Healthy Fast Food Guide | Olive Garden | Detailed

Overview

This establishment is not necessarily considered “fast food”, however, it seemed like a good addition to the list because of how popular the establishment is. Additionally, you can go horribly wrong with your nutrition if you don’t stick to certain items on the menu so I felt a need to include some guidance on the restaurant.

Recommendations

Option #1 — Salmon Piccata

A simple, healthy dish. The only tweak that would put this over the top would be removing the parmesan crust on the zucchini to remove the fried aspect.

1. Salmon — request without butter; improves bone & joint health, protects brain & nerves, and assists in cardiovascular health
2. Zucchini — request without Parmesan-crust to avoid the fried aspect, which will significantly increase the healthfulness of the side (not the end of the world if they can’t remove); improves digestion, manages diabetes, and lowers blood sugar levels

Option #2 — Herb-Grilled Salmon

A similar sentiment as the salmon piccata in healthfulness. Again, if we can remove the parmesan from the broccoli, this would bring the dish from a “good” rating to “best”.

1. Salmon — request without butter; improves bone & joint health, protects brain & nerves, and assists in cardiovascular health
2. Broccoli — request without parmesan (if possible, not the end of the world if they can’t); fights cancer, improves bone health, improved digestion, and detoxification

Option #3 — Zoodles Primavera

1. Add Sauteed Shrimp — fights aging, hair loss, and cardiovascular disease. Adding shrimp increases lean protein intake for the meal
2. Zucchini — improves digestion, manages diabetes, and lowers blood sugar levels
3. Broccoli — fights cancer, improves bone health, improved digestion, and detoxification
4. Carrots — regulates blood cholesterol, improves eye health, and lowers blood pressure
5. Tomato — improves heart health, fights cancer, and improves skin health
6. Red Peppers — improves immunity, eyesight, and metabolism
7. Mushrooms — lowers cholesterol, prevents diabetes, and improves bone health

Option #4 — Chicken Margherita

1. Grilled Chicken — this is a good option if you’re content with the empty calories from the bun; the bun is not a deal-breaker here because the rest of the components are healthy
2. Tomato — improves heart health, fights cancer, and improves skin health
3. Basil Pesto — most of the ingredients (e.g. basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts) are healthy, so this is a good addition to the meal in regards to taste and healthfulness
4. Zucchini — request without Parmesan-crust to avoid the fried aspect, which will significantly increase the healthfulness of the side (not the end of the world if they can’t remove); improves digestion, manages diabetes, and lowers blood sugar levels

More Useful Tools

Quick Guide — for when you’re on the go and/or need to know what the suggestions are without all the detail

Detailed Notes — consolidated notes for each fast-food establishment