Best Bets for Lunch and Dinner

Fast-Food Restaurants

Obviously, you don't go to a fast-food restaurant for gourmet dining (at least, we hope not!). But we assume you eat at them every now and then. We do, too. They're convenient, inexpensive, and fast. You don't have to give up going to fast-food restaurants to reach your ideal size, but you do need to eat smart. For starters, ignore the “fast-food” label. Eat just as slowly as you do at other meals so that you taste the food, digest it well, and feel your hunger numbers—before, during, and afterward.

The Usual Drive-Thru's or Eat-In's

Good choices at burger and chicken places include the following:

• Hamburger or cheeseburger (preferably toss the bun and eat the rest with a plastic fork)
• Salad
• Fried chicken (preferably remove the skin)
• Fried fish, hold the bun
• Orange juice
• Fresh fruit
• Coleslaw

Poorer choices include the following:

• French fries
• Milk shakes
• Diet sodas, colas, and pop
• Anything supersized

Delis and Sandwich Shops

These offer fast food with some interesting and healthy choices. Good choices include the following:

• Whole-wheat or low-carb wraps filled with meat, cheese, and lots of fresh veggies such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, green peppers, and onions, as well as condiments such as black olives, pickles, and jalapeño chiles. You can open the wrap and eat the insides with a plastic fork. Yummy.
• A meatball sandwich with all the veggies and condiments. Eat with a fork, hold the bread.
• Any sandwich, hold the bread, with a couple of potato chips and a pickle.
• A piece of fresh fruit.

Poorer choices include the following:

• Eating all the bread on a sub (way too many carbs and way too high-glycemic!)

Popular Specialty Eateries

Now let's talk about salad-bar restaurants and pizza parlors. Both are tricky to eat at healthfully and attain your ideal size.

Salad-Bar Restaurants

At these restaurants, you can choose from a wide offering of fresh fruits and vegetables that your body wants and needs. Plus, you get to select just exactly what you want to eat and how much. So what's not to like? The answer: the lack of enough high-quality complete protein.

Often you'll find sliced hard-boiled eggs and cheese, but salad bars seldom offer meat or fish. You'll find it hard to consume at least 15 grams of protein. You may be able to find shreds of meat or seafood in a pasta salad. Skip the white-flour pasta and baked white potatoes.

Good choices include the following:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Protein offerings such as hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and meat toppings
• Olive oil and vinegar dressing
• Moderate amounts of salad dressings, meaning 2 to 3 tablespoons

Poorer choices include the following:

• Mayonnaise-based salads with pasta or potatoes
• Baked potatoes
• Starchy dessert offerings
• Loading up on salad dressing
• Low-fat salad dressings