When you're faced with a menu with a huge selection of pizzas and pastas, there are still meals that will leave you full without the excessive amounts of sodium and fat.
Boston Pizza, the (confusingly named) Canadian pizza chain with locations across the country, has an impressive selection of menu items from burgers to sandwiches and of course, pizza. And while many of the entrees weight in at over 1,000 calories (along with their sodium content), there are still options with decent nutritional value.
What we did learn about the restaurant's offerings is that they cater to people with allergies (there is a gluten-free menu) and dietary restrictions (vegetarian options are available). However, some of the gluten-free pasta dishes, for example, have over 1,100 calories and over 2,400 mgs of sodium — which suggests you are better off eating fish or rib items.
But the most important thing to remember while eating out, one dietitian says, is to figure out how hungry you really are.
"I practice intuitive eating, which means checking in with hunger level before a meal and their fullness sensation throughout the meal," says Kasia Tupta, a registered dietitian based in Toronto. "I do not recommend counting calories, just eating until comfortably satisfied, not too much, not too little. Learning to trust the body how to do this is key."
We asked dietitians this week to pick out what they would consider a balanced and healthy meal at the restaurant chain. Choices range from full servings of salads, whole wheat pasta and even a thin crust pizza. What do you order at BP when you're trying to stay healthy? Let us know in the comments below:
In our series The Dietitian Dish, we ask Canadian dietitians what they would recommend as breakfast, lunch or dinner options at specific fast food and chain restaurants in the country. Please note, none of the dietitians below are associated with the restaurants we choose, and the restaurants are not paying us to dissect their food. Which restaurant would you like to see us tackle next? Shoot us an email at CanadaLiving@huffingtonpost.com or let us know in the comments below.
