Home and FamilyHow to Eat Healthy While Dining Out
Steer Clear of Buffet Style Restaurants: Since buffet style restaurants offer you an unlimited amount of food, the result is often major overeating. You feel the need to not only get your money’s worth, but also to sample everything that catches your eye. Buffets often have high fat foods such as cream-based salads and fried foods, which are quite tempting and appealing to the palate. Avoid putting yourself in a buffet line, and stick with ordering a portioned meal instead.
Pay Attention to How things are Cooked: You can learn a lot about what a dish will do to your waistline by knowing how it was cooked. Food items that are fried are always going to be higher in fat and calories, and should be avoided. Order foods that have been baked, steamed, broiled or roasted, and your waist will thank you.
Watch Out For Creamy Dressings: When you are ordering watch out for cream based dressings. Alfredo, ranch, and thousand island are all culprits when it comes to fat and calorie saturation. If the dish that you wish to order contains a creamy dressing, ask your waiter for another option, or order the dressing on the side and eat a small portion of it.
Control Portion Size: Most restaurant meals are two or more times larger than a typical meal we would eat at home. This means that you end up eating calories that you really don’t need. Ask your waiter for a to go box when you order your food and fill it with half of your meal as soon as you get it. This will keep you from eating more than you should, and you have lunch ready for tomorrow!
Eat Vegetables: Order meals that contain fresh vegetables or salad rather than carbohydrate filled rice or pasta. Vegetables are healthier for you and will fill you up with fiber and vitamins rather than carbohydrates or fat.
Share Dessert: Nothing tops off a great meal quite like a sweet dessert. Instead of throwing caution to the wind and downing the New York cheesecake yourself, share it with your significant other! This cuts out half of the calories, but leaves you with just as much enjoyment.
You are now ready to brave the world of daily specials and white tablecloths with ease as you order healthy meals without guilt! Have a great dinner!