| The most common nutrition question I hear from clients is “where can I eat out in Thomasville that’s healthy?” The best way to really have control over what you eat is to cook your food yourself, but between our “on the go” lifestyles and social lives, cooking every meal at home is not exactly realistic. So where can you eat out in Thomasville for a quick lunch or enjoy a dinner with friends and still stick to your fitness and health goals. Below is a short list of menu options from various restaurants around town that will leave you feeling satisfied, feeling great, and ready to crush your next workout. (Most of these are Watt family staples, but we still include the occasional Moonspin Pizza or Sweet Grass Pimento Cheese Burger because, well…balance!) Chick-fil-a– choose the egg white chicken grill for breakfast and skip the hash browns. For lunch or dinner the grilled nuggets or grilled chicken sandwich are great options as well as the spicy southwest salad (easy on the dressing and the light balsamic vinaigrette is the best option) and the grilled chicken cool wrap. Be careful of all the dressings and sauces here as they will add a ton of sugar and calories to your meal and try to opt for the kale salad or fruit cup as a side. Diablos – order a salad bowl with spinach as the base and add your choice of protein. Sometimes I’ll add a small scoop of rice if I had a hard workout that day. On top of that pile on as many colorful, fresh vegetables as possible and don’t let them cheat ya, just ask for more. Add a dollop of guac on top and tell them NO CHIPS! Cause we all know if they put them on the plate, we’re going to eat them. Barberitos – Essentially the same thing as Diablos. Jimmy Johns – the unwich is a great option here if you need to limit your carbohydrates. The unwich is just a sandwich in a lettuce wrap so typically I like to add extra meat if I go this route. The wholewheat bread is also a descent option, but always ask for them to go light on the mayo, as the typical smear can add a ton of extra calories and fat. Empire – the champagne salad add chicken is a great option at empire, as well as their western omelette wrap. They typically have a healthy special as well that rotates each month. The empire egg sandwich is always delicious as well and big enough for two people. If you are trying to cut back a bit, eat half of the sandwich and wrap up the other half for breakfast the next day. Grassroots – Any salad options here are excellent! They have good quality dressings and this is one of the only salads in town that is hearty enough to leave me feeling full and satisfied. My favorite is the smoked salmon salad but try them all and let us know which one you like. The Scoop – It’s always tough to walk past the bluebell ice cream but if you can control your sweet tooth, they have a few great salad scoop options. My go to here is the 3-4 scoop plate with egg salad or chicken salad, quinoa salad, marinated veggies, cottage cheese and spinach. Q Café – Breakfast omelets are a great option at the Q and my personal favorite is the Farmer’s Pride. Tell them to hold the biscuit or toast and order a fruit cup instead. For lunch try the gourmet chicken salad, mahi mahi or grouper sandwich, and the island tacos. Savannah Moon – Give the heart of palm, cornucopia, or savannah salad a try. If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, try one of their many gluten free cookie and dessert options for a little treat. Moonspin – It’s tough to pass up a good pie here and to be honest this is typically our treat meal more weeks than not, but there are still a few healthy options at Moonspin. Our favorite is the greek salad but really any of the salads are delicious and the dressings are good quality and made in house (lemon vinaigrette is a great choice). Even if you get a tasty pizza pie, start your meal with one of their side salads to add some veggies to your meal and fill you up a bit before you enjoy a slice or two. Sweet Grass – Always a crowd favorite for social outings and get together’s with friends, and there are some great menu options at Sweet Grass that will leave you feeling great. For appetizer try the white bean hummus or even a small cheese board. For entre give the hangar steak salad or warm beet salad a try and you may not even miss the pimento cheese burger. I’m a sucker for their fries so I usually try to convince someone else at the table to order fries and then steal a few when they aren’t looking. I’m not sure if this is something I should be proud of or not, but it keeps me from eating the entire plate full…sorry Hannah : ) Jonah’s – Just like many of the other restaurants on this list, the salads at Jonah’s are great and probably one of my favorite in Thomasville. You can add fish or shrimp to any salad and their dressings are made with 100% olive oil which is a rare find. If you are looking for a heartier entre, stick to the “Grilled and Blackened” list where you can pick your protein option and topping, but just remember to go easy on the toppings as the butter sauces and glazes can add a lot of sugar and calories to the meal. A good rule of thumb is to always try to order menu items that are cooked on an actual grill with flames instead of a flat top, as grilled items will always have less unwanted oils than items cooked on a flat top. For side items, try to pass up the hush puppy basket and choose vegetable items like the veggie medley, collard greens, red cabbage slaw, and sautéed spinach. This list has in no way shape or form been endorsed by any of these restaurants, but is honestly what we eat when we go out in Thomasville. I’m sure there are a few more options I’m missing on this list and I would love to hear about what your favorite healthy meals are in Thomasville so I can add them to a future, more extensive guide for our members and the community. Shoot us an email back and tell us what healthy meals you like to eat on the go, and refer back to this list while you are out enjoying food and fellowship with friends and family. In health, Coach Jonathan |
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