I need help eating out!!

RobinC37
RobinC37 Posts: 242 Member
in Food and Nutrition
A friend invited me to dinner at a Mexican restaurant this evening. I did everything I was supposed to- looked up the menu online first, picked a hopefully reasonable meal that I would still enjoy, input my best high judgement of the calories, boxed up half, didn't gorge on chips first even though I was hungry, etc etc etc...

The problem was that I got 3 or 4 bites into my meal and ALL I could taste was the salt. This is my first time eating out in a few weeks and I don't salt dishes much at home. Has restaurant food always been this salty? Can I even order food with low salt? Was it just a fluke? Am I doomed to never restaurant again?

Is there anything I can do at this point except drink extra water?

Replies

  • jnn0409
    jnn0409 Posts: 171 Member
    I find that when I eat healthy and at home more, that the moment I eat out or eat something out of the ordinary that it's way too salty for me. It could have been that restaurant or that it was Mexican food but seriously everytime when I eat out I find myself sooooo thirsty that evening and having to down water.
  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
    This is why I despise eating out. The salt taste are just too overwhelming. If you eat at franchise/chain places you'll get food drenched in salt.
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    I usually look for a nutrition menu online. If it's a mom and pop and they make their own foods and you have no control...the only option is to beg them to tell the chef to NOT put any extra salt and tell them you have issues with it. They might be able to keep themselves from doing it. Tortillas generally are premade at restaurants like that. You could always request something that's lighter faire....salad with some sort of chicken on top.....

    Salt is one of the worst parts of eating out...that's why I ask for a nutrition menu. Sucks.
  • amandacowan1978
    amandacowan1978 Posts: 50 Member
    Sometimes you need to eat out, whether it's for family events, work events, social events.. and it's always a challenge. That's just for the issues you see on the surface with your food (ie: salt, sugar, fat, etc).

    You can ask very specific questions about your meal. Talk to your server when ordering, and ask what you can do to modify your meal.

    When in doubt, ask for a salad, no dressing or dressing on the side and a piece of grilled chicken or fish (or veggies if you're vegetarian) and always ask for no extra sauce/oil/salt. Most places will gladly accomodate you and if they don't, then you'll have a restaurant on your list that you won't visit again.

    Good luck! It's super challenging, I know!

    In this case, the damage is done, just hydrate hydrate hydrate so you can flush that salt out. Most of the time, even if you negotiate your salt content down some, you'll still need to make sure you're really guzzling the water so you don't have the post-eat-out bloat.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    I just think maybe your food was too salty. I think you could have reasonably asked the waiter to take it back.

    Maybe they had a new cook or something. Curious to see what your next outing is like whether salty taste is an issue.

    If it becomes a pattern start ordering salads and saying no meat. That should be way less salty than anything marinated or seasoned. Dressing on the side might help too.
  • Tetonia
    Tetonia Posts: 79 Member
    congratulations! You are training your tastebuds to enjoy healthy food. Sorry, it doesn't get better. It just gets saltier and also more cloyingly sweet (many deserts), as well as tasting like chemicals (soda) and nasty grease (fried foods). Enjoy it... It makes eating out less attractive. Ask lots of questions and for special prep of your meals out.
  • amandacowan1978
    amandacowan1978 Posts: 50 Member
    Oh! Another tip, remember to double check the nutritional stats for the servings PER PLATE. Often times we get fooled into thinking we're playing it safe, but the dish is actually 2-3 servings. Total rip off.
  • RobinC37
    RobinC37 Posts: 242 Member
    Couldn't really send the food back, as my friend's boyfriend was our server. I just had some grilled chicken with refried beans and rice but holy heck! Oh, and no nutrition info online at all :(
    Will working up a good sweat tomorrow help too? Or just stick to the water? I really feel like crap right now, but maybe it's in my head and I should just go to bed?

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