Meta: Afraid of what your dietician will say if they learned about your visit to Denny’s? Tell them you ordered the healthy dishes listed here, and they might not be too mad at you.
Let’s face some facts here, first. If you actually have a dietician or a nutritionist helping you out with your diet because you need it, then they’ll lay you some ground rules. And one of the ground rules will probably be this: Avoid going to a fast-food joint.
That’s just common sense. Despite the fancy PR work some fast-food brands might show off, the truth is that fast food is just bad for your health. The food generally comes with high levels of all the bad things: calories, sodium, saturated fat, and sugar. If you visit fast-food joints too often, your dietician will probably just quit in frustration.
But it’s also rather difficult to avoid going to places like Denny’s indefinitely. That’s really not sustainable. Sooner or later, you’re going to buckle under the temptation and visit the place, and then come up with a mighty fine Grand Slam you’d been dreaming about for breakfast. Check out the available food and prices (view menu here), and you get terrific fare for reasonable prices.
However, there’s a middle ground. You can still visit Denny’s every so often, and your dietician won’t be too angry at you. It all depends on what you actually order. And if you order the following, then the fallout won’t be too bad:
Fit Fare Wild Alaskan Salmon
First of all, it’s actually rather strange to find salmon at a diner (which is what Denny’s is, by the way). But lots of experts will approve of this dish. Salmon is one of the healthiest food choices available, as it comes with lots of important nutrients along with healthy omega-3s.
It’s also great if you want lots of protein in your diet for muscle-building, as you get a whopping 39g of protein from a single serving. The 330mg of sodium is actually quite low, too. The 550 calories are tolerable for those who are watching their weight, and the 15g of total fat (4g of saturated fat) aren’t bad either.
This is only a bad choice if you’re on a low carb diet, since it comes with 52g of carbs.
Fit Fare Veggie Skillet
In general, you don’t go wrong with vegetarian food if you want some healthy meals. This option comes with seasoned red-skinned potatoes, along with fire-roasted onions and peppers. Then you also have broccoli and mushrooms, topped with the scrambled combination of 2 egg whites, spinach, and grape tomatoes. Served with a side of salsa, it’s just delicious.
Even without lots of meat, you still get 21g of protein mainly from the eggs. It’s great for calorie counters, since it only contains 370 calories along with just 16g of fat. You also get 7g of fiber that makes you feel full so you don’t yearn for a snack too quickly afterwards.
The downside here is the sodium level, though. With 1,230mg of sodium, you’ll have to really go with low-salt options for the rest of the day if you have high blood pressure issues.
Build Your Own Grand Slam
Or more precisely, your dietician won’t get angry if you pick the following options for breakfast: 2 pieces of wheat toast, 2 whole fried eggs, seasonal fruit, and yogurt.
This is a great option when you tend to feel hungry in the mornings, but the 585 calories shouldn’t bust your low-cal diet all that much. It also gives you a nice combination of the crucial nutrients you need, including your protein, carbs, and fat.
The taste is also great, which is often not the case for diet-approved food items. It’s sweet and savory, and you get a nice burst of energy to start your morning.
(Adjusted) Fit Slam
The standard Fit Slam gives you a scrambled combination of egg whites, fresh spinach, and grape tomatoes, with 2 strips of smoked chicken, an English muffin, and some seasonal fruit.
But you can replace the egg white with whole eggs so you can enjoy the crucial vitamins and minerals that come from the egg yolks. You also need to specify that you prefer the gluten-free English muffin.
The Fit Slam (or at least this version) only comes with 420 calories. It also offers 27g of protein to reduce your food cravings for the rest of the day. With only 11g of fat, it’s a winner, though the 850mg of sodium may be a bit on the high side.
This isn’t a low-carb option, however. It violates keto principles as it comes with 56g of carbs and 21g of sugar.
There you go. Order any of these dishes, and you feel full, you’ll like the taste, and you won’t get your dietician too angry!
