Since we started our 100 Days of Real Food pledge eating at restaurants has become quite a challenge, but we have also learned a lot from the experience. Below are some tips and suggested meals if you also want to try to stick to whole foods while eating out.
General Tips 
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- Avoid bread items such as rolls, breadcrumbs, tortillas, pasta, breading, crusts, etc. Unfortunately even if something is called “whole-wheat” it is rare to find items that are truly only made with 100% whole-wheat (unless the restaurant can confirm the ingredients for you).
- If the waiter/chef doesn’t know (and can’t find out) the ingredients of an item then they probably don’t make it fresh in house which means it likely has all sorts of stuff (like sweeteners and preservatives) in it you don’t want or need.
- If they don’t know where the meat came from then I can guarantee it is not from anywhere special (like a grass-fed local farm).
- For children do not order off the kid’s menu. The kid’s menu is almost always processed foods or foods made from processed ingredients (like pasta from white flour, factory made chicken nuggets, corn dogs, french fries, etc.). Instead attempt to put together a plate of adult side items that you think your child would eat (like a baked potato, fruit, vegetable, and nuts or cheese you see offered on a salad).
- Always ask questions when it comes to sauces and ask for them to be left off when appropriate. It seems as though everything under the sun (including lots of sugar) can be hidden in the most surprising places when it comes to sauces, dressings, and marinades. For salads opt for some oil and vinegar instead of pre-made salad dressing (unless they can confirm a simple list of dressing ingredients for you).
- If time allows do some research and look at menus in advance to help you make the best restaurant selection and menu choices.
Restaurant Meals
These suggested meals follow our real food rules.
Generic Meals
- Seafood
- Higher end restaurants sometimes offer locally raised meats and poultry
- Breakfast egg dishes such as scrambled eggs
- Side items such as potatoes, vegetables, beans, fruit, and brown rice
- Salads
- Simple soups (always ask what is in it first)
Chain Restaurants
- Chipotle Mexican Grill: (update Feb 2012 – some locations now have brown rice)
- Burrito bowl with black beans, fajita vegetables, corn salsa, guacamole, sour cream and grated cheese (with no white rice or tortilla)
- Salad with no meat or vinaigrette
- Ruby Tuesday: (only place I called that has brown rice!)
- Salad bar
- Asian Salmon Spinach Salad with no glaze, wonton strips or dressing (use olive oil and vinegar instead)
- Santa Fe Chicken or Southwestern Beef Salad with no meat, tortilla strips/chips or dressing
- Avocado Shrimp salad with no crispy wontons or dressing
- Creole Catch (just the way it is!)
- Herb Crusted Tilapia with no bread crumbs
- Asian Glazed Salmon with no glaze or peanut sauce
- Any of the following side items: creamy mashed cauliflower, baked potato, mashed potatoes, steamed brocolli, portabella mushrooms, sugar snap peas, brown rice pilaf
- Chili’s:
- Fajitas with no meat and no soy sauce in the marinade (you could add shrimp or mushrooms to the veggie mix) with no tortillas
- Side item plate including mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, black beans, and/or seasonal veggies
- House salad with oil and vinegar for your dressing
- Asian salad with no vinaigrette, no peanut drizzle and no crispy wontons (you could add salmon and oil/vinegar for dressing)
- A custom combination including Spicy Garlic & Lime Grilled Shrimp (with no margarita marinade), Grilled Salmon, seasonal vegetables and mashed potatoes
- Cracker Barrel: (almost all of their vegetable sides – even ones that look as innocent as corn, carrots, and green beans – have sugar in them at this restaurant):
- Oatmeal with Pecans, Raisins, Fresh Sliced Bananas and/or 100% Pure Maple Syrup
- Eggs and fresh fruit
- Grilled Catfish with mashed potatoes and fruit (strawberries/banana)
- BLT Salad with no bacon and no croutons
- Applebees:
- Cajun Lime Tilapia with baked potato or mashed potatoes instead of white rice
- Grilled Shrimp & Island Rice with no BBQ sauce and potatoes instead of white rice
- California Shrimp Salad with no bacon and oil and vinegar instead of dressing
- Grilled Shrimp ‘N Spinach Salad with no bacon and oil and vinegar instead of dressing
- Carrabba’s Italian Grill:
- Shrimp scampi appetizer
- Grilled salmon with vegetable side, mashed potatoes and/or whole-grain pasta
- Most pasta entrees can be ordered with whole-grain noodles so just inquire about the sauce before ordering
Suggestions for people who must cannot eat wheat?!
Hi Victoria. Lots of restaurants now have gluten free menus or point out gluten free choices.
What are your thoughts on getting food from an Amish market? It appears our local Amish market makes their food in house, but I’m not sure about the quality or source of the meat/produce. Perhaps still better than a chain restaurant?
Thanks!
Hi. I’d imagine they vary from market to market. I would suggest asking lots of questions. This post will help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/09/23/real-food-tips-10-pointers-for-farmers%E2%80%99-market-shopping/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/08/where-to-buy-real-food/.
This is helpful, because there are times when we have to go out to eat (or frankly, we want too!) This seems like it was published a couple of years back. Would there be any way to get an updated blog posting at some point with additional options? Thank you!
Hi Heather. Thanks for the suggestion!
Just went to Applebee’s today and they no longer serve the Cajun Lime Tilapia :( I had the salmon with veggies and potatoes instead but without the sauce they put on it.
most chipolte now have brown rice\
just an fyi, outback serves a lot of made in-house fresh ingredients also. avoid the bread, of course, but there an appetizer of grilled shrimp could make for a great dinner with a couple of side items. almost all the salad dressings are house-made (although i’m not sure how complicated the ingredient list might be). they use real butter whipped on the spot. and the kid’s menu has smaller portion real grilled chicken or steak as options, and can be accompanied by any side item, including a “fruit cup” with sour apples and grapes, or any side off the adult menu (including a salad!). ;)
On a few of the items listed you said without the meat. Why?
H Laura. Because the meat is industrial/production quality meat. ~Amy
Was visiting Charlotte a few weeks ago and discovered ‘Fuel Pizza’ It seems like their pizza might fit into your rules. Are you familiar with the restaurant and their menu?
Hi Kim. I keep hearing about it but have not. I tried to get on the website to peruse the ingredients but couldn’t dig deep enough. ;) We’ll have to check it out. ~Amy
Hello Becca. Give yourself a break. :) All you can do is your best and we all fall off the wagon from time to time. (My kid’s baskets this year were much improved but not entirely sweet free.) It is fine to put off the pledge until you know you can give it your all. Sounds to me like you are educating your kids well about the choices they make. You have to accept your lack of control when they aren’t within your reach or in any circumstance when other choices present themselves. When choosing places to eat out, try to choose those that you know offer “better” options for your kids. I’m sure you’ve heard the quote, “Don’t allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good”? Just do your best and give yourself a big pat on the back for every step forward. I would, however, hold on to the hard line with the sports drinks. ;) Let us know when you are starting the pledge and we will be cheering you on!! Best of luck. ~Amy
Well I caved. I have really tried to change the way we eat. I have four boys ranging from 14-6 and Easter to them is candy and scavenger hunt. My husband was out of town and so I had to do Easter morning with help from my 14 yr old. I put a few candy items in their baskets and I wasn’t planning on doing our traditional jellybean trail, but my 14 year old said, “Mom, you have to do the jellybean trail, it’s not Easter without it.” sigh… plus he said that he wants me to hide plastic Easter eggs filled with candy for the scavenger hunt. another sigh.. So without my husband being here to back me up, I caved. I went to the store on Saturday night at 8:30pm and got jellybeans and nestle crunch eggs (my favorite :) and my 14 yr old helped me do the jellybean trail for his younger brothers. I was suppose to try the 10 day pledge starting on Monday, but with the Easter candy that the kids got, I think I have to wait maybe another week before I start. My kids get frustrated with me when I tell them I don’t want them to drink a gaterade or any drink with high frutose corn syrup. But I explain to them that I am responsible to educate them on what they put in their bodies and why certain foods/drinks can cause bad things to their bodies. But it is their choice what they decide when I’m not around and I just hope they make the right choices. I will continue to frustrate them if I have to. I just don’t know how to manage four boys eating the right foods when we are on vacation or at a restaurant.
Well, Easter is coming and my 7 and 10 year olds expect something. I would like to go candy free. Got any suggestions? I’m thinking gift cards but that gets expensive quick.
By the way. I put this here for lack of know where else.
Hi Anna. We’ve got a post for that: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/06/easter-without-the-junk/. ;) ~Amy
Thanks!!! I thought I had seen something earlier and then couldn’t find it.
You recently mentioned Passion 8 Bistro as a restaurant you enjoyed. Are there other restaurants in the Charlotte area that you have found it easier to find real food dishes? Honestly I’m not sure I would be comfortable quizzing servers about dish ingredients especially if out with a group. Hopefully I will get over this but it would be easier to patronize restaurants that embrace natural local healthy eating.
Hey Staci – Sorry for the late response. In just about any restaurant you’ll want to analyze the menu and make the best choices, but here are some local places off of the top of my head that typically have some good options. Of course this list is not all inclusive…again just off the top of my head:
Passion 8 Bistro
Upstream
Luna’s Living Kitchen
Custom Shop
Halcyon
Sante
Carpe Diem
Rooster’s
Thank you for this list! I am visiting Charlotte this weekend for a wedding so I searched “Charlotte restaurants” on your site to see if I could find anything. We have reservations now for Rooster’s. I’m very excited :)
Cracker Barrel’s syrup is no longer 100% Pure Maple Syrup ALTHOUGH it is still listed as such. When they bring out the bottle, the ingredients are corn syrup and maple syrup. It’s very misleading. I e-mailed them about it and never got a response.
We are planning a trip to DISNEY this fall and now that we are eating real food I am wondering how we will eat there. We have been many times but never where we were watching what we are eating. Has anyone done Disney and requested special food, I do know that they go above and beyond to cater to special diets such as gluten free etc.
Hi Pam. We did Disney last November and I would say they were very helpful. I think the key for us was that we always made a reservation for our meals at a sit down restaurant (no counter service) and we brought in all of our snacks (fruit, lara bars, muffins (you can put them in the freezer and by the time they’re ready to be eaten they are defrosted), bottled waters). We ate breakfast at our condo each morning, so, that just left us with 2 meals. Obviously, knowing what to order is helpful too (check out this post https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/12/how-to-eat-whole-foods-at-restaurants/). Good luck and HAVE FUN!!!!! Jill
I try to follow the real food concept…but I travel all over south Texas, and it’s hard to find “real food” in McAllen and Corpus Christi. My fav is Jason’s Deli. Most of their food is “real”. and there is always their awesome salad bar! I can find a Jason’s in many towns around the country.
We love to go to BD’s Mongolian Barbecue (http://www.gomongo.com/) where they cook the food in front of us. The veggies and things are not organic, but they do offer all of the nutritional information and ingredients on their website for all of the sauces. It’s basically a stir fry full of veggies and goodness. They offer brown rice and lettuce wraps in place of flour tortillas and white rice.
Moe’s Southwesthas grass fed beef, their website tells you all about their ingredients. I was impressed.
Lisa,
I just spent the weekend with relatives and one person just seems so defensive about my eating habits. I knew that there would be hot dogs over the fire for supper the one night and I don’t eat hot dogs so I brought my own food. This person kept making comments all weekend about food, questioning me about why I do this or that in terms of food and then getting defensive about it. I was careful not to talk about food much and I was never the one to bring up the topic. So, I don’t understand why this person kept bringing it up and pressing the issue. I never expect anyone to cater to me when I come over. I will bring my own food, no problem. Have you encountered this type of thing? How do you deal with it?
Heather – I certainly don’t have all the information, but it sounds to me like there could be some deeper issues there aside from just food! I can’t say I’ve had someone drill me quite that much, but FAQ #11 addresses what we do when we are around others https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/frequently-asked-questions/
Thank you so much for those suggestions. I really appreciate all the work that you must have put in so that we can all be better informed.
I noticed you listed scrambled eggs but personally I recommend never getting scrambled eggs. At most places they usually come “pre scrambled” in big paint-like buckets mixed with all sorts of chemicals. We always get eggs soft boiled or over hard so we know it’s just the egg
:)
The last time I went to the Texas Roadhouse, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they make all the dressings/sauces and stuff from scratch at the location. I know they probably still use white processed sugar and white flour for things but at least it’s a step up from the stuff full of HFCS, chemicals and preservatives. I even sent the waitress back a few times to ask questions for me on what was in this dressing and that sauce, etc. Hopefully, she learned a little more for the next person that asks!
Moe’s Southwest has a similar menu to Chipolte’s. I don’t know what states they are in besides FL but everything is fresh and healthy
Jasons deli is one of our favorites! Lots of organics no HFCS, all natural chicken & lots of good options for children. Do u know anything about pei Wei ?
I was wondering if you know anything about Jamba Juice? I’m always wondering if it’s as healthy as it sounds…
What do you think of Jason’s Deli? They use no artificial dyes, have some organic & whole wheat options… I’d be interested to see what research would turn up! Thus far, we do like them (and Chipotle) as our treat places :).
I like Crazy Bowls and Wraps. . .
I’ve gotten brown rice and a nice gluten free menu at P.F. Chang’s although I don’t claim to have done an in depth investigation of their entire menu.
I’ve heard from numerous sources that Northstar cafe has brown rice and am intending to check them out. while they have more than one location here in town, I’m not sure they are in any other states.
Jason’s Deli, in 28 states I think, has no artificial colors, no artificial trans fats, and no high fructose corn syrup anywhere on their menu. They do have a soda fountain and I’ve never asked if the rules extend to the soda, which I doubt, but I have noticed that there is a punch or something on it that is only with natural colors rather than artificial.
Also, here in central Ohio, I recommend Thai Grille in Westerville. And all the Cameron Mitchell restaurants offer decent gluten free menus.
Really love these last two posts!! I also wanted to add that if you are in the NYC area and need a quick bite, please try pret a manger. A lot of the food is organic and they use bell & Evans chicken, which is good!!
Also we should really get our legislators to pass laws that calorie/fat content/sodium must be posted on all restaurants menus.
Washington state passed a law last year that all restaurants have to provide nutritional info it has drastically changed what I order out.
Just a note, Cracker Barrel used to have 100% maple syrup. The now have 100% NATURAL syrup. It is only part maple.
Have you ever tried eating at Outback Steakhouse … they prepare all their food fresh daily. I’d be curious to know what you think of this restaurant. Please let me know your findings as our family is very fond of what they offer. Thanks! :)
That is not a restaurant I’ve researched as of yet!
Believe me, as someone who worked at an Outback Steakhouse, they definitely DON’T make all their food fresh daily.
I worked at Outback also, several years ago, but I doubt they have changed much. (Except higher prices and less qty) Most of their items are covered in butter, from steaks, chicken, shrimp, croutons etc. I LOVE their dressings and no they are not made fresh daily but are made in house. However it comes from a packet and you know they are loaded with sugar. Butter may be real food and does make things taste yummy, but kind of takes the healthiness out of that fish you are eating when it is basted with it.
FYI, Chipotle’s website says it uses sustainable and local produts whenever possible. Their website says 40% of their beans are organic. All meats are raised without added hormones and antibiotics. They call it “food with integrity.” You can read about it at http://www.chipotle.com The only thing that might not classify as real food is the tortilla. Other than that it’s all good. I don’t believe you gave chipotle enough credit. And no, I don’t have stock in the company, nor do I work for them, it’s just so rare to find, and in fact, it is probably the only chain that is good for us to eat.
Be careful with Chilis… In college, a friend worked there and told me that they soak the corn cobs in a sugar water.
Man…you guys must be a blast to go out with (sarcasm off) :P
I came to tell you the same thing – Chipotle now has brown rice! So exciting! I now get a bol with brown rice, fajitas, black beans, corn salsa, sour cream, cheese, guac, and lettuce. Yum!
Our Chipotle now has brown rice! (last time I had it, it was a bit undercooked but hopefully they’ve gotten the hang of it by now)
I love this idea. This is my first pledge and I am enjoying all of the fun and easy to make tips.
So I am going to a Hibatchi restaurant this weekend. Anyone have any suggestions? I am just starting the 10 day challenge. I have look online for the specific resturant but unfortantly they don’t have their own website.
Stick with seafood and see if they have brown rice!
My husband travels a lot for work in the Southeast. Do you have a list or is there a website where we can find a listing of places to eat while he is traveling? We love Chipotle, but they are not everywhere.
Thanks!
No there is no list and I wish there was!!
In-N-Out?
protein style
no sauce
Chipotle in my area [Seattle, WA] uses local ingredients. There are also many, many restaurants that use local, organic and sustainable ingredients around here.
I am sure the 100 days of real food would be so much easier in Seattle! We used to live in Portland many years ago and even then the food was fabulous. Thanks for the tip.
Re: Chipotle, I am pretty sure in some areas some of their meats are from humanely raised sources, you might want to check into that if you are interested in some meat in your burrito!
That is actually a very good point that Chipotle might use locally raised meat in some of their restaurants…thanks for sharing!