ables from reclaimed wood and napkins from
unwanted fabric. LED lightbulbs and frying oil turned
into biodiesel. Locally sourced everything. To help you
look under the hood before you dine somewhere, this
section recommends ways to pick the healthiest, most envi-
ronmentally responsible, most socially conscious restaurants.
Throughout Part 4, keep in mind that by restaurant, I mean
anywhere you eat away from home, where the food is made by
professionals. Restaurants worth investigating are those you
patronize most frequently—the twice-a-week sandwich spot
on your lunch break, the delivery pizza place for Friday fam-
ily movie night, the coffee shop where you stop on autopilot
each afternoon. Or maybe you work in an academic, health
care, or corporate setting where selecting food from a cafete-
ria is a regular part of your day. Whether it’s a slice of pizza at
the Costco checkout area, a breakfast sandwich at the Arby’s
drive-thru, a casual weekend lunch at Panera, or a splurge din-
ner somewhere special, we now spend more money at bars and
restaurants than on foods from the grocery store. In 2015, we
hit this milestone for the first time in American history. So,
it’s not enough to make conscious food decisions about the
items in your grocery basket. This final section of the book
can help you make conscious choices when dining out: helping
you select where to go in the first place to support your own
well-being and that of your family, as well as the environment,
animals, and restaurant workforce.
In an average day in America, about a third of kids and
adults eat at a fast food place. The official term is limited service
restaurant, meaning you order and pay before you eat, in an
environment that may or may not have tables, where you can
take it to go or have it delivered. These include both fast food
and fast casual restaurants. The latter are characterized by224 how to be a Conscious EaterConscious Eater_04 PT_4th patches.indd 224 10/23/19 1:38 PM