How to eat out while avoiding processed foods? Possible? (ingredients, restaurant, organic)

[ecsdude]

You've likely heard people advise steering clear of processed foods because they can cause cancer. Short of making your own meals at home, how do you eat out yet avoid processed foods?

Let's take something simple like a sandwich. I love a good sandwich. But all of those deli meats, even those that say they have minimal preservatives and are minimally processed are still processed. Do you try to go for the oven roasted chicken and turkey meats that are pulled strips of meat when available?

I can go to Jack's Urban Eats and get turkey or tri-tip sandwiches (the chicken looks like processed lump of chicken breast) that I see them cut in front of me and know they aren't processed. But that's a $10 meal.

What do you folks do when you aren't preparing all-natural meals at home but eat out instead? Where do you go, what do you get?

I was doing Subway for a while and they have this chicken that's supposed to use no antibiotics and seems natural.. but their breads still have chemicals in them that are supposed to not be so good for you. Remember the ingredient they used that is also an ingredient of yoga mats?

[elnina]

While you can't eliminate processed food completely, you can eat healthy, homemade food and know exactly what's on your plate.
Learn how to cook from scratch. It doesn't have to be fancy. You can even cook your favorite "junk" and it will be much healthier than from junk joint.
Buy real, unprocessed meats and produce, whole grains.
Buy fresh baked bread from bakery. KNOW HOW TO READ LABELS.
Most food you eat out is processed, salty, fatty, sweetened with corn syrup.

Here are some great tips:
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/re...k-a-the-rules/
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/re...-food-rules-2/

[DontH8Me]

When I go out to eat I eat in restaurants that cook like I would - real food from real ingredients. I avoid chain restaurants and eat at local ethnic diners and restaurants. Peruvian, Persian, Japanese, Mexican, Chilean, Indian, etc.

[CarrieStone2]

Very interesting question. Whenever we feel like dining out, I am researching ahead what the possible in the menu are. If I find some more time, I am calling to speak with their manager or head chef. Ask a few question if it is organic, local or the ingredients are fresh or from a can. Sometimes, some chef are protective with their secret ingredients and I understand that. Some restaurants are disclosing these information so it is better to check ahead.

If it is an unplanned get together, order the safest food you think are unprocessed. Ex: salad. Stay away from the obvious ones like dessert cakes, stuffed pasta and fried.

If you are on the restaurant, you can also talk to the chef if there are anything in particular that he would like to recommend.

[nmnita]

Let me say, just to start; if we worry about everything that might cause cancer we would need to live in a bubble and be fed only liquids. Then we would learn liquids are not healthy, they have too much water and can wear out our kidneys.

Now to answer your question, probably the best thing to do, is order a salad or fresh veggies and make sure they are fresh and a simple piece of meat or chicken. As for sandwiches, yep, lunch meats are full of preservatives. We do, on rare occasions eat sandwiches out or even buy deli meats, but not often. And we are inclined to stay away from large chains. We prefer independently run restaurants. That still doesn't guarantee no preservatives and/or quality.

There is nothing we eat in moderation that will kill us most likely. We would probably be shocked if we knew how many preservatives we eat daily, even those of us who cook pretty much from scratch.

I will add, if you are primarily talking eating out once in awhile and liking your sandwiches, I don't think I would bother to ask the chef how he serves his food or what he does or does not add. In fact I would be pretty surprised if you called almost any restaurant to inquire about their food and the preservatives if you would get a straight answer or if they even knew what ingredients went into preparing the food. Of course if you are talking top of the line restaurants that might be slightly different.

Just go and enjoy, but do it rarely.

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by DontH8Me

When I go out to eat I eat in restaurants that cook like I would - real food from real ingredients. I avoid chain restaurants and eat at local ethnic diners and restaurants. Peruvian, Persian, Japanese, Mexican, Chilean, Indian, etc.

Agree with avoiding chain restaurants.

[TabulaRasa]

Essentially everything you are eating at home or out is in some way processed, with the exception of freshly picked produce or nuts, freshly laid eggs, fresh raw milk, etc.

[Mikala43]

I think for most, the term "processed" refers to food that is packed with ingredients you do not recognize as food. Just like "whole food" normally refers to using single ingredient items (fruit, veggies, meat) that can be used for cooking, but you may combine in a recipe.

[Cantabridgienne]

Go to chef-driven restaurants that feature seasonal, local ingredients.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

It might be easier to just eat healthy at home as often as possible, and then eat what you want at restaurants, but not as often as you used to. It's really difficult to find food at restaurants that doesn't have a bunch of extra stuff added to it.