Your guide to eating healthy cheap and in New York City
New York City is truly the city that never sleeps. From running from one appointment to another, or working in Manhattan, you are surrounded by so many food options. It can be hard to make a wise decision when choosing what to eat. Some options that you may think are healthy, are not!
My advice is to keep it simple. Don’t add, or even look at, all the extras that are offered. Those extras add up too. You can easily save a few bucks by sticking to main ingredients.
Here I give you a guide on things you should look for when making food choices, and I outline foods you should avoid at all costs.
Salad Bars
Salad bars are great if you build your salad the healthy way. What I normally do is I start with a good base of greens of greens, typically the darker the leaf, the more nutritious. Next I load up on my protein. I aim to reach for more lean proteins like skinless chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna or legumes. Lastly I make sure to avoid the extras and heavy dressings. These add so many unnecessary calories, plus they make your salad wilty. I opt for a scoop of nuts and lemon juice. You guys can’t go wrong with a little oil and some vinegar or some light vinaigrette dressing
On the Go Burrito Bowls
When ordered properly, on the go mexican food, yes Chipotle included, are great options. I almost always, order for the salad bowl and ask for half and half protein choice (it’s proven that they will give you MORE protein when you ask for, say, half chicken and half steak). Then I load up on the veggies, salsa and beans. I avoid the sour cream and usually skip the rice. Depending on my training for the day, I will either add the guacamole or not. The choice is yours but keep in mind the level of your activity level for the day and make an educated decision on if you should add some rice or guacamole.
Juices and Smoothies
Juices or smoothies can be super refreshing when you are in a hurry. It’s also a great way to get added veggies and fruits to your diet to get some extra fiber, vitamins and minerals.
For juices, I recommend to always add spinach, I promise, you won’t even notice the taste!
For smoothies, make sure to select an unsweetened almond milk or just go with water! Add in as many fresh berries as possible.
Sandwiches
This is another fast find, that can be healthy. Always opt for whole wheat bread and a light dressing, mustard has the least calories. For your protein, switch it up with turkey slices or tuna. Ask for double meat. Skip the cheese and opt for more veggies like fresh greens, onions or tomatoes.