Avoiding the Pitfalls of Eating Out

Do you sometimes dread eating out, expecting that it will ruin your dieting progress? Or maybe it incurs feelings of guilt, when you think about what you’ve eaten. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are a few tips on how to make the best choices from the menu – and still have fun.

For some, eating out is quite rare, being restricted to a few occasions each year, such as birthdays or Christmas. In this instance, what you eat isn’t such a big deal. However, many people find that when they add up all of their business lunches, parties and restaurant visits, they are eating out almost as often as they eat at home. If this is the case, then it’s important to pick more carefully from the menu.

Making healthy food choices requires:

• Good understanding of nutrition – so that you know which meals are healthier, and lower in fat/salt/sugar.
• Planning – this means budgeting your calories during the day, so that you have more to spare at the restaurant.
• A little bit of compromise – between the foods you should eat, and those that aren’t so healthy.

It has been estimated that the average person, who goes to a restaurant, or someone else’s house, will eat in that one meal, at least a whole day’s normal calorie intake, and probably more.

Things you may need to ask yourself:

1. How is the food prepared? Choose foods that have been grilled, baked, poached, roasted, boiled, steamed, broiled, or ‘lightly’ stir-fried. If the menu doesn’t state the cooking method, ask your waiter/waitress.
2. Are the cuts of meat lean? Stick to cuts, such as shoulder, loin, round, leg, or extra-lean ground beef. Chicken or turkey are two of the leanest choices, and all fish and seafood are fabulous, as long as the cooking method is healthy.
3. What kind of sauces come with your meal? Avoid butter, cheese, hollandaise, and cream sauces. If you do decide to have one of these sauces, ask for it on the side, and have a smaller amount.
4. How can I balance out my meal? Remember the basics of healthy eating - largest portion vegetables/salad (50%), then carbohydrate (25%), smallest portion meat (25%). If you order pasta, balance this with a large salad, and skip the bread. If you like to go all out on dessert, order a lean grilled fish for main course, with a large portion of vegetables on the side.

A few other pointers:

1. Don’t give yourself a license to overeat, just because you’re at a restaurant – eat slowly and selectively, and stop when you feel full.
2. Consider what you will be eating/have eaten already, and choose something which will balance out your whole days eating.
3. Unless unavoidable, limit yourself to two courses.
4. Make one of your courses fruit and/or salad – e.g. a salad starter, or a fruit dessert.
5. Always include plenty of vegetables with your main course.

I’d love to hear from you, what are your tips on eating out?