Eating out - what's healthy to order?

I stay very busy running to my kids ballgames, most which are out of town and usually require us to stop somewhere for supper. The most popular stops are Arby's, Wendy's or Subway. It gets old always ordering salad. Especially in the middle of winter which is the season I dislike the most. And a bowl of soup isn't enough. I've realized I like texture, crunchy stuff, a variety. Any great tasting low calorie options from fastfood restaurants? I would also carry granola bars of somekind in my purse for when I was snacky. I never realized how many calories some of those have. I've decided now they must be whole grain or nothing. I wished fast food chains would get on the healthy band wagon - whole grain buns or tortillas would be a great option!

The low-fat subs at subway aren't so bad for you, if you stay clear of cheese and mayo.  You can also ask them to dig out a bunch of the bread, so that you have a shell, rather than a whole loaf, that cuts a huge chunk out of the calories for subway.

Burgers aren't so terrible (about 250 cals for a plain single patty hamburger) once in a while if you skip the cheese and bacon...and fries.  Wendy's baked potatoes are high cal, but the are filling, full of fibre and fat free if you don't add anything, and the small chili is 190 cals.  You could have chili and a potato for under 500 cals (and like 7g fat), which isn't too bad.

And at Arby's I don't know much, but that you can get them to load on the veg for whatever you do get...

Good luck!

Edit:  Check out the websites before you go, so that you can already know what you're going to get and what the caloric value is.

at subway i always get a 6 inch turkey breast sub w/ all the veggies on it and mustard... you get that crunch!

Original Post by carmich:

I would also carry granola bars of somekind in my purse for when I was snacky.

when my boys and i go out i always pack a small cooler style lunch box, throw in some fruits and veggies (baby carrots keep well all day) and we're off.

if you find a granola bar that seems worth the cals let me know. i've given up on that route.

At subway I'll usually have a plain turkey breast sub. I believe it isn't too high in calories and it's more substantial than a salad.

Plain turkey breast sub from subway is about 280 calories according to the online nutrition info. Load up the veggies on it and you're good to go :) At Wendy's you could try a grilled chicken burger or a junior hamburger, both are fairly low-calorie.

At pita pit, they have all of the nutritional information on the napkins and posted around the restaurant.  a chicken breast pita and a steak pita are both under 150 cals (cheese included!).  My boyfriend, who's a fitness fanatic, will only eat at pita pit because he knows exactly what he's taking in when he orders there!

carmich,    All of the chain restaurants have the nutritional information for their menu items available at the counter. They will not offer it to you, but if you ask them, they do have it. Also, you can look up all of them online. Many fast food restaurants offer things like baked potatoes, sandwiches made with low fat ingredients, salads, and whole grain breads. You just have to do a little research. Also, you can do things like ask them to leave the mayo off or skip the cheese, etc. to lower the cals of the sandwiches.

Also, try to plan ahead a little and carry some healthy snacks along with you in the car. Some good portable snacks are fresh fruit, bars (Balance, Kashi, South Beach are some good brands), sandwiches made on high fiber bread, cheese sticks, ziplock bags with dry cereal and trail mixes made with high fiber cereal, mixed nuts and dried fruits. You will of course always have to be aware of the calories you are taking in from any food source, but it is very possible to eat healthy on the road.

Arby's has really good fresh sandwichers using archer farmers turkey.  I get the roasted turkey sandwich skipping the mayo and mustard.  I think it is between 500-600 cals.  I dont remember exactly but it is on their website.  It is very filling sandwich and delicious!

I eat out a lot too... At Subway as others have said, I go for the six inch turkey breast on wheat w/lots of veggies and mustard and vinegar.  As for Wendy's, I've heard that the small chili isn't too bad or you can get a baked potato plain.  Not famiiar w/Arby's though...  Some others are Fazoli's - the small spaghetti or penne w/meatsauce is 500 calories and a garlic breadstick is 150.  Taco Bell isn't too horrbile either... the Fresco menu - a fresco crunchy taco is 150 calories and a fresco chicken fiesta burrito is about 330/340 or so.  Oh, and Quizno's... the small Honey Bourbon Chicken and small chili aren't too bad.  Well, that's all I got for now.  ;)

Oh, and as far as granola bars go, I really like the Fiber One Oats & Chocolate... about 140 calories, packed w/fiber, and chocolatey!  Yum.

Pretty much everything you get when you order out is highly processed, full of salt, artificial flavours and colours, chemicals, additives etc. and generally a nutritional wasteland compared to whole, unprocessed foods.   A better approach to health is to plan ahead and try to bring food with you whenever you can, and eat out only as a last resort.  The options above are the best of the worst I suppose, but if you accept that fact that pretty much all fast food is junk, it might motivate you to plan ahead more, as opposed to believing you are finding healthy alternatives when you really aren't. 

Original Post by k9stylist:

Oh, and as far as granola bars go, I really like the Fiber One Oats & Chocolate... about 140 calories, packed w/fiber, and chocolatey!  Yum.

 I love that bar as well. I have a hard time getting full on just fruits and vegetables alone. They give me an achey feeling. Those fiber one bars are a lifesaver for me, since I believe I may be hypoglycemic ( i haven't spoken to a doctor about it though) and I really don't want to down a soda when I get shaky. Those bars will keep you going for a while, and the oats and chocolate ones kill your urge to snack with their sweetness. Also, you could keep little bags of pretzels in your car as long as you don't consume too much sodium for the rest of the day. There are teriyaki turkey jerky 100 calorie packs, as well as beef jerky 100 calorie packs that if I remember correctly have 4gms of protein. Grapes and baby carrots are good too! :) 

I really like the Kashi Crunch bars, but that might just be me. They've got lots of protein and fiber and are also low-GI. The Special K protein bars (I think that's who makes them) are pretty tastey also, but have a lot more sugar and things than the Kashi ones. Bear Naked also makes some great granola that you could keep in little baggies. Other than that, I'd probably go with something like a whole wheat pita, some veggies, and some hummus - that's what I usually bring if I'm going to be in the car for a while.

Edited to add: The Fiber One bars are really good, but sometimes can taste too sweet, I think. Also, make sure to have a lot of water with them!

love fat subways are a greast option. If you stay clear of the cheese - they try to bang it on all of their options!! Tuna is a good option from subway, you must be careful though; the mayo that they use will not be light, so be sure to stay clear-unless you have some calories to spare!!

Subway is a great option...so long as you don't mind getting your entire RDA of sodium in one six inch sub.  Other than that, they are great!!!...lol