It's been three weeks into the program and it's been an interesting challenge.
When starting the program, I knew the greatest challenge I would face during the eight weeks was eating out. By some weird coincidence, I have eaten out a lot more than I normally would.
Thai
The day after starting the program, I had a birthday dinner to attend at a Thai restaurant. In Sarah's book, she mentions to generally stay away from Thai food, and more so during the 8 weeks as most foods are cooked in palm sugar and contain sugar in their sauces. My go to dish to order is Pad Thai or Pad See Ew, but that wasn't on the menu for me. When I was thinking about attending the dinner I had thought, should I eat beforehand in case I can't eat there. Slightly worried, I searched online for any tips and dish recommendations for healthier alternatives. Some had suggested peanut based dishes or to opt for a salad instead, with a game plan I was more confident about what to order. I arrived to find out all the dishes were pre-ordered; game plan out the window. Amongst the array of dishes ordered, I chose the steamed fish and avoided the skin and sauce. I also had the side salads and skipped the dressing as well as having a little of the vegetable stir fry. Starting off as quite a daunting experience, it was a good awakening to see what challenges I had in store for the next few weeks.
When starting the program, I knew the greatest challenge I would face during the eight weeks was eating out. By some weird coincidence, I have eaten out a lot more than I normally would.
Thai
The day after starting the program, I had a birthday dinner to attend at a Thai restaurant. In Sarah's book, she mentions to generally stay away from Thai food, and more so during the 8 weeks as most foods are cooked in palm sugar and contain sugar in their sauces. My go to dish to order is Pad Thai or Pad See Ew, but that wasn't on the menu for me. When I was thinking about attending the dinner I had thought, should I eat beforehand in case I can't eat there. Slightly worried, I searched online for any tips and dish recommendations for healthier alternatives. Some had suggested peanut based dishes or to opt for a salad instead, with a game plan I was more confident about what to order. I arrived to find out all the dishes were pre-ordered; game plan out the window. Amongst the array of dishes ordered, I chose the steamed fish and avoided the skin and sauce. I also had the side salads and skipped the dressing as well as having a little of the vegetable stir fry. Starting off as quite a daunting experience, it was a good awakening to see what challenges I had in store for the next few weeks.
Italian
My next experience wasn't a week later, but the next day. I found myself at an Italian cafe/restaurant at a food court. Coming from the gym, I was hungry. I ordered a burger with Sourdough bread and asked for the relish to be removed. As requested, they removed the relish from the burger and put it in a separate container. I just removed the tomato from my burger and I was ready to dig in!
My next experience wasn't a week later, but the next day. I found myself at an Italian cafe/restaurant at a food court. Coming from the gym, I was hungry. I ordered a burger with Sourdough bread and asked for the relish to be removed. As requested, they removed the relish from the burger and put it in a separate container. I just removed the tomato from my burger and I was ready to dig in!
Breakfast - Paper Plane Cafe
Going to cafes aren't so bad, especially during breakfast. Depending on where you go, some can be more forgiving and offer more 'niche' or 'hippie' choices as some might refer to it, whilst some may not. I ate at Paper Plane located in Parramatta and the choices offered were relatively good in terms of healthy options. Instead of ordering the classic bacon, eggs and the works, I opted for a Veggie plate instead. I did find that there was balsamic on the rocket, so I had to skip it.
Going to cafes aren't so bad, especially during breakfast. Depending on where you go, some can be more forgiving and offer more 'niche' or 'hippie' choices as some might refer to it, whilst some may not. I ate at Paper Plane located in Parramatta and the choices offered were relatively good in terms of healthy options. Instead of ordering the classic bacon, eggs and the works, I opted for a Veggie plate instead. I did find that there was balsamic on the rocket, so I had to skip it.
Top juice
Usually after a workout, I love getting my Protein Shake 4 at Top Juice. The smoothie contains avocado, almond, whey protein, milk and ice. Although this is my absolute favourite, there are a few tweaks I make to suit my diet better. This is how my order usually sounds "Can I please have a large Protein Shake 4 with no honey, soy milk (as some chains don't carry almond milk) and extra ice" - which usually results with a smirk from the person serving me. No offence taken as I myself find it a little funny.
Usually after a workout, I love getting my Protein Shake 4 at Top Juice. The smoothie contains avocado, almond, whey protein, milk and ice. Although this is my absolute favourite, there are a few tweaks I make to suit my diet better. This is how my order usually sounds "Can I please have a large Protein Shake 4 with no honey, soy milk (as some chains don't carry almond milk) and extra ice" - which usually results with a smirk from the person serving me. No offence taken as I myself find it a little funny.
Eating at food courts - LeWrap
Food courts are known as one of the unhealthiest places to eat, and probably 98% of the time that is the case, but when you find something that doesn't induce a heart attack, it feels great! When I find myself starving at a food court, I usually search for a LeWrap. I used to order the Classic Beef wrap which has beef, tomato, lettuce, onion and sauce of your choice. Since starting the program I've had LeWrap twice. The first time I had it, I ordered my usual Classic Beef wrap without tomato and sauce, it wasn't the most flavoursome wrap and was I left slightly underwhelmed. The second time I ate LeWrap, I looked at the ingredients for the Italian Beef Wrap and saw that it had beef, roasted pumpkin, tomato, onion, lettuce and pesto. There was no sauce option as it was replaced by the pesto. After ordering it without the tomato, I love it! I can't believe I have never tried the Italian wrap before, it so flavoursome without sacrificing any of the dressing or sauce, I think I'm going to try and recreate this at home!
Food courts are known as one of the unhealthiest places to eat, and probably 98% of the time that is the case, but when you find something that doesn't induce a heart attack, it feels great! When I find myself starving at a food court, I usually search for a LeWrap. I used to order the Classic Beef wrap which has beef, tomato, lettuce, onion and sauce of your choice. Since starting the program I've had LeWrap twice. The first time I had it, I ordered my usual Classic Beef wrap without tomato and sauce, it wasn't the most flavoursome wrap and was I left slightly underwhelmed. The second time I ate LeWrap, I looked at the ingredients for the Italian Beef Wrap and saw that it had beef, roasted pumpkin, tomato, onion, lettuce and pesto. There was no sauce option as it was replaced by the pesto. After ordering it without the tomato, I love it! I can't believe I have never tried the Italian wrap before, it so flavoursome without sacrificing any of the dressing or sauce, I think I'm going to try and recreate this at home!
Italian Restaurant
More recently, I was at another birthday dinner but this time it was at Bondi Pizza. Everything was pre-ordered again but I didn't want to eat just side salads so I ordered something for myself. There was soo much food but all the pizzas, pastas ordered and ribs either had tomato or a marinade. I stared at the menu thinking about what to order for a while. Looking through the salads, every single one contained either a creamy sauce or balsamic as well tomato which would leave a very depressing salad for me to eat. After searching I found something! I settled on the Pumpkin & Sage Ravioli which had ravioli filled roasted pumpkin and fresh sage, tossed in butter and sage sauce, with pine nuts and sun dried tomato (which I asked to be taken out).
Tips & Tricks
- Go for wholemeal or sour dough alternatives for bread, burgers, sandwiches if possible.
- Be weary of dressings, marinades and sauces in salads, burgers, sandwiches, meats, dishes containing soup or sauce as well as pizza bases. If you're unsure or want to make sure, it never hurts to ask.
Hope this post not only informs you about some of the hidden sugars we can come across but ways to overcome these challenges when eating out.
Yours Truly,
Julialala
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