For many of us, diet disasters lurk in restaurants. There’s a lot of cheesy fried goodness, bread, cheesy fried bread, mucho margaritas, and molten chocolate cake. But dining out is often part of being a social and employed human being, so it’s important to play it smart.
You know one common way to stay healthy at a restaurant is to order a salad. This can be a simple healthy option to staying on track. But just because something sits on top of greens, it might still pack more fat and calories than you want to eat in an entire day.
AOL Health has a great slide show of restaurant salads that are anything but healthy. It’s always good to have specific examples of ones to watch out for! You can check out the slide show here.
Here are some of the best ways to avoid ordering a salad with 80 grams of fat (seriously):
Check the restaurant’s Web site in advance to look up nutritionals, and be sure to see if dressing is included in the tally.
Avoid “cripsy” things (fried chicken, bacon, croutons, noodles).
Keep in mind that cheese, nuts, and avocado can all be healthy ingredients, but restaurant portions might add a lot more calories.
Skip the creamy dressings that come with and ask for a vinaigrette or olive oil and vinegar instead. Most of the salads on AOL’s slide show get their over-the-top calorie counts from dressing.
Some of these stats might make you want to go with the burger you’re really craving instead of the “good” salad. You’ll be more satisfied if you order what you want and have a balanced meal that (hopefully) includes carbs, protein, and some fiber, as opposed to iceberg lettuce drowning in Ranch that’s going to leave you wanting more.
God knows, I’m going to take in 40 grams of fat in one sitting, I’d prefer it come by way of some combination of cheese and fries, not in one serving of Thousand Island.
.jpg)
