A reader, Yolanda, emailed recently asking this question about finding healthy places to eat out:
What should I do when I “need” to eat out, I mean at a restaurant? It seems there is NOTHING safe out there. MSG, aspartame, bad fats, ick… but sometimes my husband REALLY wants me to go out to eat. Are there any relatively safe, healthy choices?
Here's how I answered her, and I hope you'll share your suggestions in the comments, too — that's always where the really good information ends up…
I'd have to say that it depends on how sensitive your body is. If you are highly sensitive to MSG or other nasties found in food these days, then you have to be even more careful wherever you go, which means you'll have to ask the restaurant (or call before you leave) and find out what is “safe” for you. For myself, I'm highly sensitive to what I call “crap oils”, so I don't order anything fried or I'll pay for it later, unless I'm at a restaurant where I know they serve foods fried in duck fat (yum!), but I'll still ask, because I know they don't always fry in that.
We basically don't eat out very often just for the reasons you mentioned, and also because it's expensive with 4 kids, and we eat pretty well here at home where I don't have to worry about what might be in the food. When we do eat out, we go to the higher-end restaurants where I know they cook with homemade stocks, serve real butter and local veggies, depending on the season, and buy pastured meats from local farms, depending on the restaurant. We very rarely go out with the kids because kids' menus are even more difficult to navigate through.
We have a new restaurant nearby that I'm excited to try because they advertise all organic food. Even then you have to be careful, though. Just because they are ‘organic', doesn't mean they serve real butter or soy-free foods, for example.
Beyond all that, there are times once in a great while when we find ourselves somewhere with foods that we wouldn't choose to eat under normal circumstances, but because we don't have food allergies or health issues, and because it is so infrequent, I try not to freak out too much over every little thing. It's not always easy, though, knowing what I know now about the hidden junk in food.
One more piece of advice: Ask your local WAPF chapter members where *they* go if they want to eat out and not get sick!
Here are some restaurant reviews I've done that talk about the local restaurants that we visit, including one fast food place we like.- Here is a list of restaurants that people have shared over time about “better than normal” restaurants in their cities.
- Healthy options for at-home fast food.
- My post from way back on eating out.
- Here's a restaurant guide to eating out!
Your turn! Let us know what suggestions you would share?
From Yolanda when I asked her to send me a picture for the post: Here is a picture (I know the top of our heads are cut off, by the way.) This was taken when we had a birthday party for our dog’s first birthday. We invited our son and his family and the neighbor’s granddaughter. The excuse was the dog, but the fun was for the children. We had a sack race, “Pin the nose on the doggie,” and I strung homemade yeast donuts (fried in kettle-rendered lard) from strings from the clothesline and we ate them with no hands. We had cake, ice cream, REAL decorations and it was a BLAST!!! I think it will be an annual event. See that nice sugary cake?? At least it was made with real butter, pure cane sugar, pastured eggs and egg whites, unbleached flour, raw milk, etc. Nearly devoid of nutrients, but also
devoid of poisons.
One more. Here is one of me, Jim and 5 of our 6 children taken at our family reunion in June.
From Yolanda when I asked her to send me a picture for the post: Here is a picture (I know the top of our heads are cut off, by the way.) This was taken when we had a birthday party for our dog’s first birthday. We invited our son and his family and the neighbor’s granddaughter. The excuse was the dog, but the fun was for the children. We had a sack race, “Pin the nose on the doggie,” and I strung homemade yeast donuts (fried in kettle-rendered 
devoid of poisons.
Joanna says
We have a fast food chain near me called Evos that is pretty good. They are mostly fat free but their burgers are grassfed and their milk shakes are made with organic milk. It’s not ideal, but far better than your standard fast food chain.
Kendra says
Yes eating out is almost a chore, when you’re concerned about the quality of the food! We save our pennies, and splurge on sushi when we really need to get out of the house. I know it has it’s dangers, but most of our selections are pretty safe. Also, a local dog-friendly place has grassfed burgers on the menu, so I can feel pretty good about that for a treat. Healthy food can be tricky in Florida – it’s all about cheap here.
France @ Beyond The Peel says
It might just be where I lived or have lived but there’s always been a few great choices for healthy local food made with at least free range and organic (sometimes grass fed) meats. I think it’s just a matter of calling around and finding out what they do. Sometimes they’ll even advertise it on their sites.
Jen says
I never want to eat out. But I give in sometimes because my husband often wants to have a change of atmosphere. (Most of the time though, it’s a NO). He is so proud if he can find us an “organic” restaurant. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had about what that does and doesn’t mean and I will probably have a million more. But I am happy that he thinks about it and me when making the choice.
Recently, I almost fell out of my chair when he told me he had a ‘revelation’ that my food actually tastes better than anything he ate at any restaurant (even the expensive ones). My evil plan is working . . . . muuuuuhhhhaaaaa ‘real food will rule my house’ 🙂
Angie says
Since my husband’s family and my family all live in the same town as us we are invited over for bi weekly meals. Any suggestions on how to handle this? I want to eat ahead or else I will not be great company but my husband thinks it is rude for me not to eat.
Joy says
We often pre-eat or bring our own food. Make it a potluck! I like to bring something everyone can have and also bring a few things that are just for us. We dish up our safe shared food first then don’t touch it again. We are safe to have seconds off the food we brought just for us.
I’m heading to my mom’s house right now… with a roasted chicken and veggies 🙂
Here are more tips:
https://theliberatedkitchenpdx.com/challenges/the-holidays/
KitchenKop says
So I looked up bi-weekly, because I wasn’t sure if it meant twice a week or once every 2 weeks and turns out it’s used both ways, SO if you meant twice a week, I was just wondering if at the least you could start going just once a week……???
And then yes, as Joy said, start bringing a dish (or 2 or 3?) to pass and encourage the family to eat lots of that, without being obvious, of course!
Angie says
I would go crazy if it was twice a week. Yes, I need to start bringing my own dishes. It is always a last minute within a few hours invite and I don’t always have time to prepare something. I need to brainstorm what they always cook and premake some dishes to go with that.
This time they had hamburgers with onion soup mix added and ruffles chips with canned baked beans so…i ate before i went and said I had a late lunch.
Angie says
Thank you. I guess telling them about our/my food changes would be a good start and then I would not feel like the weird-o as much by not eating.
margaret says
We like P.F. Chang’s. I know it’s not perfect, but I love that they have a GF menu. Otherwise, we like to eat at local places that source locally (like Marie Catrib’s and Osta’s), or we just stay home. It adds up in a hurry when we try to feed all 7 of us eating out.
Amanda Y. says
Side note, I just wanted to give extreme props to Arbys (yes, the fast food chain, bear with me a minute) in the Richmond, VA area–they use exclusively grass fed beef and they offer real cheese slices as an alternative to the cheese goop. We were traveling unexpectedly last weekend and had to eat on the road and I was so please to see this! I know it’s a long way from you, but I wanted to give them major applause for starting with a few big steps (we all know there’s more to be done, but for reasonably priced fast food, it’s big!)
Holly says
I used to prefer going to Chiptole, but I was concerned about the soy oil. I contacted them about this, and got this response:
“Thanks for writing to us. Right now, we cannot guarantee that our soybean oil is coming from non-GMO sources. The reason we can’t guarantee GMO free is that GMO foods are not segregated or labeled in this country. The only way you can tell generally if something is GMO free is if it’s labeled specifically as organic and the price point for organic soybean oil is just too high for us at this time.
We’re researching all ways to improve our food since we can’t do it all at once. Variables like supply and demand could either leave us with shortages or inconsistencies. We might even face tremendous price increases to guarantee a steady supply of unobtainable ingredients. There are also many other factors to think about. For instance, even if we could get more GMO-free soybean oil, if they are only grown in one area, shipping them to all of our restaurants would be prohibitively expensive and environmentally harmful due to resource waste. We have to look at the benefits versus the all the costs.
We are heavily committed to continuing to improve all of our foods and their sources constantly, and GMO concerns are very important to us as well. We promise to continue improvements in our food supplies for the years ahead. I hope this helps. “
Amanda Y. says
So true, moe’s (similar concept) and Chipolte are reasonably affordable and pretty good real food (for most things) places to eat out!
Stanley Fishman says
That is a tough one. Most restaurants use the crap oils Kelly mentions, and they are horrible. Most restaurants are focused on money, and the crappy ingredients are much cheaper than real food. If I eat at a Restaurant, I consider myself lucky if I do not get an upset stomach, or worse. The stuff so many of them serve is that bad.
There is one restaurant I recommend without reservation – Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. They have been serving superb real food since the seventies. Unfortunately, they are really expensive, and it can be hard to get reservations, and driving and parking is a major challenge.
If you can get your husband to watch a few episodes of Ramseys Kitchen Nightmares, he might lose his desire to eat at Restaurants.
Meagan says
I don’t think a cake made with pastured eggs, real butter and raw milk should be considered devoid of nutrients.
Yolanda says
That’s true. I was sort of talking in superlatives. The white sugar and white flour… well, like I told my daughter once when she asked if the snow ice cream “is bad for us…” I said, “Yes, but so is never having any fun!
Maryjane says
I am so jealous of where you live, Kelly. Grove, Bistro Bella Vita, Marie Catrib’s, Green Well — even Chipotle! I have visited all those restaurants when I am visiting my sister-in-law, and Oh My! They are wonderful! (But pricey, except Chipotle) Over on my side of the state (Saginaw area), we don’t have anything that even comes close. Very frustrating, because I love to eat out — but it’s probably a good thing, because I gain weight when I eat out!
Debbie H. says
Chipotle is good for something quick. We are fortunate to have a restaurant near us called Soup R Natural (Northern Baltimore County) where they make everything fresh and either grow it themselves or source it locally. It’s primarily a soup/sandwich/salad kind of place but they also serve amazing meatloaf and shepherd’s pie, and have a few other entrees at dinner time. The local ice cream and house-made hot fudge is to die for! Another local place, The Manor Tavern, has recently been purchased and the new owners are also growing alot of their own veggies and raising/buying local meats. A bit more upscale, it’s a great place for a nice dinner out.
Amy says
I don’t know about chipotle. They use a ton of soy oil, and I’m not sure if it’s GMO or not.
I live in NYC where it’s easier to find good options, but I think it’s probably safest to try and order fairly plain options when you go out and avoid all of the chains.
Sharon says
I like Carrabas. They have a gluten free menu. They have even told me that if I want gluten free pasta or bread I could bring it and they would cook it and serve it. I do not eat pasta or bread but it was nice of them to offer. I can also make changes and they will happily change it. The chef usually comes out to make sure everything is okay and if they can help in any way. We do not go often but it is nice when we do.
Jill says
We rarely eat out, but when we do, we most often eat at Chipotle’s. It’s inexpensive and you get a lot for what you pay, and they source ingredients more responsibly than most. Not perfect, but better than most of the alternatives where we live.
Heather Brandt says
The links didn’t work:(
KitchenKop says
Thanks Heather, I fixed them. THANK YOU for telling me.
If there’s what looks like a link showing up in the first paragraph I can’t fix that one because it’s not really a link and I can’t figure out why it’s showing up like one…?
Amber J says
I like to eat out, although recently I have dramatically decreased the number of carbs (ie. Flour) that I am eating, so eating out has become much more difficult. I am not that sensitive to food additives and the like but my husband is so if we eat something not clean in about fifteen or twenty minutes the entire car/house will know based upon his gassiness. Pretty interesting. When that happens I suggest we no longer frequent that location or he order something different. I recently started asking for “real butter” for the homemade pancakes at the local breakfast place. Its a little better than that fake crap
Joy says
It is tough to eat out on any kind of special diet. Knowing your priorities and knowing what questions to ask can really help. Here’s how we handle it on the rare occasions we need to eat out:
https://theliberatedkitchenpdx.com/basics/going-out-to-eat/
-Joy