘healthiest’ option whilst staying on track!
The anxiety is real for some of us when it comes to eating/dining out. If you haven’t second guessed yourself or your choice before picking your meal from the menu due to your diet, progress and gains, then you must be in denial!
But seriously, we all know the struggle of going out when on the road to some long term and even short term goals! It can be hard to know what you should choose, when there is so much more choice then what is in your fridge at home!
Firstly, we want to have our long-term goals set and implemented-try to avoid the whole ‘I’ll start after this meal out’ as that attitude will probably lead you to failure.
For different types of goals e.g. gaining muscle/strength, losing weight/percentage fat, will depend on the way we want to read the menu and pick and choose the best options for us to stay completely guilt free when eating out and on track!
If you are looking to lose/sit in a calorie deficit:
- Pick your protein first. Try and choose a protein that you have been consuming regularly so that it’s not foreign to your body and diet. For example, if you have been having chicken for dinner most nights, then try stick to a chicken dish.
- Secondly, the less sauces the better-I generally go off the rule of whatever has less words in the title of the dish (sounds silly I know but check out the longest title of a dish next time you’re out and try telling me it’s not one of the higher calorie dense meals). Simplicity is key!
- Thirdly, try to always order a side dish of vegetables of some sort. This will help to fill you up while enjoying your meal out!
- If you end up choosing one of the basic ‘grilled chicken’ options, then make sure you feed yourself those carbs by also ordering a side dish of a higher carb food! This is where you can pick and choose depending on where you are personally at in your journey, but you can go for simply steamed rice, all the way to hot chips/dumplings etc. depending on the cuisine of course!
Depending on your personal goals and aspirations will depend on the extent and route you take these guidelines I have set when going out and choosing the ‘best’ option on the meal. If you generally want to stay eating cleaner when going out, these guidelines will suit perfectly-as I said, simplicity is key and this applies to the wording on the menu! If you are looking to consume less/lower calories when out, then aim to pick the lightest meal-that is, a meal protein dense with a small mixture of fats/carbs for the sides. (fats include the sauces, carbs include vegetables). The more complex sounding the dish-the more complex the foods included in it (usually!!) will be, and the more mix-ins of oils and fats (which make them harder to track and know what you are consuming).
I have been loving making these blogs for GMD and would love some feedback-be sure to send through to the team via our feedback form about/ask any questions you may have!
-Bec
