By Jennifer Smith, CHN, BHC, FBCC
The good thing about the clean eating diet is that it isn’t difficult to eat out with this particular diet. It is actually very simple to do, no matter what restaurant you go to, as long as you know the basic clean eating rules. Here are some tips to follow when you want to eat out and stick to your clean eating lifestyle.
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What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Corinthians 6:19
When you are eating out, don’t make it complicated and choose one of the newest skillet meals or something that requires analyzing every single piece of the meal puzzle. Instead, just go simple, especially when you are new to the clean eating diet. This might mean simply ordering from the healthy part of the menu, like getting grilled chicken with steamed vegetables, the pan-seared salmon with brown rice, or just a salad. These are simple, easy meals you know most likely include ingredients you can have while on the clean eating diet.
As far as the type of restaurant goes, steak and seafood should be at the top of your list. While it is true you can find clean eating-approved meals just about anywhere, it is simpler when you don’t need to do a lot of substitutions or change half of what the meal is supposed to be. Going to a steak and/or seafood restaurant is easy to order.
Steak restaurants already have steak as the main component for most of their dishes, and it is probably high-quality steak as opposed to ordering steak from a café or diner. With seafood restaurants, go for anything grilled or that is not breaded and fried, and you should be okay.
There are going to be some times when you need to choose food from a fast food restaurant. This is definitely not ideal, but it also doesn’t have to make or break the diet. Try to get a side salad if you can, but think about the type of dressing you choose, or use no dressing at all.
With other menu items, do away with the bun or bread, and try to get a grilled chicken sandwich ‘protein style’. Most fast food restaurants will give you the grilled chicken sandwich with all the veggies, but no bun. Many of them wrap it in a big lettuce leaf.
There are going to be times when you just can’t make a decision, based on the type of restaurant it is. In this case, just try to order a salad with steak, seafood, or grilled chicken. Don’t use the dressing and get cheese on the side so you can skip it, then ask for olive oil and vinegar instead of dressing.
I hear this question all the time. Your nutrition habits will make the biggest impact on your health for better or for worse. If you eat a highly processed nutrient deficient foods, your health will follow your lead into poor health. If you choose to make changes now to your nutrition habits by improving food choices and adding healthy habits, your health will begin to improve.
This does not require perfection to see major improvements in energy and some symptoms beginning to diminish. In fact, I don't want you to be perfect! This is not a diet, because diets always fail and lead to weight re-gain and increasing your weight above where you started! I want you to aim for a little improvement every day, and every week.
If you're ready to take your health to the next level and learn the habits to make you successful with long-term lifestyle change, book your free discovery call with Jennifer below.
Jennifer Smith is a certified Holistic Nutritionist, Biblical Health Coach and Faith-Based Clinical Counselor. She has completed advanced certifications in Functional Nutrition, Biblical Naturopathy and Biblical Eating and Clinical Nutrition.