What is the Healthiest Option When Eating Out? Your Ultimate Guide

October 19, 2025 •

4 min read

Statistics show that Americans eat out an average of 4 to 5 times per week, making it crucial to understand how to make smart dietary choices. So, what is the healthiest option when eating out? The answer is not a single dish, but rather a strategic approach to menu selection, preparation, and portion management.

Quick Summary

Navigate restaurant menus for healthier choices by prioritizing preparation methods like grilling, choosing lean proteins and vegetables, and managing portion sizes effectively to stay on track.

Key Points

Prioritize Preparation: Choose grilled, baked, or steamed dishes instead of fried, crispy, or deep-fried options to reduce fat and calories.
Control Portions: Manage your intake by sharing an entrée, ordering an appetizer as your main course, or boxing up half your meal before you start.
Request Modifications: Don't hesitate to ask for sauces and dressings on the side, extra vegetables, and less salt to customize your meal.
Make Smart Swaps: Trade fries for a baked potato or side salad, and choose tomato-based sauces over creamy ones to make an immediate, healthier difference.
Avoid Sugary Drinks: Opt for water, unsweetened tea, or seltzer instead of sugary sodas, which contain a lot of empty calories.
Plan Ahead: Check restaurant menus online beforehand to identify healthy options and avoid making impulse decisions when you are hungry.
Fill Up on Fiber: Start your meal with a vegetable-based soup or salad to help you feel full and eat less of the main course.

The Fundamentals of Healthy Dining Out

Eating out frequently can pose challenges to maintaining a healthy diet due to larger portion sizes, hidden fats, and high-sodium sauces. However, with a few strategic approaches, you can enjoy a meal out without derailing your health goals. The core of making healthy choices lies in being proactive: asking questions, requesting modifications, and managing your intake mindfully.

Prioritize the Preparation Method

The way a meal is cooked can drastically alter its nutritional profile. A primary strategy for finding the healthiest option is to focus on dishes prepared using minimal oil and fat. Look for keywords on the menu that indicate healthier cooking techniques.

Choose: Grilled, baked, broiled, roasted, or steamed.
Avoid: Fried, deep-fried, battered, crispy, or pan-fried.

For example, instead of ordering fried fish and chips, opt for a grilled or baked fish with a side of steamed vegetables. This simple substitution can save hundreds of calories and significantly reduce saturated fat intake.

Control Your Portions

Restaurant portion sizes have increased over the years, often exceeding a single-serving requirement. Managing portions is key to controlling calorie intake. Here are several tactics for controlling how much you eat:

Share an entrée: Split a main course with a dining companion to automatically halve the portion size.
Ask for a smaller plate: Some restaurants offer smaller, entrée-sized portions or allow you to order an appetizer as your main course.
Box it up early: Before you start eating, ask the server for a to-go box and immediately place half of your meal inside. This prevents you from overeating and gives you a second meal for later.
Order a side salad or soup: Begin your meal with a broth-based soup or a side salad. This can help you feel fuller, potentially leading to a smaller consumption of the main course.

Request Intelligent Modifications

Don't be afraid to customize your order. Most restaurants are happy to accommodate simple requests that can make a meal much healthier. Remember, you are paying for the food, so you have the right to request it prepared in a way that suits your needs.

Sauces and dressings on the side: By ordering dressings, sauces, and gravies on the side, you control how much you consume. Many creamy dressings and heavy sauces are loaded with calories, fat, and sodium.
Extra vegetables: Ask to load up your dish with extra vegetables. They add fiber, vitamins, and volume, helping you feel satisfied without a lot of extra calories.
Substitute wisely: Swap out less healthy side dishes for better ones. Common swaps include trading french fries for a baked potato or side salad, and white rice for brown rice.
Go easy on the salt: Ask for your dish to be prepared with less salt. Most of the sodium in restaurant meals comes from added salt during cooking, not from what you add at the table.

Navigating Specific Cuisines

Different cuisines present different challenges, but smart choices are available everywhere.

Italian Restaurants

Best Choices: Dishes with tomato-based sauces, thin-crust pizzas with vegetable toppings, and whole-wheat pasta dishes.
Order Instead: Opt for pasta primavera with a light tomato sauce instead of fettuccine alfredo. A vegetarian pizza is a better choice than a meat-lover's supreme.

Asian Cuisine

Best Choices: Mixed vegetable dishes, stir-fries made with plenty of lean protein (like chicken or shrimp) and light sauce, or sushi and sashimi.
Order Instead: Steamed rice is far healthier than fried rice. Look for rice paper rolls instead of deep-fried spring rolls. Ask for sauces like soy sauce to be served on the side.

Fast-Food Chains

Even fast food offers some decent alternatives. The key is to avoid the standard combo meals with fried items.

Best Choices: Grilled chicken sandwiches, side salads with low-fat dressing, bean burritos, or baked potatoes with broccoli.
Order Instead: A small hamburger with a side salad is better than a large cheeseburger with fries. A single slice of veggie pizza is also a good option.

Comparison Table: Smart Swaps When Eating Out


Instead of...	Choose...	Benefits
Fried Calamari Appetizer	Broth-Based Soup or Side Salad	Lower calories and fat, more fiber
Creamy Pasta Dish (Alfredo)	Tomato-Based Pasta Dish (Marinara)	Significantly less saturated fat
Large Meat-Lover's Pizza	Thin-Crust Veggie Pizza	Fewer calories, less processed meat
Fried Rice	Steamed Brown Rice	Less oil and fat, more fiber
Cheeseburger & French Fries	Grilled Chicken Sandwich & Side Salad	Lower calories, less saturated fat
Fish & Chips	Grilled Fish & Baked Potato	Lower fat content, healthier carbs
Sugary Soda	Water, Unsweetened Tea, or Seltzer	Eliminates empty calories from sugar

Conclusion: Making Mindful Choices the New Normal

By being aware of your options and assertive with your order, you can make healthy choices when eating out a regular practice. The healthiest option is not always the most obvious one, but with a little research and preparation, you can find satisfying and nutritious meals anywhere. Remember the basics: prioritize grilled or baked over fried, control your portions, and don't hesitate to ask for sauces on the side. Embracing these simple habits can help you enjoy dining out while staying committed to a healthy lifestyle. For more information on making healthy choices, consider exploring resources from reputable health organizations like Harvard Health. Making mindful decisions empowers you to take control of your nutrition, no matter where you are eating.

Frequently Asked Questions

To avoid overeating, consider sharing a main course with a friend, ordering a smaller portion from the appetizer menu, or asking for a to-go box when your meal arrives and immediately packing away half of it for later.

Not necessarily. A salad can be very healthy, but it depends on the ingredients. Creamy dressings, excessive cheese, candied nuts, and croutons can turn a salad into a high-calorie meal. Opt for greens with plenty of vegetables, lean protein, and a vinaigrette dressing on the side.

Even at fast-food restaurants, you can make healthier choices by selecting grilled chicken sandwiches over fried ones, choosing a side salad instead of fries, or opting for a bean burrito.

Always ask for sauces and dressings on the side. This allows you to control the amount you use, which can significantly reduce the calories, fat, and sodium in your meal.

Ask your server to request that the chef prepare your meal with less salt. You can also avoid dishes that are typically high in sodium, such as heavily sauced foods or those containing processed meats.

Both fish and chicken can be healthy options, but it depends on the preparation method. A grilled, baked, or steamed fish or skinless chicken breast is a better choice than a fried or breaded version of either.

Instead of soda or other sugary drinks, choose still or sparkling water, unsweetened iced tea, or mineral water. This helps you avoid empty calories from sugar.

When it comes to dessert, consider a fruit-based option, sharing a dessert with a friend, or having a cup of herbal tea instead. Fruit-based desserts or sorbets are generally lighter than creamy, sugar-laden alternatives.