When going out, I believe simplicity is key. The more fried, sauced, bathed, crunchatized, mysterious the meal is, the more likely it is loaded with unnecessary calories. Below are some go-to’s i’d recommend. Granted, this can also be completely situational and individualized dependent on which choices you gravitate towards, but for the general population, here are some starters!
Mexican: Think Fajita skillets! Load up on the steak/chicken and pepper mix on the skillet. Typically, these will come with some tortillas, rice, beans, sour cream, guac, and pico. Limiting the amount of sour cream and guac used will be an easy way to save calories here. Using some tortillas, rice, and the meat/pepper mix will be a meal that allows you to enjoy some Mexican cuisine with friends and have some not too shabby choices.
Sandwich shop: Have you ever heard Arby’s slogan? “ARBYS! We have the meats.” Think about that anytime you go anywhere really.. but at sub places, I look for the choices that maximize the protein on the sandwich. I look for more of the leaner cuts as well (turkey, chicken, roast beef) vs the fattier options (bologna, pepperoni, ham, salami). Pick your bread of choice, wheat vs white isn’t a huge deal but a little extra fiber doesn’t hurt. After that, double/triple/quadruple your meat, or combine some turkey and roast beef. Once you get to the next step, decorate that puppy with every color and veggie you can. At the end, stay away from the fat loaded sauces or mayo. Standard mustard is a safe option. If you really can’t live without a sauce, order it on the side and just use a sliver of it. Put yourself in control of the amount you add.
Sushi: Ahh good ol’ sushi. My personal favorite… Kyoto in Harmar Mall, Roseville is out of this world. All you can eat sushi for 25$ and it’s phenomenal. All you can eat is definitely a dangerous path to go on if you are on a more restricted cut, but have no fear, Jesse’s sushi tips are here!
Let’s start with the simplest way to minimize the calories. Sashimi.. Pure, raw, cuts of Red Tune, Yellowtail, Salmon.. The list goes on. It’s delicious and with that combination you will avoid the carbs and extra fats that are added into the rolls. Though the fish by itself is good, Nigiri is a great option that gives you some wiggle room and causes you to bust out a little dance move when the flavor hits. Nigiri is just a bed of rice underneath the raw fish. Again, keeping the meal simply, knowing what you are having (ie a protein and a carb choice) and enjoying the sushi with friends. Rolls can be a little trickier. Many of them have sauces, avocado, fried fish etc. All of these additions will stack your calories quickly. Limit the fried rolls, and the ones coated in sauces like spicy mayo. Snack on some ginger while you wait for your food, eat slowly and try some seaweed salad or a miso soup to get a good start on the meal. Sushi is an art and there are so many things to try! Just be smart with your approach.
Standard Bar & Grill: Good ol American burgers, fries and chicken wings. Classic staples that people gravitate towards year-round and especially when the Vikings are winning Super Bowls. When you go to a standard bar & grill, like Applebee’s for example, we will continue with the theme of choosing a leaner meat, ordering the sauces on the side and swapping out fries for a better option like a side salad or veggies. Appetizers? Here in America that’s like a meal before a meal. Don’t fret too much about some shared chips & salsa but stuff like mozzarella sticks, fried/breaded wings, loaded queso nachos are all things that likely won’t help us out too much on the nutrition side. Most places have nutrition info on their website so don’t be afraid to take a peek and plan ahead.
Italian: To be honest, this is probably one of the trickier options out there, but we’ll give it a whirl. My mom and dad ate at Olive Garden quite often when she was pregnant with me so I feel like I have a special bond with the breadsticks there. The theme above indicates when we go out, we want to stick to leaner meats and as much volume in veggies as possible while avoiding all the fried and sauced options. Breadsticks and pastas will be carbohydrate and fat heavy, while likely being lower on the protein side. For example, the mozzarella stick appetizer from Olive Garden has 59g of Fat in it. For most people I work with, this is a large chunk of their daily intake. Looking at the sauce options on their menu, quite a few of the sauces contain ~90g of fat alone. This is incredible. Stack that up with 2-3 breadsticks, a bowl of pasta and you are ready for winter hibernation my friend! I’m not trying to steer you away from Italian food, and I think life is about balance and incorporating all the awesome food out there, but this one is just a tad more challenging if your goal is fat loss. Stick to the salad as a starter, have a few breadsticks and for the entrée here are some ideas for Olive Garden I’ve found to be a better choice:
-Anything off the taste of Mediterranean menu will be high five worthy
-If you are set on pasta, do the build your own, with a marinara, or traditional meat sauce and either grilled chicken or the sautéed shrimp as the topper. Alfredo options will really be calorically dense on the sauce side.
Fast Food: Chipotle.
Coffee: What have we done here in America with good ol’ black coffee?! We have normalized starting our work days out with expensive milk shakes and named it ‘coffee’. Anytime you go to a coffee shop, avoid the super blended, sweetened, fluffed options. Americanos, Cold brew, straight black are all the best options. Straight energy 🙂 If you need a little cream, try out an almond milk latte, or add a splash of full fat cream in your drink if you have some room in your fat intake for the day.
*Fun fact- many of the flavors are ~5g of carbs per pump. A large drink typically has 5-6 pumps which easily stacks up toward your carb intake for the day. Starbucks and Caribou do tend to have some Sugar Free flavor options if you can’t live without a vanilla latte.
My go order? Winter: Almond Milk Latte Summer: Cold brew or an Iced Americano