By: Tanya Jolliffe, SparkPeople Blogger
5/28/2009 1:00 PM   :  89 comments

See More: nutrition, healthy eating, restaurants, Diet Friendly Dining,

Since the response to our Food on the Run series has been so positive, we thought it would be nice to sit down and relax a bit.

Casual dining restaurants are not as good about sharing their nutrition information as the fast food folks. However, there is still guideline information that can help you make diet friendly choices when sitting down to dine. So, our new series will take a look at specific restaurants and provide information that we hope will help the next time you go out for a casual meal.

Welcome to our new series – Diet Friendly Dining!

We have previously established in the Food on the Run series that we are trying to select entrees that are around 250 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving or less. For Diet Friendly Dining guidelines, we encourage you to aim for a complete meal that is 500 calories and 15-20 grams of fat or less. For many people that will be about one third of their daily calorie allowance. While this is not unreasonable, it can be challenging and may require some adjustments with other meals and snacks throughout the day depending on your typical eating pattern. Remember that adjustments can always be made if you plan ahead so one of the best tips for diet friendly dining is to make your dining out plans ahead of time. Not only will this allow you to be smart with your meal selection planning for the day, it will also allow you to make exercise plans as well. Fitting in an extra 10-15 minutes or splitting a workout into a morning and evening session can be beneficial on dining out days and helpful tools for success while enjoying dining away from home.

Today we will start our new series by providing some guidelines to consider when dining at Bob Evans Restaurants. Please keep in mind that sodium intake will always be on the high side when dining away from home. One of reasons we are starting this series with Bob Evans is because they are great about sharing their nutritional information. So, if sodium content is of special concern because of a health condition, be sure to plan ahead and review the nutrition information closely before heading to the restaurant.

It is possible to select a healthy breakfast without blowing your calorie and fat budget for the rest of the day but it starts with smart choices. Some of the healthier choices include hot cereals like grits and oatmeal, yogurt and fruit combinations and the new Fit from the Farm Breakfast combinations. If omelets are your thing, ordering your own with a focus on vegetables like a 4 oz omelet with peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions instead of a menu highlight that includes cheese and other sauces would be the way to go. If cholesterol is a concern, be sure to ask for egg substitute for your omelet when ordering.

Many of the salads provide good nutrition. At the same time, they also provide many calories and grams of fat because of their large portion size. The Cobb salad for instance provides just under 600 calories and 37 grams of fat without dressing. While this is a nutrient rich choice compared to french fries or hash browns, when you are trying to watch your weight - calories are calories. Your best choice will be a Savor size salad with a side of dressing such as vinegar & oil, Lite Ranch or Hot Bacon.

Most sandwiches provide over 500 calories and 20 grams of fat. When selecting a sandwich choose a half sandwich like the Half Chicken Salad, Half Turkey Bacon Melt, Grilled Cheese or Grilled Chicken sandwiches.

Dinner selections can get quite high in calories, fat and sodium. Selecting items a la carte instead of featured meal can save you calorie wise but may cost a bit more. Remember to avoid the fried entree options, ask for sauces or gravies to be left off or served on the side. There are many healthy side items to make your meal complete. Some of the best side choices to select include a plain baked potato, fruit cup, applesauce, green beans, carrots, or broccoli florets. Select a dinner roll instead of a biscuit and take one home with you if you are served more than one.

A cup or bowl of soup can be a filling and lower calorie selection so be sure to check on the soup of the day. Most are less than 300 calories and less than 10 grams of fat. The exception to that would be the Cheddar Baked Potato and the Sausage Chili and these would not be your better choices since they are higher in both calories and fat.

Finally, for smaller serving sizes for young and old alike, be sure to check out the Kids Menu as well as the Senior Menu. Many restaurants do not stick to the age limit as printed so be sure to ask your server if you can select from these menu options letting them know you are interested in the smaller serving sizes they provide.


What are some of your diet friendly choices at Bob Evans? What restaurants would you like us to look at for Diet Friendly Dining?