How to Make Restaurant Meals Healthier Without Giving Up the Fun
Updated: Aug 13
Authored by La Jolla Vitality Co.
Eating at restaurants is one of life’s pleasures. It gives us a chance to try new foods, spend time with friends and family, celebrate special occasions, and take a break from cooking.
The good news? Healthy eating does not require avoiding restaurants. With a few simple strategies, you can make restaurant meals more nutritious while still enjoying the experience.
At La Jolla Vitality Co., we believe healthy living should be sustainable, and that includes being able to enjoy a meal out.
1. Start With a Vegetable
One of the easiest ways to improve a restaurant meal is to make vegetables a priority.
Look for:
A leafy green salad
Grilled or roasted vegetables
Steamed broccoli or asparagus
Vegetable-based soups
Sautéed greens
Vegetable-heavy appetizers
A side of vegetables instead of fries or chips
If your entrée doesn't contain many vegetables, order a vegetable side.
Vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and a wide range of beneficial plant compounds. Starting your meal with vegetables can also help you build a more balanced plate.
2. Choose a Lean Protein
Protein helps support muscle, bone health, metabolism, and satiety.
Depending on your dietary preferences, good restaurant choices can include:
Fish
Seafood
Skinless chicken
Turkey
Beans
Lentils
Tofu
Tempeh
Eggs
Greek yogurt or cottage cheese when available
For vegetarians, don't assume that the only meat-free option is pasta or a cheese-heavy entrée. Look for grain bowls, lentil dishes, bean-based meals, tofu, vegetable curries, or salads with a substantial protein source.
3. Don't Be Afraid to Customize
Restaurants are accustomed to accommodating reasonable requests.
You can ask for:
Dressing on the side
Sauce on the side
Vegetables instead of fries
Grilled instead of fried
Less butter or oil
Whole-grain bread when available
A smaller portion of a rich ingredient
No added cheese
Extra vegetables
You don't need to completely redesign your meal. One or two small changes can make a meaningful difference.
4. Put Sauces and Dressings on the Side
Some of the biggest sources of hidden calories, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar in restaurant meals come from sauces, dressings, gravies, and condiments.
Asking for them on the side gives you control over how much you use.
This doesn't mean you need to avoid sauces entirely. A flavorful dressing, pesto, tahini sauce, or vinaigrette can make vegetables and lean proteins much more enjoyable.
The goal is moderation, not deprivation.
5. Choose Grilled, Roasted, Steamed, or Baked More Often
Cooking methods matter.
When given the choice, consider:
More often:
Grilled
Roasted
Baked
Steamed
Poached
Sautéed
Less often:
Deep-fried
Breaded and fried
Heavily battered
A grilled vegetable-and-bean bowl can be just as satisfying as a fried entrée, particularly when it's paired with flavorful herbs, spices, a good sauce, or avocado.
6. Think About Your Whole Plate
Instead of labeling foods as "good" or "bad," think about balance.
A satisfying restaurant meal might contain:
½ vegetables or fruit + ¼ protein + ¼ whole grains or another carbohydrate, with healthy fats incorporated throughout.
Restaurant portions don't always follow this pattern, so you can create balance by adding vegetables, choosing a smaller starch portion, or sharing an oversized entrée.
This is a framework, not a rulebook.
7. Be Strategic With Bread and Chips
Bread baskets and chips can make it easy to eat substantial amounts before the meal even arrives.
You don't have to automatically decline them. Instead, consider:
Taking one serving and stopping there
Sharing with the table
Pairing bread with your meal rather than eating it beforehand
Asking the server not to bring it if you don't particularly want it
If you genuinely enjoy the bread, eat it mindfully and enjoy it.
8. Watch Portion Size, Without Obsessing Over It
Restaurant portions can be significantly larger than what you would typically serve yourself at home.
If an entrée is enormous, consider:
Sharing it
Ordering an appetizer as your entrée
Taking half home before you begin
Choosing a smaller portion when available
Ordering several vegetable-based sides
But don't feel obligated to finish everything simply because it is on your plate.
Learning to recognize hunger and fullness cues is a valuable long-term eating skill.
9. Don't Assume a Salad Is Automatically Healthy
Salads can be fantastic choices, but some restaurant salads contain more calories, sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar than many entrées.
A salad can become very rich when it contains:
Fried chicken
Bacon
Large amounts of cheese
Candied nuts
Crispy tortilla strips
Creamy dressing
Large portions of refined carbohydrates
Instead, look for salads built around vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and a reasonable amount of healthy fat.
And remember: a salad doesn't have to be the healthiest option simply because it contains lettuce.
10. Choose Whole Grains When Available
When restaurants offer a choice, consider:
Brown rice
Wild rice
Quinoa
Farro
Barley
Whole-grain bread
Whole-wheat pasta
Whole grains generally provide more fiber and nutrients than refined grains.
That said, you don't need to avoid white rice, pasta, sourdough, or other refined grains altogether. The overall pattern of your diet matters far more than one carbohydrate choice.
11. Add Healthy Fats, But Keep Portions Reasonable
Healthy fats can make meals satisfying and flavorful.
Good choices include:
Avocado
Nuts
Seeds
Olive oil
Olives
Nut-based sauces
The important distinction is that healthy fat is still calorie-dense. A large amount of olive oil, avocado, nuts, or tahini can substantially increase the energy content of a meal.
Choose nutritious fats while remaining mindful of portion size.
12. Be Mindful of Restaurant Sodium
Restaurant meals can contain considerable sodium, particularly foods such as soups, sauces, dressings, cured foods, cheese, and prepared entrées.
If you're trying to reduce sodium, you can ask for:
Less salt
Sauce on the side
Dressing on the side
Fresh vegetables instead of heavily seasoned sides
You don't have to eliminate sodium completely. Sodium is an essential nutrient; the concern is excessive intake over time.
13. Make Water Your Default Beverage
One of the simplest restaurant upgrades is choosing water or sparkling water instead of a sugar-sweetened beverage.
Other options can include:
Unsweetened tea
Sparkling water
Water with lemon or lime
Unsweetened coffee
Liquid calories can add up quickly because they often provide less satiety than whole foods.
For many people, simply changing the beverage is an easy way to improve the nutritional profile of a restaurant meal without changing the meal itself.
14. You Don't Need to Avoid Dessert
Healthy eating shouldn't mean never having dessert.
If dessert sounds good, have it.
A few strategies can help you enjoy it without turning the experience into an all-or-nothing decision:
Share a dessert
Choose fruit-based desserts
Order a smaller dessert
Have a few bites and stop when satisfied
Skip dessert if you're genuinely not hungry
The healthiest approach is often the one that allows you to enjoy an occasional indulgence without guilt.
15. Don't Arrive Extremely Hungry
Walking into a restaurant ravenous can make it much harder to make deliberate choices.
If dinner is several hours away, a small snack beforehand can help.
Good options include:
Fruit and nuts
Greek yogurt
Vegetables and hummus
A small smoothie
An apple with nut butter
The goal isn't to spoil your appetite. It's to avoid arriving so hungry that you feel compelled to eat immediately and excessively.
16. Look Beyond the Menu's "Healthy" Labels
Words such as "light," "healthy," "natural," or "fit" don't necessarily tell you much about a meal's nutritional quality.
Instead, look at the ingredients and preparation method.
Ask yourself:
Where are the vegetables? Where is the protein? What type of carbohydrate is included? How much sauce or added fat is present?
Those questions are generally more useful than relying on a menu label.
17. Practice the 80/20 Mindset
One restaurant meal isn't going to determine your health.
Your long-term dietary pattern matters much more.
If most of your meals emphasize vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and other minimally processed foods, an occasional burger, pizza, pasta dish, dessert, or celebratory meal can fit comfortably into an overall healthy lifestyle.
Think in terms of patterns rather than perfection.
18. Eat Slowly and Enjoy the Experience
Restaurant meals are about more than nutrition.
Put your phone down when possible. Talk with your companions. Taste your food. Notice when you're becoming comfortably full.
Eating slowly gives your body more time to register fullness and can make a meal more satisfying.
And perhaps most importantly, enjoy your food.
Stress and guilt aren't ingredients in a healthy lifestyle.
The Bottom Line
You don't need to stop eating at restaurants to eat well.
The simplest strategy is to build meals around vegetables, quality protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, and nutritious fats, while being mindful of portions, sauces, sugary beverages, and heavily fried foods.
But healthy eating also leaves room for flexibility.
Order the vegetables. Choose the grilled option when it sounds good. Ask for dressing on the side. Drink water. Share dessert if you'd like.
And when you really want the pasta, pizza, bread, or dessert?
Enjoy it.
A sustainable approach to nutrition isn't about making every restaurant meal perfect. It's about making choices that support your health most of the time, while leaving plenty of room for pleasure, spontaneity, and connection.
La Jolla Vitality Co. Takeaway
Make the healthy choice the easy choice: add vegetables, prioritize protein and fiber, moderate sauces and portions, choose water more often, and enjoy indulgent foods without guilt.
Your health is shaped by what you do consistently, not by one meal.
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