Whenever I eat out I intentionally order a healthy option 90% of the time, when I don’t its because I’ve planned to indulge (I plan everything ok.) So, yes, it is possible to eat out and still eat healthy AND enjoy your food. You don’t always have to order a house salad with no dressing 😉
Some things I ALWAYS do when I know I’ll be eating out to minimize stress and know that I’m still sticking with foods I know won’t make me feel like a garbage can are…
LOOK UP MENU THE BEFOREHAND I always do this, as soon as I find out where I’m going I look up the menu or check out their Instagram or Facebook profile so I know what to expect. If the menu isn’t online then I just study the menu when I get there.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK I am pretty quiet and introverted most of the time, especially in public. I used to be too embarrassed to order (like why? haha i dunno) and I would make my boyfriend order for me and now I take charge of my order and ask the waiter to take cheese out, what bread is used (no buttermilk buns here), etc. If you are polite they will most of the time be obliging. I’ve never had a problem with rude waiters, even though sometimes I’m annoying and ask for like three things to be taken off the dish I’m getting. Just be confident and know what you want!
SUBSTITUTIONS ARE A THING If I’m somewhere and it seems like all I can eat is a salad sans dressing, I’ll ask to add some chicken or something simple that has more substance. Survey the menu and figure out what a good option is for you depending on what you are[n’t] eating.
BE CONFIDENT, IT’S YOUR DECISION It’s kind of annoying that I have to say this, but peer pressure around food is a real thing, unfortunately. I usually don’t have a problem with this but when you go out to eat with people and you’re trying to make conscious decisions about what you’re putting in your body other people feel the need to give you a hard time. Or you could just be putting that pressure on yourself silently because your with others. Don’t. If you want to eat healthy, DO IT. You know what will make you feel good.
IF YOU HAVE A SAY, SPEAK UP This goes hand in hand with my last tip but when you and a group of people are trying to figure out where to eat and no one can decide a good way to speak up and narrow it down is to say something about what kind of food you want to be eating. I will always say, I’m fine with wherever as long as I can get something healthy and proceed from there. If I right out of the gate say that then people are aware and honor that request.
Those are my tips, it sounds high maintenance but I promise you more than half of these I do in my head and it’s not a big deal at all. I hope these helped you a little bit!
xx Laney
As Pictured Above: My MOD Pizza Order
Regular crust, it’s suitable for vegans (no dairy for me, they do have a GF crust), red sauce, NO CHEESE (not even DF, dairy free cheese is gross to me), pepperoni, chicken, bacon, mild Italian sausage, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and a lemon squeezed on top.
Nine of 10 