Originally published February 21 2014
How to eat healthy when dining out
by Dr. David Jockers
(NaturalNews) For health conscious individuals, eating out at restaurants has always been tricky. Today, more and more places are beginning to provide organic and nutrient dense options. One of the biggest challenges people have as they begin to lead a healthier lifestyle has to do with social outings and restaurants.
When you are trying to live a gluten-free, organic lifestyle there are some social repercussions. You can get around these challenges by doing your research and planning beforehand, asking the right questions and choosing wisely. Here are some tips to get the most out of your meals away from home.
Planning ahead is crucial
Planning ahead is really critical for eating healthy while traveling. This means researching restaurants and grocery stores in the area you are traveling through. You can do a Google search using keywords like "gluten-free," "organic food," "grass-fed," "raw food," etc. You can also go to websites like eatwellguide.org to search for the healthiest places in the area you are traveling too.
It is also a great idea to look at online reviews of different restaurants you may be going to. You can find helpful reviews on sites like Yelp, Chowhound, TripAdvisor and Urbanspoon. This will give you a view of other people's dining experience at the place you are looking into.
Whether you are meeting up with friends, going on a date or at a family outing it is always a good idea to eat something beforehand so you aren't starving when you show up. When we are really hungry we make poor nutritional decisions and become much more susceptible to eating poorly. So be prepared by either eating something before going out or even bringing some of your own healthy food with you.
Ask a lot of questions
When you go out to eat it is okay to ask the waiter the questions you need to know. You may want to make sure the food you are eating is organic, GMO-free, gluten-free and/or dairy-free. You can tell the waiter or restaurant manager that you may have a real dangerous reaction if you come into contact with a certain food item. That will immediately get their attention and they will be sure to cater to your needs.
It is always advisable to know exactly what you are eating. So ask questions, avoid things like sauces, soups and dressings that are typically not made from scratch. These things are usually processed mixtures with multiple toxic ingredients such as industrial seed oils, GMOs, artificial sweeteners and preservatives. The server may not know or understand this so don't make it too complicated on them.
Choose wisely
There may be times where you are at a family member's home or a place where you just cannot find anything that typically fits into your nutrition plan. If you know this beforehand, you can obviously eat before going and bring some digestive enzymes with you to help neutralize the damage. You could also opt to drink lots of water with lemon if available which will help curb hunger and provide anti-oxidants for your system.
When it comes to starches, it is much better to choose potatoes, rice or quinoa over breads and pasta. Try to take as many of the vegetables as are available and load up on the good fats such as any sort of avocado dish that is available, a hummus dip, olive oil or coconut products. If the meat isn't organic or wild-caught I would look to avoid this or eat just a real small amount to avoid the concentrated environmental toxins that are in the commercialized meat.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home
http://www.choosemyplate.gov
http://www.naturalnews.com/037834_gmo_restaurants_cooking_oils.html
About the author:
Dr David Jockers is a Maximized Living doctor and owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Georgia where he specializes in functional nutrition, functional medicine and corrective chiropractic care to get to the underlying cause of major health problems.
His website features great articles on natural health and incredible recipes. He is the author of the best-selling book SuperCharge Your Brain - the complete guide to radically improve your mood, memory and mindset. He has over 50,000 active followers on his social media and email newsletter and is a big influencer in the Primal Health movement.
Dr. Jockers is also available for long distance consultations and health coaching to help you beat disease and reach your health goals. For more information got to www.drjockers.com
Dr David Jockers is a Maximized Living doctor and owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Georgia where he specializes in functional nutrition, functional medicine and corrective chiropractic care to get to the underlying cause of major health problems.
His website features great articles on natural health and incredible recipes. He is the author of the best-selling book SuperCharge Your Brain - the complete guide to radically improve your mood, memory and mindset. He has over 50,000 active followers on his social media and email newsletter and is a big influencer in the Primal Health movement.
Dr. Jockers is also available for long distance consultations and health coaching to help you beat disease and reach your health goals. For more information got to www.drjockers.com
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