Hey, Brenda here, the “food plan” fitness chick!

When you are on a low-carb eating plan, one of the challenging elements is eating out in restaurants and fast food establishments.  Still, with a little creativity, there are ways to eat out, eat delicious food, and stay true to your plan!

Here are a few low-carb ideas for eating out at McDonald’s:

1) Of course, there is always the classic “Take the Bun Off the Burger” approach.  McDonald’s features a line of burgers called Angus Burgers that consist of higher quality beef and 1/3 pound of it per burger.  They have a bacon version and a mushroom swiss version that would fit into low carb plans.  I suggest ordering them “plain” to avoid getting ketchup and other sauces that you can’t control the carb count of.

2) Salads - Either chef salads or cobb salads are good for low carb, but remember to check the carb count on the dressing packet!  It might be advisable to use your own dressing, depending on how strict the plan you are on is.

3) Chicken McNuggets - Breading taken off, don’t forget!

4) Chicken Sandwiches - Make sure you choose grilled.  The buns are whole wheat, so if you are on a low carb plan that allows whole grains, you can have it whole.  However, if you are on a more restrictive plan, you can have the chicken sans bun.

Happy and healthy eating!

Hi, I’m Brenda and I’m the fitness chick that specializes in healthy food and eating for your health.

A lot of people don’t even realize the difference between food that is healthy and food that isn’t.  Sure, there are some obvious boundaries.  Everyone knows that celery is “healthy” and fried chicken is “unhealthy.”  But what about all the food in the middle?

When you start to talk about calorie counting, fats, trans-fats, carbs, cholesteral, on and on - some people start to glaze over.  It’s overwhelming!

So, let’s keep it simple.

As a general rule, fresh equals healthy.  Of course there are exceptions, but that’s where using common sense comes in.

So, remember those low calorie diet cookies you thought were healthy.  Yeah, not so much.  Save them for a treat.

As a general rule, shop around the edges of the grocery store.  This is where it’s refrigerated, and so this is where they keep the fresh food.

Keep an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins.  Throw in some whole grains.

It’s not rocket science, but it’s a great first step on the road to better health!