What to Look for on Menus at Restaurants

Emily3119
Emily3119 Posts: 25 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey all :) I am new here so I apologize if this topic has been discussed, feel free to point me to an old topic if that's the case!

I was wondering, when you go out to eat at a restaurant that isn't a chain and doesn't provide any resemblance of nutritional information on their website or menus, what sort of words or things do you look for on the menu to find something that is not going to destroy your daily calories? Ex: grilled, chicken, fish...etc? Besides the obviously "healthy" salads with dressing on the side, and avoiding massive pasta dishes....any advice?

Thank you for your help!

Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Exactly that. Grilled chicken, fish, & salads are usually safer options depending on how high your goals are. If it isn't an every day occurrence, I would just pick what sounds good and eat half.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    steak
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    At this point I'm pretty good at eyeing up whats on my plate and roughly estimating the macro nutrients on there and just assuming its a ton of sodium. I eat to what fits my macros and try to order very plainly.
  • YaGigi
    YaGigi Posts: 817 Member
    Chicken, seafood, veal, beef, lamb. Grilled or baked.
    Veggies on a side, mostly fresh veggies.

    Mushroom, fresh cheese.

    Fruits for dessert.
  • Terree_G
    Terree_G Posts: 69 Member
    Other than avoiding anything fried along with red meat, I can only tell you what I did last Sunday at a burrito place. I observed and evaluated how much of each thing (meat, rice, etc.) they put into the burrito and logged it accordingly, later. I might have been off by a few calories or grams, but I did my best.
  • jesskreg
    jesskreg Posts: 75 Member
    As the people above say, look for lean meats (chicken, fish, lean beef,etc.). Stay away from menu items that say they are fried, battered or smothered. Another way to cut calories is to ask for dressing or sauce on the side or skip the cheese. You can also choose a variety of healthy side items such as a sweet potato (no whipped cream, etc.), a vegetable, or side salad and go with a non-creamy soup or turkey chili (chicken noodle or other broth soup). There are many ways to adjust menu items to fit within your diet but it takes some planning. Oh, and I've recently gotten into the habit of checking a restaurant's menu online before going there, so I've already made my choice, and I'm less tempted to cheat. :)
  • Emily3119
    Emily3119 Posts: 25 Member
    Do you feel like you order many of the chickens or steaks or whatever without the glazes and sauces and all that stuff?
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
    Hey all :) I am new here so I apologize if this topic has been discussed, feel free to point me to an old topic if that's the case!

    I was wondering, when you go out to eat at a restaurant that isn't a chain and doesn't provide any resemblance of nutritional information on their website or menus, what sort of words or things do you look for on the menu to find something that is not going to destroy your daily calories? Ex: grilled, chicken, fish...etc? Besides the obviously "healthy" salads with dressing on the side, and avoiding massive pasta dishes....any advice?

    Thank you for your help!

    If you stick with a grilled chicken or shrimp you should be good. Ask for no butter or oil on it and skip the dressings..they can be a caloric nightmare! Cheese and croutons will add alot of unwanted extras to your meal too. I rarely eat out as I like to know exactly what I'm eating.
  • Emily3119
    Emily3119 Posts: 25 Member
    As the people above say, look for lean meats (chicken, fish, lean beef,etc.). Stay away from menu items that say they are fried, battered or smothered. Another way to cut calories is to ask for dressing or sauce on the side or skip the cheese. You can also choose a variety of healthy side items such as a sweet potato (no whipped cream, etc.), a vegetable, or side salad and go with a non-creamy soup or turkey chili (chicken noodle or other broth soup). There are many ways to adjust menu items to fit within your diet but it takes some planning. :)


    ^ Guess that kind of answered my second question :)
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    steak

    Just as long as it isn't "Prime Rib"..that stuff is super high calorie / fat.

    Look for "grilled", "baked" and avoid things like 'garlic butter', any cream sauce (Alfredo, Bearnaise, Hollandaise,Carbonara) if you want pasta go with 'angel hair' or 'capellini' and stick to 'marinara' or tomato based sauces. If you choose to have something that IS going to be higher in calories get a takeout box right away and pack half before you start eating :)

    Also, try the soup instead of the salad - many soups are quite low in calories, especially if it's a broth base (like minestrone) - just watch the sodium there. Opt for salad instead of fries or rice or ask for extra veggies instead.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    sauce
    cheese
    cream
    butter
    fried
  • Emily3119
    Emily3119 Posts: 25 Member
    sauce
    cheese
    cream
    butter
    fried

    Haha yeah, I was thinking I'd ask for extra butter and just dip everything in sour cream, probably some fried ice cream for dessert. ;)
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    This is what I usually go for

    If it's an Indian restaurant go for tandoori chicken with salad and chappati (AVOID creamy sauces such as Korma and calorie loaded naans, pilau rice can be quite loaded and onion bhaji's)

    If it's chinese stir fry chicken, prawn or veg in blackbean (or other savory sauce) with boiled rice (AVOID sweet and sour type sauces with battered chicken, fried rice, noodles (they're usually swimming in oil) and fried starters like won tons and spring rolls)

    Italian would usually be tomato based pasta dish & balsamic salad (AVOID pizza, garlic bread, cabonara, cheese based sauce or filling like lasagne, cured meat platter)

    Japanese would be udon noodle soup (avoid tempura and katsu curry)

    Mexican's hard I usually go for sizzling fajitas you build yourself and leave out the sour cream and cheese or a salad most everything else is pretty lethal :P

    Anywhere else just grilled lean meat dishes and salads with lo fat dressing, however I usually guess I'll be over when I eat out and "try" to compensate over the rest of the week :)

Categories