Eating out for 2 weeks (Europe)

yirara

Great, I have a two-week business trip coming up. I tried to book an apartment hotel so I can cook my own food, but no chance on such short notice in a very popular city. So it's eating out each evening.

The average restaurant is of the white tablecloth type, serving high quality food, perfectly prepared, but not low in calorie. Generally there is no calorie information available. Eating out is so expensive that locals do that maybe once a month and then don't look at counting calories. Fine, no problem. But doing that for two weeks?

How would you go about this? During daytime I'll eat my normal food (bread, fruit, veggies, some nuts). I need the energy for my brains anyway and the warm food the office canteen serves is just yucky and drenched in fat. But what to eat in the evening? Fast food is a no for me. I just don't like it even though calorie information might be available.

Some ideas:
get a small steak or salmon with a salad? (if I find a grilled steak at all, most will be pan seared in butter)
any good Japanese choices? Sashimi with salad, miso soup? fish or beef without sweet sauces? Any good noodle dishes? Maybe they are not fried like so much other Asian food.
Some good tapas choices?
Some light Vietnamese choices?

Fish is available in abundance but usually pickled, pan fried or cooked in butter, thus probably not a good idea
Most pastas come with creamy or cheesy sauces
Meal sandwiches don't exist there

mikevandewetering

Well you can always try to enjoy it, just try to use common sense (you know darn well which food has lower calories ^^) and enjoy your 2weeks. After that, you can pick up your own (food) life style again, just enjoy europe. Also food from the supermarket always has nutrition information on them, so it's a solid pick for your day time food. Also most of the foods (like 80-90%) are scan able with MFP in europe (i know cause i live in The Netherlands).

yirara

I lived in that place for a few years, so yes, I know what's available
Supermarkets are full of wonderful raw produce. Great stuff! That's why I was hoping I could cook my own food. Don't expect to see anything there I could make a dinner from without a cooker and a fridge though. It really is eating out for me. I will enjoy this trip, but I don't want to stuff myself senseless on the usual restaurant fare. That's why I'm looking for somewhat lighter options. Oh, and I'm not on a certain budget. I have a whole city of marvelous, expensive food to chose from

chunkyhoney78

I say don't sweat it. Try to enjoy your time there. Make sure to eat protein at every meal 1st then veggies try not to eat as much grains and im sure you'll be fine. Take lots of pics and have fun when you can

RodaRose

You can manage this and be o.k. on the other side.
It is o.k. to have pan friend with butter. Butter is o.k.with small portions.
I would limit to the degree I could these: breads, sweets, alcohol.
Your idea to scope out the ethic options is good.
Do some walking when you ge the opportunity. Relax. This is going to work out.

nusiax

I do not know where you are going in Europe. But there has to a great many choices if you are in a major European City. I live in Europe and there are more choices than you suggest.

You always have Japanese and other Asian choices. But you also have Fish, and you can ask for them to bake it or grill it with less butter and and put the sauce on the side. In Italy this time of year you have great salads and Anti Pasta dishes. Spain all the Tapas choices. France is great for simple and wonderful vegetable dishes.

So if you lived in this popular city before you should know where the choices are. I travel a great deal. And love the more local out of the way places. And European food is typically easier to count calories, as it is simpler and your portion size more correct than in the US. So if you order fish, you usually get 100 g, no an entire fish. But you can guess. And walk the city. European cities are made to walk, and enjoy. which helps with all those extra calories.

And people go out to eat a great deal more than once a month in Europe. We tend to go out all the time. Life here is about enjoyment. And being with friends, especially in the warmer months. When we can be outside. And enjoy

But enjoy your trip, and make your choices. if you are staying a decent hotel the staff will know places for your to go. Ask.

acpgee

I eat out several time a week and live in London and have been losing. It is quite easy to eat out for 500 kcals if you don't have wine. Here are some favourite low calorie orders. It would help if you gave specifics of where you will be going. Pan fried in butter is not a terrible thing. If it is swimming in butter, just leave it on the plate and don't be tempted to mop it up with bread or other starch. I tend to keep calories low by having few carbs and sticking to lean protein and vegetables.

Vietnamese: Bun (this is plain rice vermicelli topped with some grilled or stir fried meat and salad dressed with sweetened vinegar and fish sauce). Also the green mango or papaya salads with plain rice and char grilled meat or chicken.

Japanese: sashimi, plain rice, edamame in the shell, seaweed salad, and miso soup.

Italian: Tagliata di manza or pasta puttanesca with green salad.

French: Poule au pot, steak tartare (skip the fries), steak and salad (skip the fries).

yirara

Great advice, thanks a lot acpgee!
I like Vietnamese food, but don't know the dishes as I hardly ever eat it. I mainly know sweetish glazed meat, but that's about it.

Hmm. what about Korean? I think it's also possible to get grilled meat and lots of vegetables, and plain rice, right?

I do love dry Indian vegetable curries, but I'm certain I cannot get them. It's the same choice as at the average London Indian restaurant, only less well made. The worst food available is Chinese: open a pot of really bad premade sauce and throw it in a wok with some meat and a few morsels of veggies.

Oh, I'll have to try edamame. It seems to be full with vitamins, iron and magnesium, things I'm a bit low at at the moment!

No wine for me. I do like a glass every now and then, but eating out alone in a fine restaurant is already sad enough. Enjoying a glass of good red alone is just ultra sad

Location: being somewhat vague I only say continental Europe, up north. A few choices there

acpgee

Korean is very lean. Bulgogi or any grilled beef dish with plain rice, and vegetable namuls (cold vegetable appetizers, usually blanched veg dressed in sesame oil and garlic).

Indian: This is a little tough since a lot of the curries will be full of ghee and butter. I stick to tandoori chicken or fish, with plain rice plain salad dressed with lemon and some tarka dahl or sag aloo. Ask them to make the vegetable dishes with less ghee if possible. Avoid naan which is full of butter. If you want bread instead of rice have roti instead.

Spanish: Pimientos de padron (deep fried small whole peppers but they absorb no oil, so you only get the oil that is actually coating the peppers), spinach with pine nuts and raisins, pollo or lomo a la plancha (griddled chicken or pork loin)

Chinese: Not all chinese is terrible. Start with a clear soup such as winter melon or wonton. Have a prawn with vegetable or beef with broccoli stir fry as a main with plain rice. Avoid dishes that involve deep frying the meat before stir frying in a sauce. This includes sweet and sour chicken, lemon chicken and General Tso chicken.

In general I stay away from fried starch (fried rice, fried noodles, rice pillau).

yirara

I'm not a fan of fried food, so I don't eat fried rice and the likes. It just messes up the taste for me.

My comment about Chinese food was that I've never found a good one in the whole of the mystery country. Believe me, I tried. New Chinese colleagues seriously get desperate in that place until someone points them to a surprisingly good Asian supermarket. I don't know why there's no decent Chinese restaurant around. Same with Indian, but I do get lots of good Indian food at home and especially at the office canteen at home, so I'm not completely desperate. I could live of good Dhal and Sri Lankan rice noodles for breakfast though *nom nom nom*

Right, Korean added to the list of things to try out, and I'll also have a look at what's available in Spanish restaurants Looks like this business trip is turning into a culinary tasting trip I better not tell my husband as he might take time off and come along

acpgee

I forgot to add grilled fish in Spanish restaurants. Grilled sardines, for example, will typically be on the menu.

D_squareG

If you are going to Germany, I would eat the German food and enjoy it! I lived there for 6 years and love the German cooking. Even though I ate, I walked it all off.

fitgirlandfoodie

I'm just back from a month in France..ate and drank much more than I usually would, ate out regularly enough - lost weight! Just stick with normal foods during the day and when eating out, go for light starters and maybe skip dessert. (I don't have a very sweet tooth so that's easy for me to say

shannonlindseymackie

I moved to the Netherlands from the US and I eat out at least once per day, and it is no problem at all. I mostly have hummus sandwiches and fries.

hastingsmassage

Europe is so much better then USA diet wise, there is plenty of healthy food and normal size meals....have a nice trip ..btw Europe is made of many different countries so please don't put us into one bag...thank you.

yirara

Yes, it is! I don't think I could live in the US, food-wise though I'm sure I can get the fresh produce I love so much pretty much everywhere as well with some driving. And no I didn't mean to put anyone in a bag. The (Europe) was meant to refer to that I'm not eating out in the US, which can be a real nightmare at times, but quite often one seems to be able to find nutritional information for restaurant food.

hastingsmassage

Most of the restaurants have all caloric value of food they cook.

marcellomoo

Why are you planning to eat chinese/ vietnamese/ japanese/ indian/ korean food in europe? Some of those are incredibly greasy and high calorie here.

I'd google map where you're staying, find out some nearby restaurants and look up their menus online. Lots of places here give the calories for their dishes and put a lot of focus on lower calorie ones. If you're that worried about unknown calories, have water and don't waste calories on drinks.

EvgeniZyntx

Europe is so much better then USA diet wise, there is plenty of healthy food and normal size meals....have a nice trip ..btw Europe is made of many different countries so please don't put us into one bag...thank you.

Ironic post is ironic.

EvgeniZyntx

Most of the restaurants have all caloric value of food they cook.

Nope. "Most" do not.

OP go to supermarket buy fresh produce, deli meat, canned goods. One can prepare quite a few meals while traveling without cooking if you so wish. I travel a lot in Europe, where I live, and have no issue finding lighter meals when I want to. Have a salad or entree as your principal meal...