sxc.hu: thornsa

Eating away from home is a challenge — no doubt about it.

You may even do fairly well when you’re eating at home. But, when you have to eat away from home it can be difficult to get it right.

Many of the foods you’ll find in restaurants and take aways are high in calories, sugar, saturated fat, and more than likely, a combination of all of these.

Thankfully, with a few simple strategies in your weaponry, you’ll be able to choose healthy food away from home, minus the challenge!

Here are 4 important things to remember when eating out:

1. Guard the sauce selection carefully
One of the biggest factors, pushing up the fat and calorie content of your meals away from home, is the sauces available.

Any cream based sauces are guaranteed to pack in more fat and calories than you bargained for. But, not only these, some tomato based sauces can contain high amounts of olive oil, and therefore lots of calories.

Regardless of which sauce you choose, always ask for less, or if applicable, have them put it on the side of your plate.

2. When in doubt, go with mostly raw
Chefs love to cook with butter, and it’s no wonder, it tastes fab! But alas, it can really load the calories into your meal.

Sometimes you may even think you’ve ordered a dish that is relatively light and low in fat, however if your chef is heavy handed with the butter, you’re taking in way more calories than you realise.

One way to get around this is to order dishes that contain mostly raw food. Obviously your meat won’t usually be raw. But, if you go with mostly salads (perhaps with some fish), over cooked meals, you’ll easily reduce your chance of taking in so much added fats.

Then, all you need to do is go for an olive oil based salad dressing, and ask for it on the side — then you’re all set.

3. Beware of your beverages
Beverages are a huge culprit in pushing your calorie limit over the edge when eating out.

Most beverages can be anywhere from a couple hundred, to 500+ calories. It’s almost like adding anther meal to your day — but without the nutrients you’d get from real food — so you can clearly see why this is such a huge problem.

Instead, go with water, filtered coffee, or tea. These are really the only beverages you can trust to be healthy when eating out.

4. Order the smallest size available
When looking at the menu, be sure you’re ordering the smallest size dish available. Most restaurant meals come in portion sizes that are enough to feed a whole family, and are simply not needed in a single sitting.

I can remember the last time my husband and I visited America. He ordered a starter salad, thinking it would be a good light option. Phew, it was huge… I can’t imagine how big the main course would have been!

If the restaurant you are eating at serve only large sizes, ask for half to go before the meal gets to the table. This will really limit how much you’re able to eat, and go a long way towards keeping your total calorie level in check.

These are very basic tips I know, but I think it’s a good place to begin.

Can you see that with a little smart planning, it’s completely possible to order something that fits in with your current eating plan, and overall weight loss goals?

What are your healthy eating out tips?