5 Healthy Diner Meals

Weighing the options

By Tina Haupert

I love diners and I eat out at them a lot! There's nothing like a hearty breakfast to get my day going. But traditional diner food—heavy omelets, greasy bacon, huge servings— gets a bad rap.

I take some time to consider the options on the menu, and find I can always manage to choose healthy-ish meals when I'm eating at a diner. These five diner meals seem indulgent but won't set you back in calories.

Egg and cheese sandwich on an English muffin

The diner egg sandwich is all about portion control. Because most egg sandwiches are made with one egg and a slice of cheese, it's tough to oversize them, meaning I consume fewer calories when I have one.

Ordering it on an English muffin rather than a roll or a bagel cuts down on some of the carbs. If it's available, I ask for the whole-wheat variety to add in some filling fiber. I usually order a fruit cup on the side to give volume to my meal.

Egg-white omelet with veggies

As long as it isn't supersized, an egg-white omelet made with lots of veggies is a great bet for a healthy diner meal. Usually, diner omelets are loaded with gooey cheese, so I ask for "light" cheese or nix it all together.

Two eggs with toast

Protein, fiber, and healthy carbs, all on one plate! This is a relatively low-calorie meal, as long as you hold the home fries. A big serving of greasy home fries easily adds 200 calories or more to my meal. So I give them to my husband, who is more than happy to eat my portion. I further reduce calories by asking for a poached egg and unbuttered toast.

Grilled cheese

Grilled bread and cheese doesn't usually equal too many calories. I make sure to ask for light butter on the bread so my sandwich isn't dripping in it. Another option is pairing half of a grilled cheese sandwich with a cup of soup. I pick a soup packed with veggies to help fill me up without adding many calories.

BLT

As long as it doesn't have a ton of bacon, a BLT sandwich is a relatively low-cal option for a healthy diner lunch. The sandwich is just bread, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I save a few calories by holding the mayo—and I don't even miss it! Or swap regular bacon for turkey bacon to cut down on fat.

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