- Beth Auguste
23 Philly Restaurants with Dietitian Approved Menu Items
Updated: Mar 4
Give yourself a break from the kitchen and enjoy a date night, a lunch date, or a quick snack. Choose one of these dietitian approved options and feel good when you dine out!
Order This: Chicken kale chickpea Caesar salad with tahini
Why it’s great: It is packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber & protein. The tahini offers a healthy immune boosting fat for your dressing.
Order This: Eggplant caponata
Why it’s great: The dark purple color on eggplant’s skin indicates that it is a food high in phytonutrients and antioxidants.
Order This: A Bitzza
Why it’s great: This is a pita loaded with veggie toppings and maybe chicken or falafel. They grill their falafel so you get more of the yummy stuff and less of random fried breading.
Order This: Revive Kombucha from the wellness menu
Why it’s great: Kombucha is high in probiotics (may help with your GI), antioxidants (help fight toxins) and may even help reduce risk for chronic disease.
Order This: Vegan cauliflower bowl
Why it’s great: Excellent source of fiber and healthy fats. Also, it’s delicious!
Order This: Spiedini Di Gamberi alla Isolana (Butterfly shrimp wrapped in slices of zucchini served on a skewer, broiled with spices and herbs)
Why it’s great: Choose this high protein and high vegetable dish to counterbalance the high carbohydrate load from appetizers and pasta side dishes that are oh-so temptingly delicious at this Italian spot!
Order This: ½ Tuna salad sandwich and a side of veggie broth based soup.
Why it’s great: Tuna is an excellent source of omega-3, a healthy anti-inflammatory fat. Balance this protein packed (carby) sandwich with extra vegetables from a soup.
Order This: Daily rotating menu. Look for the option with an egg or extra vegetables. Save ½ the big yummy pita as a snack for later.
Why it’s great: Tahini (ground sesame seed) is a healthy, immune boosting fat. All hummus orders come with a side of pickled vegetables (probiotics!).
Order This: Choose a protein based appetizer and for your entree order: Mega dose of vegetables & grains
Why it’s great: In combination with a protein based appetizer, this meal is the perfect balance.
Order This: Chicken gorgonzola sandwich on wheat bread
Why it’s great: A fantastic source of protein (38g) and, at 700mg of sodium, this is low sodium for a restaurant meal
Order This: Southwest breakfast wrap
Why it’s great: This wrap meets the “ideal meal” goals of high fiber carb (beans, corn), healthy fat (avocado, chipotle crema), protein (beans, tofu) and antioxidants (tomato).
Order This: Ginger dressing salad. Sashimi of your choice. Sub brown rice.
Why it’s great: The anti-inflammatory properties in ginger are excellent for your health. The separation between fish and rice in sashimi allows you to better balance your carbohydrates and eat more fish than rice! Bonus: Kai allows for brown rice substitution
Order This: Lentil & Avocado Salad
Why it’s great: Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse. They are a fantastic source of fiber, vegetarian protein and minerals, including folate and iron. It is rare to find them on a takeout menu!
Second runner up: Zucchini noodle pad thai
Order This: Caesar salad
Why it’s great: This unique twist on a classic Caesar salad provides multiple sources of plant protein with millet croutons, almond parmesan and a cashew dressing.
Order This: Build your own bowl. Chopped kale base, salmon, avocado half, sweet potato hummus, pesto dressing
Why it’s great: This is a well balanced meal, protein and healthy fat from the salmon and avocado, carbohydrate from the sweet potato hummus. According to the provided nutrition data, this meal is lower in sodium than their average offering.
Order This: Tofu scramble
Why it’s great: This protein and veggie packed scramble is excellent for your heart. Soy and fiber are key ingredients in a diet for lower cholesterol.
Order This: Plenty of great options. Order a salad that only contains one source of starch, either sweet potatoes OR quinoa OR the side of bread.
Why it’s great: The huge variety in produce means you are getting a huge variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Order This: Fruit & cheese pack. Takeout salad.
Why it’s great: This is a fresh grab and go alternative on Washington Square!
Order This: Build a balanced meal using the buffet. Instead of rice, make cauliflower the base of your plate. Fill your plate first with 50% vegetables, then 25% protein, and starch can fill in the rest.
Why it’s great: This restaurant uses little extra oil. Buffets can be a very easy way to create a healthy balanced plate.
QUICK BITE: TRADER JOE’S OR WHOLE FOODS
Order This: Get a mix from the salad bar or quick ready-go snacks along the pre-prepared wall.
Why it’s great: You know what you are eating will always be fresh!
QUICK BITE: Sprouts
Order This: Pick out a variety of nuts and make your own trail mix to take on the run.
Why it’s great: Sprouts has MANY options!
QUICK BITE: WHOLE FOODS
Order This: Get a mix from the salad bar or quick ready-go snacks along the pre-prepared wall.
Why it’s great: You know what you are eating will always be fresh!
The Wawa Edition. Here are 5 suggestions of what to get at Wawa.
Order This: Egg breakfast bowl
Why it’s great: High protein egg breakfast without all the refined carb from a typical breakfast sandwich.
Order This: Hummus with pita rounds and a bag of baby carrots
Why it’s great: Each ingredient of this snack gives you filling and cholesterol lowering fiber.
Order This: Chicken salad snack tray
Why it’s great: High protein, easy to eat quickly!
Order This: Hard boiled eggs and apple slices
Why it’s great: This is a well rounded snack. The eggs offer you protein and fat, the apple slices offer carb, fiber and some hydration.
Order This: Roasted chicken hot bowl with bean base, ask for extra vegetables in the base.
Why it’s great: According to the wawa calorie calculator, this is a lower sodium option (compared to the other options), high fiber and high protein. It also contains a proper amount of carbohydrates for one meal (the other bases are higher and may leave you feeling tired).
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