Hi all, I drive a lot for my job, so I'm often on the road in remote areas. Sometimes bringing my own lunch with me is not practical, so I have to buy lunch at one of the various eateries in the area. I have a heck of a time finding satisfying yet healthy food at the fast food joints and chain restaurants I'm often stuck choosing from. I also can't eat many carbs and especially not white carbs. So...any ideas on good meals to purchase for a low gi/low carb diet while on the road?
I have found a couple of good options at Starbucks - their "Power Protein Plate" and "Low Fat Egg and Turkey Bacon Sandwich (on whole wheat english muffin)" work for the diet and do not have too many calories. I was wondering if anybody have any other suggestions? I've found that a lot of the salads at fast food places are really high in calories and fat, so I try to avoid them as much as possible.
Boy it would sure be great if there was a fast food restaurant with healthy choices for low-carb dieters out there!
I ask for higher GI items to be left off my plate at family restaurants and such. At fast food places I order grilled chicken on wheat or a burger and just toss the bun. Many fast food places have lower carb options for sides these days even if you have to order off the kiddie menu.
That's a good idea about ordering a burger or grilled chicken and throwing away the bun. I remember once asking for a burger without the bun at a fast food place and the employees there looked at me like I was crazy. A few of the side salads aren't too bad, either, if you ask for a low-cal dressing to go with it. I just found this out the other day, but some fast food chains like Chick Fil'A now offer fruit as a side dish.
Yeah the fruit cups aren't bad at Chick Fil A, better than the apples at McDonalds and Subway. I always order wheat buns when available. Subway and McDonalds have them. Some family places have sweet potato fries now and they are lower GI, so I get those when I can. I always eat regular fat dressings though. There was an article a while back posted on the articles board that said without fat added a salad is not nearly as nutritious. Our bodies need the fat to process the vitamins. Even a handful of nuts is helpful if you decided to stick with the low fat dressings.
I always eat regular fat dressings though. There was an article a while back posted on the articles board that said without fat added a salad is not nearly as nutritious. Our bodies need the fat to process the vitamins. Even a handful of nuts is helpful if you decided to stick with the low fat dressings.
That's funny that you mentioned the full-fat dressings, because my dietician JUST told me yesterday that I should use them rather than the low-fat ones because of the same reasons you've mentioned. She said that if I was concerned about the sugar content in some of the dressings, olive oil and vinegar is great and very natural. I eat almonds for a snack or part of a salad almost everyday, so I agree with you about the benefits of nuts. They're also very convenient to have in the car when those hunger pangs strike!
We keep nuts around the house, and Christmas time is great for finding big bags of nuts cheaper. My MIL has a great olive oil and vinegar dressing, but it has anchovies in it, which I would leave out, lol. A recent study I saw said nuts and olive oil go a long way in reducing heart problems, especially heart attacks, so that's even more of a reason to add them in as much as possible. It's funny how medical and diet knowledge changes. I was watching a cooking show from the 1980s and they recommended avoiding olive oil and nuts and adding more white pasta into the diet to loose weight and keep healthy, lol.
If you use mayo based dressings, Dukes is sugar free (except the "diet" version which oddly enough has sugar added, lol). It's my favorite mayo. I also add cottage cheese and no sugar added jellies to the sides of my salads for a bit of a change.
Jashobeam, thanks so much for all of your great suggestion and information...it has really helped me a lot!
I forgot to add this to my previous post, but last night while online, I found a very helpful site that deals with this topic. It's a site called "Eat This, Not That" by Men's Health magazine. The site lists the worst and best meals (for calories and fat) at many of the popular fast food places and chain restaurants.
Eating healthy and low-gi/low-carb on the road? 
