Ask Instant Fitness: What do Nutritionists order when they go out to eat?

People nowadays don’t cook as much as they used to. So many of my clients bring questions to me like, “is a Subway sandwich okay?” “What about chicken enchiladas?”

Here are the basics that nutritionists follow when they eat out. They are so simple, everyone should follow them.

 Rather than going through a whole list of restaurants and calories, let’s narrow it down to a few basics which will help you in ANY restaurant you go to.

1. Limit alcohol. A lot of calories are quickly thrown down or slurped up through a straw. One or two drinks are okay. Liquor is less calories than beer and wine, but only if it’s by itself. Try drinks like Vodka Soda, rum and (diet)Coke, Skrewdriver, or Bay Breeze with diet cranberry.

2. Avoid condiments, ESPECIALLY mayo and other specialty sauces. Ketchup has a ton of sugar and other condiments cary  crazy amounts of sodium and fat. Reduced fat, reduced sugar, reduced sodium and light condiments are better options.

3. Avoid those french fries! Sides are easy to substitute. So get a salad or fruit salad instead of potato chips and fries.

4. Just sample some ice cream with the small spoons or cups they have, and you might find you don’t need any more. A lot of ice cream shops now have sugar-free and low-fat or non-fat ice cream. They are just as delicious as the others, but it doesn’t mean you can go overboard either.  You could also try a kids serving.

Overall, being healthy while eating out means you ask the waiter lots of questions and ask for substitutions, but just make sure you tip well! :]

Click here for more free tips on eating healthy, used by top professionals.

-Tony Tiamiyu

Instant Fitness

Atlanta Personal Trainer

(404) 941-iFIT(4348)