How to approach your nutrition when eating out
I know a lot of people struggle with is staying on top of their nutrition for events, or even just a night out.
There are couple ways to approach events and going out to eat, and it really depends whether you plan to track your food while you are out or not.
If you are not tracking, it’s really about what you eat beforehand and how you will eat or order while you are out. Beforehand, you should definitely prioritize lean proteins and fruits and veggies and maybe even a protein shake. I always do things like scrambled egg whites with veggies for breakfast, a grilled chicken salad for lunch, and a protein shake before I leave. Once you are at the event or restaurant, it’s all about listening to your body. I usually try to get some protein and veggies somewhere in that meal, but in all honesty I am more focused on eating when I am hungry and stopping when I am full. Putting my fork down in between bites to slow down really helps my brain catch up to my stomach. Nothing is worse than eating until you have a stomach ache!
If you are tracking, we want to plan out what you are eating at the event FIRST and then work the rest of your food around that. If you can look ahead at the menu, pick out what you want to eat and log that. If the menu doesn’t have full nutrition facts, that is OKAY! Just input something similar from a chain restaurant. For example, if you are going out for Italian but the restaurant doesn’t have nutrition facts, just input something similar from Olive Garden. It won’t be perfect but it will be close enough!
Whether you are tracking or not, the two main focuses are being mindful and making sure your meals beforehand are nutrient dense and filling so you aren’t going into the meal out hangry!
Eating out and going to events is part of life, and we shouldn’t feel guilty when we do it. I always say eating out 1-3x a week is must for sanity’s sake and we deserve to go out and enjoy a meal made by someone else! Food isn’t just fuel. It can also be used for enjoyment, bonding, learning about new cultures and supporting your local community!
Written By: Ryann Burke, Nutrition Coach