Healthy restaurant food is so difficult to find. While most dieticians, nutritionists and other health experts tell us that cooking our own food is healthiest, there are a few places you can dine in without ruining your diet.
Applebee's is a great place to be with family and friends. But there is not much on the menu that could help you stay on track of your diet.
However, there are quite a few "healthy enough" dishes that you could order such as the Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp, the Chicken Torilla Soup or Chicken Noodle Soup and Spinach Salad. Applebee's steak dishes usually have under 550 calories.
If you're eating at McDonald's, you might think that the healthiest option available is french fries (because it's potato) but the option, really, is to order a Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandich at 350 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat.
Meanwhile, if you're in KFC, your best bet would be the Grilled Chicken Drumsticks and mashed potatoes.
"Believe it or not, there are healthy choices at KFC. You don't have to revert to a side salad to eat well there. To lower the fat in my order, though, it's crucial to strip any skin off the drumsticks-they taste great, even without it. As for the mashed potatoes [90 calories and 320 mg of sodium], I dip the fork in the gravy rather than dumping it on. It saves almost 30 calories and I still get a hit of flavor," Author of "The 17 Day Plan To Stop Aging" author, Dr. Mike Moreno told Health.com.
On the other hand, the Wood-Grilled Fresh Salmon should be your top choice when eating in Red Lobster. It has 210 calories, 240 milligrams of sodium and 32 grams of protein.
Lastly, you can still eat like a king when you're at Burger King. You just have to go for the smaller-sized Whopper Jr. and a Garden Side Salad.
"I get the Whopper Jr. meal with cheese but without mayo or fries. The hamburger is only 300 calories-that's not very much! With it, I get a side salad with ranch dressing (ranch is my favorite; I'm not an oil and vinegar kind of guy). Plus, I put lettuce from the salad into the junior burger which makes it feel more substantial," Brian Wansink, Phd said, director of the Cornell University Food and Brand lab and author of "Mindless Eating."
You can still enjoy your favorite food chains, you just have to look for the healthy restaurant food choices!
