Eating out while on a diet can be difficult, as many restaurants pack their food with extra fat, sugar, and sodium. This can make it seem next to impossible to go out for dinner without ditching your diet. But, with increasing public demand for healthier foods, many restaurants have lately been offering a wider variety of low-calorie, diet-friendly options. You just have to know what to order.
To learn about the best low-calorie meals you can order at places like Chipotle and Panera to lose weight, we spoke with Mary Sabat, MS, RDN, LD, a registered nutritionist, Ace Certified Trainer, and founder of Body Designs by Mary. She said that Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Sofritas Bowl with brown rice, Sweetgreen’s Harvest Bowl, and Panera Bread’s Modern Greek Salad with quinoa are the best low-calorie restaurant meals you can eat and lose weight. Read on to learn more!
1. Chipotle Mexican Grill's Sofritas Bowl With Brown Rice
Chipotle is the frontrunner when it comes to a fast-casual, healthy dining experience. They don't use artificial ingredients or preservatives, their protein contains no hormones, and their products are always fresh. That's why Chipotle is a great candidate for low-calorie restaurant meals. Sabat recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill's Softritas Bowl with brown rice which is only 390 calories.
"This meal includes braised and shredded organic tofu, brown rice, fajita vegetables, salsa, and guacamole for a total of 390 calories," she notes. The health benefits include high amounts of protein and fiber from the tofu and rice, vitamins and minerals from the vegetables, and healthy fats from the guacamole." In general, it's best to order your burritos as bowls at Chipotle.
READ MORE: Chipotle Just Added A Brand New Quesadilla To The Menu—Here’s How To Get It
2. Sweetgreen's Harvest Bowl
Sweetgreen has some of the best choices for a healthy lunch or dinner, hands-down. The fresh menu features farm-to-table vegetables, housemade dressings, and heart-healthy fats (like avocado, nuts, seeds, and fish!). Most salads total between 400 and 500 calories. "Sweetgreen uses as much local and organic as possible," Sabat adds. At Sweetgreen, she suggests ordering a harvest bowl which is only 490 calories.
"This meal includes roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, roasted brussels sprouts, kale, tomatoes, roasted almonds, and a balsamic vinaigrette for a total of 490 calories," she says. "The health benefits include high amounts of protein and fiber from the chicken and vegetables, vitamins and minerals from the vegetables, and healthy fats from the almonds." The balsamic vinaigrette can help boost your metabolism, too!
3. Panera Bread's Modern Greek Salad With Quinoa
Panera is another popular fast casual dining that offers breakfast and lunch with meals like their sausage bagel sandwich or their delicious flatbread pizza. Choosing half a sandwich, a cup of soup, or a salad is a great way to go at Panera if you're looking for a low-calorie meal. Sabat recommends the Modern Greek Salad with quinoa which is just 470 calories.
"This meal includes romaine lettuce, spinach, feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, artichokes, olives, roasted red peppers, and a Greek vinaigrette for a total of 470 calories," she notes. "The health benefits include high amounts of fiber from the vegetables, vitamins, and minerals from the vegetables, and healthy fats from the olives and feta cheese." And, the quinoa you add to this salad can help stabilize blood sugar and reduce cholesterol.
The Bottom Line
You can eat out and still eat healthy food. Luckily, restaurants like Chipotle, Sweetgreen, and Panera, let you customize most meals to your liking. That way, you can cut calories and create your own low-calorie meals. At Chipotle, you can get rid of a lot of calories by making your meal a bowl rather than a burrito. And, at Panera, you can add ingredients like quinoa for extra health benefits while still keeping the meal low-calorie. So next time you treat yourself and eat out, try some of Sabat's low-calorie suggestions!
