YES, you CAN Eat OUT and SOME Fast Food is going HEALTHY!

I am excited to say, that I am noticing more and more, that restaurants and some semi "Fast Food" places are catching on that folks want to ENJOY food on an excursion, but that they are becoming educated, that YES, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! Today, I was heading to Kent Station, and smiled ear to ear, twice, as I passed strip malls with regular little restaurants. One, a Sub Sandwich place, had a big reader board that said GLUTEN FREE! And if you don't understand why Gluten Free is catching on like wildfire (even though I've preached it from my "health pulpit" for years and years...smile ) then scroll backwards on my blog to the segments on that subject!  The second restaurant,  a typical Teriyaki establishment, said, BROWN RICE used in all dishes. And we know brown rice is a super food, slow on breaking down as a carb in the body, and chock full of B vitamins and fiber! I love seeing the change, as Americans realize, changing just a few eating habits can mean the difference between more energy, less illness, and weight control! 

Sooooooo, it was like Deja Vu today. We do eat Chipolte Mexican Grill, because they caught my eye several years ago when I saw a sign they posted that said FOOD with INTEGRITY! I said, what??? I discovered that they served food, I LIKED, that had a lot of HEALTHY components when you are out on the run. I can order a Veggie bowl, that is BTW Two Meals! So I get it for there, and ask for the metal "to go" top as shown in the picture. I eat half, am stuffed, and take the other half home for a tasty meal next day. Average cost to eat out there is then 3.00. Now to the difference they make in the quality of their meals.

Chipolte uses Organic whenever possible, in their produce, beans, veggies.  They serve whole black beans, which are one of my top SUPER food suggestions for you.  But just as I was about to go in to get my usual, I thought, oh, why don't they serve BROWN RICE instead of white?? And that would make it perfect! (White rice, to the body, is dead food, all the goodness was stripped away, and it works pretty similar to white refined sugar, unbalancing blood sugars, triggering insulin, and creating more chance for tummy fat)  I walked in, ready to go, and voila, there is a new container in back of the white rice, with, you got it, Brown Long Grain Rice. HURRAY!  I had a medium scoop of brown rice on the bottom, an extra spoonful of whole black beans, an extra serving of grilled green peppers and onions, the chopped tomato "stuff," a small drizzling of sour cream, just a smidge of grated white cheese scattered, and all the guacamole they want to give me ;-)  Oh, when you see just a smidge of white...(sour cream) I did have more put on and I ATE it before the picture! lol.......Now, I am mostly Vegan, but good news for you who want meat added. They strive for dairy products without  hormones/antibiotics, BUT even better, the chicken my grandson had, is FREE range, also hormone and antibiotic free. How about that?? 

So tell the restaurants, small or big you go to, that you want these better ingredients, and they will comply likely if enough folks ask over and over.  Leave out the typical fast food places.  They are not interested in your health as much as the financial gain.  It's like Kellogg's coming out with Gluten Free cereals.  Sorta like the K Mart version of a healthy Gluten Free cereal! Makes me laugh!

Nope, I do not trust they are a wholesome product!  I like small companies who derive as much satisfaction out of Foods that increase your health, as the monetary gratification.

OK. So you can make good choices in going out to eat, and still have some delicious times while doing it. Just remember! TAKE HALF HOME, or you are going to be eating healthier, but not winning the battle of the bulge!  Once you get into the habit of asking for take out and even filling the container before you eat to keep yourself honest, it just becomes so easy.  G'night all.  And keep learning that your health is so valuable, that if I asked for you to hand it to me today for a winning lottery ticket, I don't think it would be a contest. CHEERS, and we are making great progress!!! Thank you all!  P.S. You are seeing the HALF I brought home!  Think if you ate it all in one setting ;-)