Spring Clean Your Diet While Dining on the Town

We do it because we’re too tired, too busy, or too incompetent. We also do it to spend time with friends or to try something new. Whether grabbing something on-the-go from a campus café or sharing a long leisurely dinner with friends, eating out is an unavoidable part of life for most college students. The problem is doing it without concern for our health.

The first way to eat healthy while eating out is obvious: choose restaurants that are conscious about serving healthy food. For a place where you can eat healthy and have fun, head down to Blockheads, a San Francisco-style Mexican eatery at 106th and Amsterdam. Try the spinach burrito—its creamy black beans, cheese, and tasty spinach pack major flavor without the grease and fat of typical Mexican fare. To up the nutrient content even more, you can substitute brown rice for white and soy cheese for the normal jack— with no additional charge. Just say the word “tofu,” and any burrito or taco will be stuffed with a flavorful, marinated, and grilled version of the ubiquitous soy bean curd. Wrap it all up in a whole wheat or low-carb tortilla, and you can feel like you’re having a fiesta while still maintaining a healthy diet.

Of course, even the healthiest restaurants can be guilty of the same trend that many experts attribute to America’s ongoing obesity epidemic: unnecessarily large portion sizes. Indeed, most restaurants serve dishes that contain at least twice as many calories as you need. So even if you order a Blockheads burrito with all the healthiest options, if you eat the whole thing, you are probably consuming too much—and you might end up feeling just as bloated as you do after eating a Tom’s burger with fries and a milkshake. Blockheads offers a “mini” option, in which you can order a smaller sized entrée with a side salad for the same price as a regular meal. But an easy and economical way to control your portions anywhere you go is to share with a friend.

No matter the restaurant, there are some general rules one can follow to maintain a healthy diet. By avoiding menu items that are described as fried, crispy, creamed, buttery, sautéed, pan-fried, au gratin, breaded, or tempura, you will spare yourself empty calories and fat. Instead, choose steamed, grilled, roasted, broiled, boiled, or poached dishes. If you’re unsure about how a food is prepared, feel free to ask the waiter. You should also choose lean protein such as poultry, fish, low-fat dairy, egg whites, or tofu instead of red meat. Also opt for a side of steamed vegetables or salad instead of starchy and high-fat sides, such as fries, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, or hash browns. Choose whole-grain options when available, and try to limit yourself when it comes to the bread basket.

The bottom line is that when you baby-sit for families who feed their children edamame, walk down the street next to supermodels, and are surrounded by specialty grocery stores whose idea of an indulgent dessert is a carob brownie, the pressure to monitor your eating habits can be enough to make eating out a distressing affair. However, if you keep these suggestions in mind, you will be able to maintain your waistline while still taking advantage of the fantastic restaurants that New York City has to offer.