Going out to eat is one of the simple joys of life. It’s a chance to celebrate with friends, break bread with family, and enjoy delicious food that you might not usually cook at home. That said, dining out presents certain challenges – and it can be especially tricky if you’re following a diet plan, or simply trying to eat a bit healthier.
With some preparation and research, however, dining out on healthy options is achievable – and can still serve up plenty of variety and flavour. There are lots of healthy eating out options that can support your fitness and weight loss goals: and below, the team here at F45 Training has compiled 10 tips to help you enjoy them.
How healthy eating out options support your fitness plan
Finding the healthiest options for eating out is an excellent way to maintain your exercise routine – and offers big benefits. These include:
Nutrition: Healthy options like salad bowls, sushi or wraps are nutrient-rich, nourishing your body before or after a workout to support recovery and help prevent injuries. Particularly for those who carb cycle, eating out can be useful during periods of a high calorie intake.
Motivation: Allowing yourself flexibility is also a big part of staying motivated. You don’t always have to pick the healthiest thing to eat out: instead, choose to satisfy your cravings in moderation. If you’ve been following a diet plan for the rest of your meals, dining out can boost your mood without disrupting your fitness goals.
Convenience: No cooking and no clean up! Eating out is a time save, freeing up time for those all-important rest days.
10 tips for eating healthy while dining out
There are plenty of ways to enjoy healthy eating out options – especially if you stick to restaurants that are close to your local F45 studio. Choosing eateries in the vicinity of your local fitness spots offers convenience: allowing you to drop in for a pre- or post-workout meal and helping simplify your choices when it comes to eating healthier out.
Here are our top 10 tips to help you enjoy a meal out – without the guilt!
- Check the menu
- Tweak the meals
- Drink wisely
- Check cooking methods
- Watch out for labels
- Portion control
- Snack beforehand
- Eat slow
- Order first
- Add a healthy side
1. Check the menu
To keep your nutrition goals on track, check the menus of your chosen dining spot in advance to find the healthiest options for eating out – because often, fast-food restaurants will have a part of the menu dedicated to healthy options.
Alternatively, if you’re wanting to hit a certain number of calories as part of a bulking diet – or keep food intake down as part of a weight loss management plan – keep an eye out for the ingredient and calorie breakdown many menus include.
2. Make a few simple tweaks
With the rise of gluten-free, vegan, and dietary requirements, most restaurants are willing to cater to specific requests – so don’t be afraid to ask for simple modifications to build your own healthy choices when eating out.
Even small, simple changes – like requesting dressing on the side, skipping fried sides, or removing butter – can cut unnecessary calories from your meal.
3. Drink wisely
However healthy the food you order is, adding alcohol or sugar-heavy soft drinks can undo all that good work with empty energy and extra calories. Remember, it’s those calories you’re working so hard to burn off in F45 workouts – so stick to water or fresh fruit juice to pair with your meal, and set yourself up for success in the studio!
4. Check how the food is cooked
Aside from steering clear of obvious terms like ‘deep fried’ or ‘crispy’ when ordering food, watch out for others like ‘fritters,’ ‘au gratin’ or ‘confit,’ too – these mean your chosen dishes have been cooked in significant amounts of oil and fat.
Healthy eating out options include steamed vegetables for vitamins and grilled or roasted (rather than fried) meat for protein.
5. Focus on the ingredients, not the labels
When settling on the healthiest options when eating out, focus on the ingredients – not the labels. Just because a dish is labelled “raw”, “organic”, or “natural”, it can still pack a heap of calories, fat, and sugar, regardless of how natural it is.
Watch out for trendy foods, such as raw cakes, too: although they contain fruit and nuts, they can still contain as many calories as a traditional cake.
6. Portion control
Holding yourself accountable is part of the F45 mindset. So, if needed, feel free to increase or decrease your portion size to fit your appetite and nutrition needs. To this end, it’s always good to look around at the size of other customers’ meals to see if the meal sizes align with what you’re looking for. If the portions at your chosen restaurant are bigger than what you’re used to, it can lead to excess intake. If they’re too small, however, this can lead to unwanted – and potentially unhealthy – snacking later.
7. Snack beforehand
To avoid overeating or ordering more than intended, eat a little at home before you head to the restaurant. In the same way that it’s important to meal prep for the week, it’s vital to prepare and have easy access to healthy, filling snacks – such as fruit, natural yoghurt or protein bars – to keep your appetite satisfied.
8. Eat slowly
When dining at a restaurant, the goal shouldn’t simply be to find the healthiest thing to eat out. Instead, it should be about ordering something you’ll enjoy and eating it mindfully. In other words: take your time! Eating slowly helps you eat less, as it gives time for your gut to produce ghrelin, the hormone that controls your hunger. Eating slowly also supports digestion: promoting wellness, and even helping you sleep better.
9. Order first
The power of suggestion is real – and, sometimes, it’s easy to be swayed by what other people get when eating out, which may have more calories than what you’d initially planned. When dining out for healthy options, then, order early. This way, you can mitigate the effects of peer pressure. And, who knows? You may even become a trendsetter in your own right!
10. Add a healthy side
Part of choosing healthy options when eating out is being smart with sides. If you think you may still be hungry from your main, for example, add a filling side. Opt for vegetable or grain-based sides here, as they’re full of fibre and water. This means they fill you up quickly, while keeping additional unwanted calories low.
Now you’ve tucked into the healthiest options when eating out, boost your wellbeing even further by learning about the connection between sleep and exercise.
