Smoke
-
filled casinos, street performers and shows, cocktails, sleepless nights, bright lights, pastries and desserts...this is what Vegas is all about, right? Well, maybe everything except for the junk food...even when you're on a trip to Sin City,
you still have to exercise moderation
(and maybe mix in some moderate exercise too, if you can). We'll be honest...
we indulged a bit
, but we
wanted to keep our diet on track so that we didn't feel miserable when we got home
. We hiked 30 miles in beautiful southern Utah for 2 days after Vegas, so we were okay with having a treat.
Vegas is the perfect place to get your diet off track but there are plenty of healthy options in and around the strip and we've done the leg work for you...here is a brief list of restaurants that we found to have plenty of healthy options (we've thrown in a couple examples for each):
Note - cost of entrees rated at $ for $5-$15; $$ for $15-$20; $$$ for $20 to $25; and $$$$ for $25+
Canyon Ranch Grill (The Palazzo Hotel)
Breakfast and Lunch (open 7 AM to 4 PM)
Cost - $ (some lunch options are $$)
See
Examples:
Breakfast
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egg white omelettes with very clean "toppings" like veggies, chicken sausage, organic cheese; organic steel-cut oatmeal; homemade granola, fresh fruit; vegan option
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tofu scramble
Lunch
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Mongolian BBQ salmon; vegetable stir-fry with choice of protein (chicken, grass-fed beef, organic shrimp, organic salmon, tofu); southwest chipotle chicken sandwich; spinach arugula fig salad (choice of protein)
Note: Most dishes are gluten-free and most ingredients are organic. You can order accompaniments like organic peanut or cashew butter and low-fat organic cottage cheese.
Review (pic below): We ate breakfast and both ordered the egg white omelette with fresh fruit and a side of organic cashew butter. Our meals were delicious...very fresh and great service!
Grand Lux Cafe (The Venetian - located right beside the casino floor)
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (open 24 hours - get there early for breakfast...there was a wait at 7:30 AM)
Cost - $$
See
(this menu is HUGE, so you should be able to find something here)
Examples:
Breakfast
-
protein breakfast (scrambled egg whites, chicken breast, asparagus, tomatoes, and mushrooms); steel-cut oatmeal (be careful with the brown sugar!); express breakfast (buffet options like omelettes, steel-cut oats, fresh fruit, eggs, and other breakfast foods that aren't so clean)
Lunch/Dinner
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chopped salad with chicken, Sonoma salad (with chicken), seared Ahi tuna, grilled chicken and avocado salad, cedar plank salmon, pan roasted chicken breast, ground chicken breast burger
Note: Check your receipt, it may come with a survey! We got a $10 gift card (for completing the survey) from dinner that we used on lunch the next day!
Review: We ate lunch and dinner here. The first night we ordered the protein breakfast and it was quite tasty...the asparagus was a little heavy on the olive oil, but still tasted great! When we ate lunch we had grilled chicken salads and both were very good. Decent service...a little slow on food prep, but nothing unusual.
Chipotle (located between Casino Royale and Harrah's, across from the Mirage)
Lunch and Dinner (open 11 AM to 12 AM)
Cost - $
See
...in case you've been living under a rock for the last 5 years!
Examples:
Lunch/Dinner
-
burrito bowl, burritos, tacos
Note: We like to order the burrito bowl with black beans and chicken...we usually add lettuce, salsa and cilantro.
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (located inside Flamingo Hotel & Casino, on east side of strip)
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (open 8 AM to 2 AM)
Cost - $$
See
Examples:
Lunch/Dinner
-
Caribbean chicken salad (no ranch, ask for oil & vinegar), house sirloin (no butter, ask for double veggies instead of mashed potatoes), jerk salmon (not the cleanest option in this post, but it's Vegas, right?)
Review: We both ordered the Caribbean chicken salad and it was pretty good. Fun atmosphere and good service...plus, there are a TONS of options that should satisfy the pickiest of eaters.
Peppermill Restaurant and Cafe (south of Circus Circus, on east side of strip)
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cost - $$$
See
Examples:
Lunch/Dinner
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gourmet chicken salad, southwest chicken salad (hold the tortilla strips), southwestern beef kabobs, salmon filet
Note: We did not eat here...we liked the restaurants in our hotel too much!
This is just a brief list of options, but almost every single restaurant will be able to serve you a salad and a chicken breast. Don't worry about sounding picky...it's your body and you've worked very hard to get the results you've been looking for...why sacrifice it because you're worried about someone judging how you order? As we said above, it's easy to fall for the lures of all the treats and indulgences in Vegas, but
you have to consume those treats in moderation
. Maybe that means one dessert per day, a pastry for breakfast or a couple of drinks each night (just don't binge drink
-
you're not in college anymore!)...chances are you'll be doing plenty of walking up and down the strip, so you'll need the energy.
Our recommendation?
Bring a bag of almonds or walnuts and maybe a couple protein bars with you to keep you satisfied. Also, drink plenty of water (shoot for at least 70 ounces per day or 4 regular size bottles of water), especially if you're drinking.
Remember
- WHAT YOU EAT IN VEGAS, DOESN'T STAY IN VEGAS!
Read more about our trip to Vegas & the Olympia Expo
!
Have a safe trip and keep it clean!
-
Scott & Whitney