| Eating out can feel like a minefield, but can be hard to avoid when you're on vacation or celebrating a special occasion with friends or family. For me, I do it pretty regularly, so I thought I'd lay out some of my strategies and mindsets for eating out. Look at restaurant quality For one, the overall quality of restaurants has fallen—particularly in the middle range. These are the "fast casual," or "$20-30 a plate" places. They have fallen off a cliff. You get less food and worse quality for a higher cost. What seems to have maintained quality are the mom-and-pop restaurants and the high-end places. If you're going to eat out, be willing to spend money or go to some place that specializes in a specific thing. A pho shop filled with Vietnamese patrons is a better bet than the latest spot downtown that serve drinks in Mason jars. Call ahead Ask what oil they use. It can be a little awkward to ask the waiter to ask the manager to ask the chef what oil they use to cook when you're there at the restaurant. But if you call ahead, you can identify what you feel comfortable ordering before showing up. You can even call a bunch of places in succession to decide what your best options. Remember the 80/20 principle Think of this as your “20”. If you're at a place with artisanal 3-day-fermented sourdough, have a slice (unless you're celiac or gluten sensitive). When the place is known for their cobbler, try the cobbler. Or don't. But if you want the food, if you are sitting there wringing your hands and trying not to look at your dinner companions enjoying "forbidden" dishes, then just go for it. As long as you’ve been eating and exercising right consistently, one random meal isn’t going to throw you off. That's the power and beauty of eating an overall healthy diet and leading a healthy lifestyle. It gives you wiggle room. My eating out go-to's Maybe it's cause I live in Miami now but I find myself constantly opting for ceviche when I'm out and pressed for something to eat. Ceviche is refreshing, seed oil-free, and high in protein and micronutrients. Plus, it's delicious. As long as you can't smell the fish when you walk in the door you should be safe. Very reliable, quality meal. When eating breakfast, get poached eggs. Poached eggs are guaranteed to be seed oil-free. They are simply simmered eggs. You could try asking for soft boiled or hard boiled eggs, but most places won't do that. Poached eggs are widely available. Just make sure to ask them to really drain them well, otherwise you'll have a puddle of water on your plate. That's about the crux of my strategy for eating out. That's how I approach things. How about you? Let me know in the comment section of New and Noteworthy. | 