Six Tips For Healthy Eating Whilst On The Go
|
|
If you find yourself on the go on a regular basis, you probably won’t need anybody to tell you just how difficult it can be to find healthy food and drink choices when out on the road. It seems like if you don’t want your food processed, deep fried, full of salt, coated in cheese, and pumped full of sugar, you could very well struggle to find a meal that fills you up and helps provide your body with the nutrients it requires to become fitter and healthier. When dining out, whether at cafes, bars, restaurants, street food vendors, or even just convenience stores, the ratio of healthy to unhealthy foods is pretty noticeable. Of course you will almost certainly always find salad on the menu, but even salads can sometimes be deceiving and much more unhealthier than you may have realised. It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to look better or improve your health and well-being, the simple fact is that it can be tough to find healthy food and drink choices whilst on the go, but certainly not impossible. Here are six simple yet highly effective tips for eating healthy whilst on the go.
Be careful of large portions
Suppose that you do find a food item on a menu that looks and sounds healthy, and you decide to try that. Just be wary of large portions because that is one of the easiest ways of bumping up your calorie, salt, sugar, and fat consumption without even realising. If you can’t find a healthy option on the menu and have to go for a typically unhealthy food, by opting for a smaller portion, you can save yourself a number of calories, and still satisfy your hunger cravings and give your body the energy it requires. It may be tempting to order a large fries instead of a small, but if you order the small and wait 10 minutes or so, you’ll find yourself feeling full and satisfied, and will have saved a couple of hundred calories in the process.
Opt for grilled foods
With more and more people becoming more health conscious, more and more fast food chains and eateries are being forced to offer more healthier choices on their menus. If you feel like a burger for example, rather than the fried chicken burger with extra cheese and mayo, why not opt for a grilled chicken breast burger with no cheese, extra salad, and a little salsa instead? If a meat is grilled rather than fried, it will be much healthier because not only will it not be breaded or battered, but it won’t soak up or absorb any fats or oils that it was cooked in, because it wasn’t cooked in any fats or oils to begin with.
Ask for alternative cooking methods
If you’re heading away on a road trip or business meeting and stop off at a diner to pick up some breakfast, by simply asking if your food could perhaps be cooked a little healthier, you can potentially save hundreds of calories and will find yourself consuming much less fat in the process. With eggs for example, rather than fried eggs, opt for poached or steamed, or ask if they wouldn’t mind cooking them with no oil/less oil if healthier options aren’t available. More often than not the restaurant/diner/cafe will be more than happy to accommodate your request, so you still get to enjoy a delicious meal, cooked in a much healthier fashion. If your food is served with toast and butter, ask for no butter.
Request sauces and dressings on the side
When dining out, people often think that ordering a salad is the healthiest choice they can make, yet what they don’t take into account is that many salads are served with the leaves already dressed, and if the dressing is oil or cream based, this can increase the calorie content by several hundred. If you order a salad, request the dressing on the side so you can control how much you use. Alternatively you could request no dressing at all, although that could be a little bland. The same goes for meals that come with sauces, if you ask for the sauce to be served on the side, you don’t necessarily have to use it all and so can save yourself a few hundred calories whilst still enjoying your meal.
Choose a healthy side dish
Just to give an example of the types of foods you see on most menus these days, you will often find steak on there as steak is a firm favourite. The steak alone isn’t that bad as it is usually grilled, is relatively lean if it’s rump, and is a great source of protein, minerals, and vitamins. The problem is that these steaks are often served with deep fried fries, breaded onion rings, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, and perhaps high calorie sauces and butters. By changing your side dishes however, you can create a much healthier and more balanced meal that still tastes great. For example, instead of fries, request a jacket potato without the butter. Order yourself a side salad or a portion of vegetables instead of onion rings and greasy sauces and you have a healthy and balanced meal packed full of vitamins, minerals, and various other nutrients.
Always try to drink water
Instead of a beer or a sugary soda for your beverage, always try to order mineral water instead. Water is free from calories, it’s essential for our bodies, it is enriched with minerals, and it benefits us in countless other ways as well. Even natural fruit juices can be harmful as they still contain natural fructose sugars which still contain calories. Mineral water is much healthier, it’s free of calories, it’s full of natural goodness, and it’s often much cheaper as well.
Recommended for you
