Choose Wisely – Dining out (Hamburgers)
From time to time we all enjoy going out for dinner and having a nice, juicy hamburger. This is a perfect dining out choice for P3 and of course for life! However, if you NEED to dine out, you can still do this, even on P2, if you choose wisely! For P2 this is not ideal, but if you are stuck and need to grab something it is a wiser choice than the alternatives out there. Just order it with lettuce, tomato and onion.
Choose This:
Bun-less / Protein Style Burger
There are a number of restaurants that now serve bun-less burgers, and if you don’t see it on the menu, you can still ask for it. Carl’s Jr. is by far my favorite in the fast food department. It’s their Low Carb Six Dollar Burger. I order it without the cheese and light on the sauce. It’s very yummy! Another fast food favorite is In-N-Out Burger. It’s called “Protein Style” and it is on their “secret” menu, but you can order it at any restaurant. The meat comes wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun and you can get a single or a double patty.
Do Not Choose This:
It goes without saying that white bread is not a healthy choice. However, you need to be aware of restaurants who serve their burgers with wheat buns. Eating whole grains is the wisest choice. So, whether you purchase hamburgers in restaurants or buy buns in the store, make sure it says 100% whole grain. Sometimes you will see “Whole Wheat” which also means the product is a whole grain.
Watch and avoid these phrases:
Wheat Buns/Bread – usually this is just wheat flour, which is just refined white flour. Same with Enriched Wheat Flour or Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour. Enriched flour means that is has been refined. Also, 100% Wheat is not acceptable. Make sure it says “Whole” along with the word wheat.
Multi-Grain – this means that the product contains more than one type of grain. These are not whole grains and usually are refined. Many of this type of bread usually has sugar added as well.