Eating Healthy at IHOP

From SparkPeople’s Editors

Since the first A-frame restaurant opened in California, the International House of Pancakes has been an American favorite for generations. Although the restaurant construction style and name have been updated, you can still get the same delectable stack of pancakes when you visit one of their 1,400 restaurants across the U.S.

At under 600 calories per dish, IHOP's "Simple & Fit" menu options can help you meet your nutritional goals. You can also use these tips to tweak the nutritional stats of any dish on the menu:

• Hold the butter or whipped topping
  
  
• Substitute turkey bacon instead of regular bacon
  
  
• Ask for sugar-free syrup
  
  
• Ask for egg substitute
  
  
• Hold the cheese or ask for less
  
  
• Choose diet soft drinks
  
  
• Ask for dressings and sauces on the side

If you are looking for breakfast options there are several Simple & Fit options. The two best Omelette options would be the Simple & Fit Spinach, Mushroom & Tomato Omelette with fresh fruit (330 cal; 12 g fat; 690 mg sodium) or the Simple & Fit Veggie Omelette with fresh fruit (320 cal; 10 g fat; 420 mg sodium). Good breakfast combination options would be Simple & Fit Two-Egg Breakfast (350 cal; 8 g fat; 710 mg sodium), Simple & Fit Two x Two x Two (400 cal; 12 g fat; 1,450 mg sodium), or a bowl of Simple & Fit Oatmeal (290 cal; 4.5 g fat; 25 mg sodium).

For lunch or dinner, consider the Simple & Fit Simply Chicken Sandwich with Fresh Fruit (500 cal; 10 g fat; 840 mg sodium). Two better hearty entree options would be Simple & Fit Grilled Tilapia (490 cal; 23 g fat; 1,270 mg sodium) or Simple & Fit Grilled Balsamic-Glazed Chicken (440 cal; 22 g fat; 940 mg sodium). Pair one of them with a healthy side such as the Minestrone Soup (170 cal; 2 g fat; 1,290 mg sodium), Chicken Noodle Soup (170 cal; 5 g fat; 1,110 mg sodium), or House Salad (90 cal; 3 g fat; 170 mg sodium) with Reduced-Fat Italian dressing (15 cal; 1 g fat; 105 mg sodium).

You can find complete nutrition information on the IHOP website.