So you’ve decided to eat healthier. More power to you! But as the weeks go by, your resolve could crack. Although you may aim to pack a lunch every day, for the sake of both your waistline and your budget, you may not have time-yet again. And then you’re in the food court, famished. Is your resolution over before it even begins?

Happily, there is such a thing as healthy fast food. The Straight got the scoop from two dietitians on how to win the food-court battle and scoped out some tasty mall options.

While big meal deals may tug at your wallet, Rosie Dhaliwal advises restraint. “You want to downsize it,” the registered dietitian says on the line from SFU, where she works for Health and Counselling Services. “Larger-sized meals are marketed as good value, but look at what you’re eating.” You can always save some for the next day.

To ensure that you’re fuelled with energy on smaller portions, “make sure you have a balanced lunch,” Dhaliwal says. Salad bars are a great choice (just avoid the fatty extras like creamy dressings) but aim for three of the four food groups, not just veggies. Add some chickpeas for protein, a sprinkling of cheese for dairy, and a whole-grain bun. “Grains are a primary source of energy,” she explains, and without them you’ll be hungry again. Other healthy options? For sushi, “choose the rolls that don’t include tempura or deep-fried items,” Dhaliwal says. “Teriyaki and sukiyaki are also wise choices.”

Stephanie Bertani, a registered dietitian with Dial-A-Dietitian, offers scores of choose-this-not-that advice by phone. (For a rundown, call the service free at 604-732-9191.) Most is commonsense, such as opting for steamed or stir-fried items at a Chinese outlet, rather than battered and fried delights.

Surprisingly, Bertani says that burgers aren’t necessarily bad. “Having a small grilled hamburger is a fairly healthy choice,” she says. “What makes it unhealthy is the portion size and the added toppings.” And of course, the fries and calorie-packed pop.

Even with healthy, balanced meals, “You can have too much of a good thing,” she says. Familiarize yourself with Canada’s Food Guide portion sizes.

Assessing portions is easy at Licious Living, a grab-and-go outlet in Bentall Centre (411–Bentall IV, 1055 Dunsmuir Street). The store’s coolers are stocked with packaged fresh meals such as wild salmon and snow-pea salad, and reheatable entrées like a Thai chicken curry bowl and chicken penne with goat cheese.

On the line from the store, Deanna Embury (co-owner of the company, along with Katie Rodgers) says that Licious employs a nutritionist and all meals are planned using Canada’s Food Guide. “Everything is a balanced meal,” she asserts. “The nutritional information is right on the label.”¦We let people know exactly what they’re eating.” Licious sources locally whenever possible and everything is prepared fresh off-site daily. All regular-sized entrées and salads have 400 to 500 calories (and portions aren’t skimpy).

At Oakridge Centre’s food fair (650 West 41st Avenue), Ben Côté’s cute Lunchbox kiosk also stands out from the crowd. From his Railtown facility, Côté—who also helms Cassis Bistro—supplies Lunchbox with braised stews, curries such as Bombay butter chicken, and soups like curried butternut squash. He also supplies a second Lunchbox at 100–395 Railway Street and makes 30-odd soups and stews for all of the Soup Etc! franchises.

“It’s all fresh. It’s 100-percent fresh,” Côté says, explaining why his fast food is unique. For example, he makes chicken noodle soup from scratch, not with a frozen base, using chickens he roasts himself and fresh herbs. He cooks many stews sous vide (a slow, vacuum-cooking method) to retain nutrients. Although he says Lunchbox is “not a health-food place”, Côté is working on providing nutritional information, and uses whole, local—and, as much as possible, organic—foods. “When it has good ingredients and is cooked with integrity, it becomes a healthy meal,” he says.

At $6.99 for a free-range Bombay butter chicken wrap and $8.49 for a braised beef with red wine and porcini mushrooms bowl, Lunchbox’s meals aren’t cheap. At Licious Living, most sandwiches are $6.99 and entrées $9.99.

There’s the rub: good, healthy, whole food usually costs more.

But dietitians Dhaliwal and Bertani say you don’t have to choose your money or your health. If packing a lunch every day isn’t realistic, aim to bring part and buy part. For example, Bertani says you can buy a small grilled hamburger and supplement it with yogurt or a carton of milk and a piece of fruit from home. Dhaliwal advises snacking on carrot sticks, a handful of nuts, or fruit in the morning to give you the strength to stare down that sweet-and-sour-pork combo at lunch.

That’s good advice for anyone trying to balance their diet with their debt.