During COVID, takeout service is now the new norm. Nearly every drive-thru has a line of cars and 25 percent of customers are ordering takeout or delivery while 51 percent say they are less active and concerned about gaining weight.
The challenge is how do we stay healthy when takeout is taking over?
Terri Mehlhoff, APRN, FNP, Clinic Manager at Salt Lake Community College joined us with five ways you can make restaurant takeout healthier.
1. Omit breads, pasta and fried potatoes. Opt for baked or mashed sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips or other healthier starch. Most restaurants are happy to put the contents of a sandwich or burger over a green salad. (Refined carbohydrates like bread and pasta are the drivers of modern chronic diseases.)
2. Make half of your plate green, non-starchy vegetables, followed by protein and a small amount of healthy fat like olive oil, avocado, etc.
3. Pay attention to serving size, most restaurants give at least 2 servings in a meal. Split one entrée, chew slowly and mindfully. Socialize.
4. Order filtered water instead of soda.
5. Rather than getting the dressing or sauce that comes with the meal – often made with industrial seed oils – add a homemade dressing or sauce made with olive oil or other healthy oil.
You can contact Mehlhoff at Salt Lake Community College or go to ifm.org, which is the Institute for Functional Medicine to learn more.
