Whether you’re celebrating, don’t have the time or energy to cook food at home, or are just craving a great meal, eating out at a restaurant is always a good idea (as long as your wallet can handle it). However, ordering the right meal is essential not only to the satisfaction of your taste buds, but also to your overall health. As it turns out, there are a few options health experts warn you may want to stay away from if you don’t want to put your wellbeing at risk—and some of them may surprise you.
To learn more about the meals you should avoid, we spoke to Steve Theunissen, RDN of Smart Fitness. According to him, ordering the daily special could send you down a surprisingly slippery slope—and the same goes for a few other options, too. Read on to learn why!
The Daily Special
While daily specials may sound like an excited opportunity to try something tasty that wouldn't typically be on the menu, Theunissen says there may be some ulterior motives behind these meals. "Don't order today's special," he says. "It’s the cheapest thing the chefs can toss together, from the stuff that didn’t sell over the last few days. Sauce it up to hide the age, serve it up, and it’s the easiest thing for the waiters because it’s already made." Yikes! We'd never thought about it that way before. This may not sound like the worst thing in the world, but he warns that it could lead to health consequences if you're not careful. According to Theunissen, "You’re more likely to get food poisoning from today’s special than anything else." Of course, this isn't the case for every restaurant, but it is a good idea to use your best judgement for the sake of your overall health.
Eggs Benedict
There's no denying that this popular brunch meal is delicious, but Theunissen tells us that the raw egg can be a health hazard—especially when you order it closer to lunchtime. "I never order eggs Benedict," he says. "That's a sauce made with raw egg, made first thing in the morning. And when you order your eggs Benedict at 11:30, it's been sitting there for many hours developing colonies of nasty bacteria. And if cream sits there at room temperature, it's a hazard!" So, while whipping up some homemade hollandaise for your own eggs Benedict may be a great option for Sunday brunch, it's probably not the best idea to order it at a restaurant where it may be less-than-fresh.
Items That Veer From The Restaurant's Cuisine
Have you ever ordered spaghetti at Mexican restaurant? If so, we're going to bet it wasn't the tastiest pasta you've ever had. Theunissen agrees that typically, you should stick to ordering meals that best suit the specialty of the restaurant. "Don't usually order seafood (past the shrimp cocktail appetizer) at a steakhouse; don’t order chicken Alfredo at a seafood restaurant," he says. "With some interesting exceptions, if you’re at a specifically ethnic or regional restaurant, don’t order items that are from elsewhere—think twice about that lasagna at the Japanese teppanyaki
parlor, or the sushi at the Ethiopian joint." Noted! While eating subpar cuisine may not be awful for your health, it can certainly put a damper on your dinner.
At the end of the day, of course, what you order when you're out to eat is up to you. However, if you want to avoid all health risks—or just enjoy the best meal possible—it's probably best to heed Theunissen's warnings and stick to the safe options.
