Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to go to a “health food” restaurant in order to enjoy a high fiber, low glycemic meal for a feeling of fullness on relatively few calories and very little fat. Many of my clients dine out several times a week or more, while enjoying improved health and weight loss. Here are a few of the dining out tips that I recommend. Try them out, and don’t be surprised when fellow diners exclaim “I’ll have what she’s having!”
Italian
Italian restaurant menus usually list an abundance of vegetable side dishes, such as broccoli rabe, spinach with garlic, asparagus, and roasted potatoes. Other side dishes are not listed as such. For example, a recent visit to a local Italian eatery showed salmon served on a bed of lentils with a side of grilled cauliflower and mango chutney.
The trick to getting spectacularly healthy meals in Italian restaurants is to create your own entree relying generously on these side dishes. For example, based on the above items, you could order roasted potatoes and lentils with grilled cauliflower and broccoli rabe, perhaps topped with sun-dried tomatoes which just about every Italian restaurant stocks.
Check out the soup selection for minestrone or hearty vegetable, along with an abundant salad topped with fresh, seasonal vegetables. Health Bonus: Swap out the cheese and/or croutons on the salad for artichoke hearts and/or avocado slices.
In the mood for pasta? Ask for three vegetable side dishes and a side of pasta marinara, and then mix them all together at the table. It’s a huge improvement over the traditional “pasta with vegetables” which tends to be a whole lot of pasta with very few vegetables.
Mexican
Even if it’s not listed on the menu, you can almost always order vegetarian fajitas. Just ask for an extra large serving of grilled vegetables (think zucchini, mushrooms, onions and red bell peppers), with the accompanying black beans, rice, pico and guacamole. Consider passing on the cheese and sour cream, while choosing either rice or the wraps.
A hearty Bean and Vegetable Burrito is another great choice. Usually listed on the menu but feel free to ask for one if you don’t see it, the bean and vegetable burrito is delicious, especially when stuffed with plenty of assorted grilled vegetables, smothered with ranchero sauce, and topped with freshly shredded lettuce and a dollop of guacamole.
Indian
The beauty of dining Indian style is that this kind of food is naturally high in fiber due to an abundance of vegetables, lentils, chickpeas and potatoes. The herbs and spices in this aromatic food create tantalizing flavor. Dine with others and order family style. Try: Dal (lentils), Channa Pindi (chickpeas, tomatoes, ginger), Aloo Gobi (cauliflower, potatoes and lots of Indian spices), Tomato Szar (spicy tomato soup), and Papadums (large crackers made from lentil flour) to be enjoyed with a selection of condiments.
Japanese
When dining Japanese, good choices include miso soup, seaweed salad, vegetable teriyaki, vegetable & tofu teriyaki, and sushi rolls stuffed with avocado, cucumber, carrot, pickled radish, inari (tofu), sweet potato, and/or asparagus. Consider limiting these rolls to one or two per person to keep the meal low glycemic.
Thai
At Thai restaurants, go for Papaya Salad, Summer Rolls, and Tom Yom Soup. Brothy, spicy, and filled with fresh vegetables, ask for no shrimp in the Tom Yom if heart disease prevention is on your agenda. Try just about any of the entrees with your choice of tofu or extra vegetables, and request brown rice rather than white to accompany your meal.
Have fun!
Dining out can be a rewarding, pleasurable experience. If dining out is part of your normal routine, then there is no reason that you have to alter this lifestyle factor to enjoy good health. So many of my clients have reached their health goals, including weight loss, while dining out on a very regular basis and they report great satisfaction in the process.
I invite you to do the same. Bon appetite!
Maribeth Abrams, MS is a Certified Nutritionist, Certified Lifestyle Educator, and author of two cookbooks loaded with “cheezey” non-dairy recipes. She has been dairy-free for nearly 20 years and is the mother of two teens dairy-free since conception. See ad on page .