Eating healthy at home is one thing; eating healthy when you’re out at a restaurant is a whole different ballpark. While you may have nailed the process of cooking a nutritious, weight loss-friendly meal, ordering one can be difficult. However, you shouldn’t be afraid of going out to eat just because you want to lose weight! There are plenty of ways to stay healthy at a restaurant. In fact, treating yourself to a meal without worrying about calorie counts and additives every once in a while isn’t the worst idea in the world. However, if you are trying to stay as healthy as possible while out to eat, it’s important to remember that some menu item that seem healthy could actually contribute to weight gain. In fact, there are a few common items that may have you fooled.
To shed some light on a few common restaurant orders that could be putting your weight loss goals at risk, we checked in with health experts Lisa Richards, registered nutritionist and creator of the Candida Diet and Paula Doebrich, founder of Happea Nutrition. They told us that many salads come with unhealthy toppings, and diet soda isn’t always the best beverage of choice. Read on for all of their expert insight.
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1. Salads with unhealthy toppings
When many people think of meals for weight loss, a salad is the first thing that pops into their head. And while it's true that salads can be some of the healthiest options out there, it's important to keep in mind that they're only as health as the ingredients you put into them. And oftentimes, restaurants load their salads with unhealthy add-ins.
"Many fast food companies are catching on to the fact that Americans are getting tired of being unhealthy," Richards points out. "This has led to the development of many ‘healthy’ menu items and in some cases even menus dedicated to nutrient-dense and low calorie food items." However, while she notes that there are many "decent and even exceptional salad options," there are also many that could have adverse effects on your health when consumed regularly. The key is to keep an eye on the toppings.
"Avoid fried proteins like chicken fingers and opt for grilled versions instead," Richards suggests. As far as steak goes, she stresses that "you'll want a leaner cut of beef." Additionally, you should always be sure to steer clear of any fried or breaded meat, as regularly eating fried food can lead to a range of health risks.
Next up, she recommends staying away from toppings like fried onions and croutons, which are "two toppings that quickly add empty calories, carbs and fat to a fast-food salad." Noted!
2. Diet soda
Okay, so you've chosen a healthy salad that's free of fried toppings and packed with nutritious veggies. What will you have to drink with it? If you're craving a Coke but don't want to deal with the health effects of all that sugar and calories, you may think that diet soda is your best option. However, this likely isn't the case. Because while your go-to Diet Coke may be free of sugar and calories, it contains harmful artificial sweeteners.
There are a number of health risks associated with artificial sweeteners, including sugar cravings and weight gain. "Some sources suggest that diet soda may increase sugar cravings," Doebrich explains. "This is believed to be due to triggering sugar receptors." And when you set yourself up for sugar cravings, you're much more likely to indulge in an unhealthy, sugary dessert later on—which definitely won't be good for your weight loss goals.
Another factor to consider when it comes to diet soda is that it could be bad for your gut, which may ultimately make it difficult to lose weight. "A suspected outcome of drinking excessive amounts of diet soda are changes in the gut microbiome, which have negative health outcomes," Doebrich says.
So, what should you drink instead? Luckily, there are plenty of healthy low-sugar beverages to choose from, including sparkling water and unsweetened tea.
Of course, like we said above, sometimes the best thing to do when you're at a restaurant is say "screw it" and order whatever you want. However, any time you want to enjoy a healthy meal when you're out to eat, it's good to keep the advice of these experts in mind.
