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What To Eat "On The Road"

By Mark Mancilla

A lot of my clients need some nutritional help when they are on the road, and although my clients always have access to me via email and phone, I figure I'd cover it in a detailed article. We're going to cover what to eat when you're out at a sit-down restaurant and a fast-food restaurant, when you absolutely have no other choice.

Sit-Down Restaurant…

Breakfast:

* Whole Wheat Toast, Egg Whites, Canadian Bacon: A little carbs, a little more protein. Some healthy fat comes along with Canadian bacon but it is particularly lean. And it's not like you're eating out everyday. This is a well balanced meal and most "diner-type" restaurants will be able to fix this up for you.

Lunch and Dinner:

* Chicken Salad: Now when you go to a sit-down restaurant the easy choice would be a salad. But with as much junk as they put in a salad these days a "healthy" salad turns into a very unhealthy choice. Try to stick to strictly vegetables and protein (eggs, chicken, fish) and a light dressing on the side. Avoid using creamy, mayonnaise-based dressings, croutons, an cheese as these add a lot of fat and simple carbohydrates.

* Grilled Chicken Breast (or fish), Vegetable (broccoli), Beans (black, pinto, etc.) : What you see here is great quality protein and two filling and fibrous carbohydrates (the good kind :) ). When at lunch or dinner try to avoid regular "white" rice and go for beans or brown rice if available but just be sure to not eat too much as it is very calorie dense.

Fast-Food Restaurant:

Breakfast:

* Breakfast Burrito: The best choice when "on-the-go." Although the flour tortilla isn't the best (white carbs turn into sugar, sugar turns into stored fat), the eggs are great for you. Hold the cheese as it has a lot of saturated fat we don't need. However, help yourself to as much salsa as you want! Salsa is low on calories and is one of the healthiest condiments for you.

Lunch and Dinner:

* Chicken Salad: Most fast-food restaurants are attempting to be healthier you just need to make sure you don't consume to many of their extras. Hold the croutons, cheese, and creamy dressings and stick to veggies, protein, and a light balsamic dressing.

* Chicken Sandwich: A lot of fast-food places have a chicken sandwich, but once again look out for cheese and mayonnaise. A lot of fat in these two. Also, if they have it, ask if you can have a wheat bun in place of white.

Eating out can be tricky just remember a couple things: Try to avoid breads (croutons included), cheeses, and creamy dressings. These three are killers when it comes to eating healthy on the road. You'll be doing yourself a huge favor by avoiding these unnecessary fat and calories in your diet.

About the Author:

Mark Mancilla is a certified personal trainer located in Huntington Beach, CA. For more information check out his Website!