Healthy Restaurant Food

nathaliecepeda

Hello Everybody

I’m on the run A LOT. Don’t get to always make my meals. So, I’m looking for meals to eat at restaurants or fast food places that have some good macros and are not crazy packed with calories ☀️
What do you guys like to order?
Currently sticking to Pollo Loco’s 500 and below menu, but I’m tired of it.
Anyways, thanks in advance 🙂

estherdragonbat

I'm limited in that I keep strictly kosher and ovo-lacto vegetarian and while there are SOME kosher restaurants in my city, there aren't all that many and not much cuisine variety. But here are my go-tos; you might find something similar where you're at.

1. Roasted veggie wrap with hummus. Comes with my choice of rice/fries/baked potato. I generally go for the potato.
2. Pizza. Cheese or veggie slices are under 300 per, as long as you avoid the obvious toppings. (One pizza place near me has put such toppings as French fries, elbow mac, and breaded cauliflower on it.)
3. Shakshuka. Poached eggs in a chunky tomato sauce. Usually under 400 calories. If getting in a bread bowl, add about 550.
4. Sliced cheese on a bagel
5. Vegetable sushi. Avoid spicy mayo and tempura bits unless you have a clear idea of the calories.

apullum

There was a thread recently about Taco Bell and customizing orders there.

You can also try places like Chipotle or Blaze Pizza, where there's a lot of leeway to customize your order to your calorie/macro preferences.

Those restaurants have nutrition info online, though keep in mind that the food you get probably has more calories than what's stated on the website. At most places, the person making your order isn't going to weigh out all the ingredients, so restaurant calories should always be seen as estimates.

missysippy930

Subway veggie delite on wheat, no cheese with red wine vinegar. Under 275 calories for 6 inch.

bemyyfriend0918

I tend to eat a lot of "quick" meals and believe it or not there is more out there than you'd think! I actually LOVE subway. Here are my go to stops!

Subway - Turkey with Provolone on a 6" Italian bun with tons of veggies - it's 300 Calories and pretty filling.

Wendy's - I LOVE their salads. Depends on the season but I typically get their strawberry fields with grilled chicken, berries, and dressing. A full size is around 500 calories and packed with protein.

Chipotle - I usually make a bowl and skip the rice turning it into a salad type of meal. But i'll order whatever type of meat I'm in the mood for and throw on cheese, salsa, and other veggies.

Pizza Places - Sometimes I just crave pizza. Like mentioned above, a plan slice has around 300 calories.

jennarandhayes

Rubios chicken street tacos are 100 calories each, including guacamole!

jennarandhayes

Oh, and I love the better beet bowl from Luna grill. It’s 450 calories without dressing. It’s a hearty salad with beets, feta, nuts, sweet roasted tomatoes, and chicken.

tlpina82

Chipotle Burrito Bowl. Customize it however you want.

Pollo Tropical has options from a simple Caesar Salad to a whole chicken.

Sweet Tomatoes (Soup Plantation in some places) - All you can eat buffet focused on salads and soups.

Rubby Tuesday's - Haven't been there in a long time since relocating for work, but they used to have a great buffet with lots of options.

kshama2001

I got a Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad from Wendy's recently. They are available in Full and Half. The Full is 610 calories when you use both packets of dressing. It was quite filling and I made two meals out of it, and only needed 1 dressing.

nathaliecepeda

You guys are all awesome! Thank you so much will most definitely be trying all of these out. Not all at once obviously lol 😂

SueSueDio

Wendy's salads are great! Also their chili cheese fries are roughly 450 cals and quite filling for the portion size.

Edo Japan's teriyaki chicken and rice is about 500 cals or so and also very filling. Opa! does a chicken souvlaki and salad for about 500 cals, and you can have an additional skewer for extra protein for another 70 cals or so.

Like someone else said, the calorie counts are unlikely to be completely accurate but you can at least get an idea of the amount you're consuming.

[edit: I also like Subway's sandwiches - when I'm watching the calories I tend to get the roast beef, with mustard instead of mayo. It's about 360 cals for a 6", I think, a little more if I add cheese as well.)

AnnPT77

Subway will turn any sub into a salad: Costs more, but is a really big salad, and can be very nutritious and filling yet low calorie, depending on choice of protein and dressing.

Panera has a number of good choices. Lately, I've been getting a vegan lentil quinoa bowl (270 calories) and a cup of the 10-vegetable soup (70 calories) with an apple as my side. (I'm vegetarian. There's also a chicken quinoa bowl that's calorie-efficient, if you aren't. There are also decent salad & sandwich choices.)

Also, I like the Taco Bell veggie power bowl, minus rice, plus extra black beans (380 calories), and if I have the calories, add a side of pintos & cheese (190 calories). The meat power bowls can be a good choice, too.

MikePTY

These are meant to be general recommendations, they won't be true in every case, but if you are trying to reduce calories while eating out, there are a couple of suggestions you can follow:

For meat, grilled chicken is usually your best for calories. Avoid getting it fried and breaded.

Limit the amount of cheese in the dish. Things like a chicken burger with one piece of cheese won't add a ton of calories, but dishes heavy in cheese tend to be caloric.

Avoid heavy caloric sauces like mayonnaise, ranch, blue cheese, etc.

A bed of greens instead of bread or a side of vegetables instead fries, rice or mashed potatoes, etc.

Almost everywhere has at least one reasonable calorie choice.