A RESTAURANT GUIDE & HAPPY HOUR HANDBOOK TO KEEPING LEAN WHILE LIVING LIFE

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2 Table of Contents Restaurant Guide... 2 Healthy Dining on a budget... 2 Best Options... 2 What to Avoid... 2 What to Order at Your Favorite Restaurants... 3 BBQ... 3 Italian and Greek... 4 Asian... 5 South American... 5 The Happy Hour Handbook... 6 Drinks to Avoid... 6 Drinks to Enjoy Sparingly... 6 Drink Suggestions... 6 pg. 1

3 Healthy Dining on A Budget: Higher end restaurants typically offer less filler and more high-quality protein options such as wild caught fish, grass-fed beef and fresh locally grown produce. Eating out is not cheap in general so if you are on a tight budget then I would suggest doing so sparingly. When you do go out make it worthwhile at a place that sources locally and/or offers high quality ingredients. Another option for a more budget minded consumer is to find out where your favorite farm to table sources their food and then go straight to the source. This is how I found the local farm I purchase from for far less than what it would cost going out to eat. Low cost options can also be found in a pinch at places that offer a variety of artisanal salad options or buffets where you can select your own ratios of protein, fat and carbohydrate. Keep in mind, restaurants do not make money by giving larger portions of protein because it is the mostly costly. Hence why many do not offer an adequate amount of high quality protein yet are very quick to include large amounts of less expensive refined carbohydrates such as bread, rice or noodles, particularly on lunch specials. Best Options: Wild, Pasture raised and Grass fed labeled proteins Substitute starchy sides for mixed vegetable or tubers* Protein over leafy greens aka salads Gluten free and dairy free are typically also more health-conscious options but NOT always Fruit mixes for dessert (yes, it is ok to add a drizzle of dark chocolate on them) Water, tea or coffee save the calories for your meal What to Avoid: Glazes, special sauces and roux Excessive amounts of pasta and bread opt for artisanal homemade for an occasional splurge Refined carbohydrate side options Fried foods (includes pretty much all fast food) Sugary beverages Desserts with high sugar content pg. 2

4 What to Order at Your Favorite Restaurants: Your best options will be local farm to tables, steak houses, Brazilian barbecue aka rodizio, seafood restaurants (ideally located on or near a coastal area or lake), specialty salad spots, and anywhere else that places an emphasis on local fresh ingredients. However, outside of major cities and metro areas it can be hard to find these types of places. As such, I ve included some suggestions for ordering from the most common types of restaurants you ll find for most of our readers. BBQ You will be hard pressed to find a person who does not like barbecue these days. It is grown increasingly common in up and coming areas to have at least one authentic southern BBQ joint. If you ve ever seen most pit masters, you ll know you will need to make some adjustments if you to have want a lean body and still get your BBQ fix. Most barbecue sauce contains an insidious amount of brown sugar as sweetener and high fructose corn syrup from its ketchup base. If you can find it, opt for a Carolina style sauce which typically consist of vinegar and pepper. Carolina style barbecue is best used on pulled pork. Avoid the bun and just dig in with a side of cole slaw. Ribs are probably out unless you can verify what is in the rub. Most rubs contain a fair amount of brown sugar and there is too much surface area on ribs to avoid it unlike Brisket. Entrée Pulled pork with Carolina style sauce Texas Smoked Brisket (Texans don t believe in sauce) Smoked or beer can Chicken (no sauce) Fresh Smoked Sausages (from a pastured hog ideally) Sides: Collard greens and ham hock Cole Slaw Smoked cheddar cauliflower German potato salad* pg. 3

5 Italian and Greek Sure, these two cuisines may conjure up images of big bowls of pasta and doughy pita bread but there is a lot more to them than just that, in particular, both feature fish. Avoid breaded or fried versions from the Pesci section and you will be on your way to a lean body in no time. Also watch for any of the meat options on the Italian side as most will be customarily breaded and fried. You may occasionally wish to indulge in a side (notice I did not say entrée ) of homemade pasta but make sure it is an occasional treat on a carb refuel day if you are on that part of the spectrum in your fitness level. Until then, enjoy the many delicious options below: Entrée Branzino, Snapper, Cod or other whitefish (Steamed in parchment, sautéed, broiled, char-grilled) Greek salad with Gyro meat or grilled chicken Charred Octopus Lamb stew (tomato base) Souvlaki with Tzatziki sauce Most items from a Cold Anti Pasto Brasciole Sides Broccoli Raab Escarole Cucumber, tomato and onion salad Caprese salad Baked potatoes wedges* Homemade pasta in limited quantity* pg. 4

6 Asian The far east tends to eat a lot of rice based dishes but this does not mean you can t find healthy low carb options on a Chinese takeout menu. Here are a few rules: 1) Always ask for steamed vegetables not fried in a wok. 2) Ask for sauce on the side. Dole out sparingly. 3) Find the meat options which are not breaded and fried. 4) Stay away from egg rolls, fortune cookies, and noodle or rice-heavy dishes. Entrée Peking Duck yum! Chicken with Snow Peas (sauce on side) Beef and Broccoli (sauce on side) Egg Drop Soup Sides Steamed vegetables Steamed Brown Rice* (small) South America While carb heavy at times, a large part of South American cuisine is rich in meat, seafood and avocados! Entree Stands - Ceviche, street tacos (not fried, one layer of corn tortilla), Higher end - Ropa Vieja, Pernil, Churrasco, Mariscada, Asado Sides Chimichurri sauce Avocado salad or Guacamole Steamed Yucca or Plantain* pg. 5

7 The Happy Hour Handbook Alcohol can be consumed in moderation on this diet; what matters most is that you stay away from mixers, dark liquor and heavy beer. The other consideration is alcohol by percentage of volume. The less volume you drink, or the higher percentage, the more you are able to avoid the extra calories which is why diluting a vodka drink with a 0 calorie seltzer can be a very appealing option if you re looking to get loose but keep your belly tight! Drinks to Avoid: Brown Liquors Typically these contain a lot of gut irritants which will cause bloat. Why work so hard to lose all that fat when you re stomach bloat just leads to a distended looking belly anyway? Mixers - Sodas or juices of any kind are very sugary. Unless the mixer is a naturally flavored seltzer or tonic you are probably taking in a lot of extra simple sugars which should be avoided on this program. Flavored Vodkas Often sweetened beyond all recognition. Empty calories and insulin spike coming up! Heavy Beer Gluten content in beer may cause bloating for some with gastrointestinal issues. Opt for a light beer like a Corona which has a lower calorie count and gluten content. Drinks to Enjoy Sparingly: Wine or sake 1 to 2 glasses occasionally with a meal. Watch the less expensive, sugary-sweet wines. Beer Craft beer can be an interesting option for its higher alcohol content i.e. more bang for your buck calorie-wise. However, this is dependent on the calorie density of the drink itself which varies so check the label. Hard Cider While free of gluten and easier to digest than beer, these sugary beverages should be still enjoyed in moderation. Try to get the unfiltered varieties where possible. Bloody Mary (Make it a Bacon Bloody to add to your daily fat intake) * Drink Suggestions: Vodka Club with Lemon, Dirty Martini, Vodka on the rocks or neat Gin and Tonic Note that Gin is essentially herb infused vodka Tequila with a splash of Lime Juice and Seltzer Dry red or white wine Light Beer - Light or other similar light beers around 100 calories and low gluten contents. pg. 6