How’s that new regimen going? If you’ve made it this far, we’re here to help you sustain your resolution for the new year for at least a little while longer. Those home-cooked nutritious meals are a good step, but sooner or later you’ll be going back to a restaurant. And that’s where things get thorny. There’s so much to tempt you — the fried chicken, the fully stocked bar — that it’s easy to fall back into bad habits.
Here’s good news. The days of the “punishment dish” at restaurants may be over. You know the punishment dish: It’s that dire entree offered to dieting patrons. In the old days, it was a hamburger patty and cottage cheese. In more recent times, it was a tasteless chicken breast served with steamed broccoli. No wonder no one ever stayed on a regimen.
Thanks in part to a general movement toward a diet based on whole foods, restaurants have gotten much better at this. We’ve rounded up 10 healthful (and delicious) dishes you can order in Baltimore restaurants, and had registered dietitian Jodie Shield break down their nutritional content. They are all prepared from fresh ingredients by professional chefs. And they’re all dishes that look and taste special.–Richard Gorelick
If you know of other healthy Baltimore-area dishes, tell us about them in the comments field below.