Tips for eating out?

Sara7Taylor

Happy Wednesday!

So I'm leaving for Portland, OR for the nationals college speech and debate tournament. I'm very excited because I placed first at a tourney last weekend for my persuasive speech. Even though I am excited I am worried about eating out for five days! Does anyone have some good tips for picking off of resturant menus? We don't do fast food, which is good....still 5 days of eating out.....

papillon0128

Hi Sara ! My husband and I eat out a lot and I have found that most chain restaurants do post their nutritional information online now. What I usually do is look at their menu online and then look at the nutritional data and log my food here before I even go to the restaurant. If the food is all high calorie then I will only eat half and take the rest home to eat later. That works for me..

jsmjboertlein

I agree about looking em up online before you go and check out the nutritional info. The best fall backs are always grilled chicken meals, fish, and salads of course.

PirateJenny

My advice would be to bring some healthy snacks with you, if you can. If not, buy them once you hit Portland. It is less expensive and can help mitigate the stress of eating out.

Portland has numerous vegan and vegetarian restaurants and health food stores, many of which have delis or small dining areas attached. The staff at many of these places are very helpful and can point to good choices if there isn't posted nutritional information. Just be careful, vegan and vegetarian does not always mean low fat or calorie by any means. However, even if you are not vegetarian, you might check some out, there are some surprising and delicious options that don't leave you feeling deprived at all.

In general, stick to baked, grilled or steamed fish or chicken if you are not vegetarian. If an entree comes with an unhealthy side, just ask for a different one. If you are watching carbs, ask for a larger portion of veggies instead of pasta, rice or potato. If the veggies come with cheese, butter or a heavy sauce, ask for them plain or with the sauce on the side. Portland can be a health conscious and ingredient sensitive place to dine, you will be able to find quite a few restaurants with posted information that are also willing to accommodate substitutions.

Here's a quick link to check out

http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/oregon/portland/

Have fun! I love that town.

hjy319

2 websites I find helpful beyond the restaurant's own sites are:
www.fastfood.com/nutrition/
http://www.eddieoneverything.com/nutrition_info/calculators

I also love the Calorie king book, it has many places in there and gives you ideas for other cuisine types if they are not listed. Good luck!