I was flipping through an issue of Real Simple this evening at the gym and came across a blurb about Good Food Near You, a website that helps you locate healthy menu options at various eating establishments in your immediate vicinity.  I checked it out when I got home and think the site can help you eat smarter when you’re out and about in unfamiliar surroundings and in need of sustenance.

If you’re at work, driving in your car, or traveling for business or pleasure, dining options may be limited, making smart dining decisions difficult.  Enter your zip code, and Good Food Near You lists the lowest calorie item at 25 dining places near your location, including fast food and popular restaurants, and grocery and convenience stores. Select a search result to see the full nutrition information for that menu item, access a map to the location, and view the restaurant’s entire menu content. Search results can be sorted by distance, lowest calories, lowest carbohydrate, or lowest fat.  iPhone and Blackberry apps are available.

Features of Good Food Near You:
- Search for restaurant menu and food options near any U.S. location
- Auto-detect your location to use GPS to search for food near you
- Manually enter your zip code to search for food near you
- Search over 36,000 restaurant menu items
- Search over 250,000 U.S. restaurant locations
- Sort restaurant menus and food by lowest fat, lowest calories or lowest carbohydrates
- Select a menu item to bring up detailed nutritional information including sodium, fiber, protein, sugars and cholesterol
- Map the restaurant to locate good food near you

The concept of the website is great and could be even more useful if independently-owned cafes and restaurants can eventually submit nutritional data for their menu items as well.