Tips for dining at restaurants

Hello all! One of my clients was asking me what she should order because she has plans for lunch with work and dinner with her boyfriend in the next two days. So that inspired me to do a blog post about some tips that I have picked up over the last 2.5 years that will become habits and you won't even have to think twice once you start practicing them.

• order grilled chicken rather than crispy/coated. This will save you a lot of calories and probably indigestion
• ask for dressing on the side when ordering a salad
• beware of salads! A lot of them have just as many calories as the burger and fries with all the toppings and dressing. You can ask for dishes without some of the ingredients
• enjoy things in moderation, order the cheese burger but get a salad as your side instead of the french fries
• order your burger without the bun if you want to save even more calories or if you have the will power order with the bun but don't eat the top bun
• look up the menu items on the restaurant's website before going - plan ahead so you don't have to look at all the delicious things on the menu and get tempted to order the double bacon cheese burger with a poutine (unless that's your planned cheat meal)
• use a calorie tracker app to look up the menu items so you know just how many calories you're consuming. Most places have huge servings that have your daily intake of calories in one dish. My Fitness Pal has a HUGE food database and has almost every restaurant chain. If you're at a local place you can still look up the dish name and you'll find something similar
• if you want to splurge on dessert have a healthy salad with chicken, salmon, or shrimp
• most places are accommodating so if you want something that isn't on the menu you can ask your server
• avoid the extra calories from sugary drinks - stick to water, coffee, or tea. (I do enjoy a virgin mojito with half the sugar from time to time)
• when in doubt order a lean protein, with steamed veggies, and some sort of carb (potato, rice, etc)

Some of my favorite places to go that have healthy or healthier options are:

• Moxie's
• Boston Pizza
• Applebee's (the picture at the top is from Applebee's)
• Stella's (or any brunch or breakfast place)
• Joey
• State and Main
• Subway

I hope this helps you make some healthy decisions and let me know if there are any guidelines you use when you go out to eat that I may have missed! 

-- Kelsey