Jan 20, 2012 by Elissa Goodman
Even if you’re on a cleanse, you can eat out and eat well! You’ll have to skip wine and dessert, but there are plenty of ways to make sure you have fun and have a great meal. Here, I’m going to share my favorite eating out tips and tricks for cleanses that allow cooked food and cleanses that are all raw. Don’t be shy about talking to your waiter about possible meal options! It’s so easy to order steamed veggies at a restaurant, even if they don’t necessarily have it on the menu. Also, a leafy green side salad can become an entree if you order a double portion. Sync this list to your smart phone, so you can have it on hand when your out to dinner and lost for what to eat!
If you are on a cleansing diet that allows cooked food diet, look for steamed veggies, steamed fish, and a healthy grain. The following is a more specified list of what works, and doesn’t work on a cleansing diet:
- Wild Salmon, Atlantic Mackerel, Sole, Tillapia, White Fish are good fishes to eat, but ask the waiter to hold the sauce.
- AVOID King Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Marlin, Orange Ruffi, Shark, Sword Fish, all Tunas, Sea Bass as these fish have too much mercury.
- Couscous, brown rice, basmati (no white rice)
- Steamed broccoli, broccolini, or broccoli rabe.
- Sauteed spinach with garlic
- Sauteed green beans
- Steamed or roasted carrots and beets.
- Grilled zucchini and squash (ask them to use as little oil as possible)
- Grilled portabella mushroom
- Roasted yams or sweet potatoes
- Tossed side salads (ask the waiter to bring you olive oil and vinegar, or order vinaigrette – great to put on your veggies too!)
- Leafy greens
- You CAN have chicken or beef IF it is grass fed, hormone free.
Feel free to check to side menu and assemble a few sides to make a complete meal! Most menus will have items that will work for your personal cleanse, read the menu closely and ask the waiter when in doubt, just remember to ask nicely!
If you are on an all raw cleansing diet, order more than one salad and indulge in a leafy feast! Some salads will come with add-on’s that are not raw. In this case:
- Have the waiter bring you olive oil and vinegar for your salad, or order a vinaigrette
- Hold the eggs, croutons, cheese, or any meats
- Skip the corn, it could be GMO, but add a quarter slice of avocado.
- Eat a little raw snack (carrots, sliced apple, green beans), or have a veggie juice before you go! If you have a little nutrient dense snack before you eat out, you’ll be less hungry and more able to enjoy the people and the event, as opposed to lamenting the lack of raw options at a steak house!
One of the best ways to cleanse is in the company of fun, supportive, loving people. So don’t give up going out just because you’re cleansing. You can do both!
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