Previously I explained why every man should cook, which you can read here. Today I figured I’d explain some tips for eating meals on the go. I still recommend that every man know how to cook, and I believe every man should be eating most of his meals from food cooked at home rather than purchased at a store or in a box. That being said, every man will find himself in a situation every now and then where he needs a quick meal and either hates everything in his house, or simply doesn’t have time to make anything. Here are a few ways to eat decent semi-healthy options from regular places throughout the country.
Chipotle/Qdoba/Burracho’s
Chipotle is king in the quick muscle meals world. Qdoba and Burracho’s can be lumped in because they’re the same concept but they’re not as good. They’re also in the semi-fast food category, which means you get sub restaurant quality food at a slightly slower and healthier pace than regular fast food. The key with these three restaurants are to follow this menu concept. Go with a burrito bowl, rice is acceptable. Add beans, fajita veggies, the meat of your choice, salsa (pico de gallo is the best option) and lettuce. Make sure you skip cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. Your total calorie intake should be 600 calories or less from this bowl while hitting the majority of necessary food groups to give yourself a balanced meal at a cheap price in a timely fashion.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s is like the bitch who gave your best friend herpes. She seems appealing but every man who sleeps with her still ends up with herpes. McDonald’s is a last resort option, but you can make it work. The parfait’s are safe if you throw out the granola topping, and side salad’s are fine if you limit the amount of dressing you use to about 1/3rd of the packet they give you.
Everything else on the menu is equal in calories. The best example of this is a Big Mac versus the new Premium McWrap. A Crispy Chicken and Ranch Premium McWrap has 580 calories, 29 grams of fat, 55 grams of carbs, and 26 grams of protein. The “healthier” grilled version has 420 calories, 16 grams of fat, 41 grams of carbs and 30 grams of protein. A Big Mac has 550 calories, 29 grams of fat, 46 grams of carbs, and 25 grams of protein. The Big Mac is also the only one of those three that is sub 1000mg of sodium (barely). There’s three menu items which are extremely similar in nutrition content despite the fact that two are advertised as healthy alternatives. So warning, McDonald’s will not be safe.
Subway
Thanks to Jared, every American now seems to believe that Subway is healthy and will help them lose weight. Wrong, Subway is just healthier than the alternative fast food restaurants, with the primary draw being cheap meals from processed junk. But if you are in an extreme pinch for time, you can make Subway work, and it’s way better than McDonalds. The key with Subway is to ignore half of what you thought you knew. Ignore the wheat bread at Subway and go for Italian. The Italian actually has less calories, and they are actually both made with enriched wheat flour (little known truthful fact). Stick to a six inch sub, load up on vegetables and skip on dressing. You can add to your meal with baked chips and water. I don’t recommend a foot-long for yourself because you’re eating processed garbage so the less you consume the better.
Resort to Salad
When in absolute doubt, resort to salad. Almost every quick restaurant option from BWW’s to McDonald’s does offer salads, so if you really can’t figure something out, that’s the best default option to resort to. It also takes the least amount of effort. You only need to remember two things with salads. Keep the chicken grilled, and keep the dressing on the side. Most restaurants include two-three hundred calories worth of dressing with their salads. Keeping it to the side will let you add significantly less. Keeping the chicken grilled keeps excess fat out of your salad. It might seem girly, but those ten minutes will disappear quickly once you spend an hour at the beach with six pack abs.
The biggest thing to eating on the go is watching what you consume and how much. I find myself in binds for time a lot so I’ve gotten use to making my options work. Some of my friends are convinced that my working out keeps weight in check but the truth is managing those meals on the go is what keeps it in check. I’d love guacamole, cheese, and sour cream on my a burrito bowl at Chipotle, but the fact is those three ingredients combined are almost as much as the rest of the burrito bowl. And remember your best option will always be to make your own meals as you can regularly get fresher ingredients for better nutrients, but if you do find yourself in a bind, you can make it work, you just can stuff your face till your full.
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