Healthy Restaurant Food

Restaurants That Get It Right

Eating out usually means dodging calorie-packed foods. But some of the new restaurant trends stack up surprisingly well
By Clint Carter menshealth
 

Healthy Trend #2: More guy-friendly meals, fewer calories

A low-calorie menu used to mean offerings like cooked cabbage and lentils; an iceberg wedge with hard-boiled egg whites; or a soggy, skinless chicken breast (hold the joy).

But heartier healthy menus have arrived. Smart-nutrition initiatives began in fast-casual chains like Subway and Starbucks. Now they're followed by sit-down restaurants offering hearty, wholesome, and sturdy dishes with reasonable calorie counts. Within the past couple of years, Ruby Tuesday launched its Fit & Trim menu, Denny's crafted a Fit Fare menu, and Applebee's created its Under 550 Calories menu. And not one of those chains sells cabbage. They feature gutsy entrees like Tex-Mex omelets topped with pico de gallo, grilled jumbo shrimp in teriyaki sauce, and sirloin steaks draped in melted cheese.

Perhaps the biggest low-calorie victory came in August, when Cheesecake Factory, a chain with no shortage of 2,000-calorie entrees, launched its SkinnyLicious menu with nearly 50 low-calorie items. Granted, the name needs work, but the food isn't as dainty as it sounds. The new menu delivers under-600-calorie versions of hamburgers, tenderloin, and barbecued chicken.

Learn how to navigate restaurant menus and avoid hidden calories with the free Eat This, Not That! 2-week jumpstart

What to Look For: Lean protein is always a safe bet. If you end up at a restaurant without a low-calorie menu, go for a 6-to 9-ounce sirloin with a side of vegetables, and have them both prepared without butter. That will earn you plenty of protein at only 400 to 600 calories.

Eat This!
Outback Steakhouse 5 oz Filet and Grilled Shrimp served with broccoli
475 calories
45 g protein
17 g carbohydrates
(6 g fiber)
26 g fat
872 mg sodium
Outback introduced its under-500-calories menu in 2010, including this surf-and-turf combo with enough robustly seasoned protein to satisfy any appetite.

The Truth Behind “Healthy” Restaurant Menus
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