Lessons on Eating Out

Appetizer

Enjoy dining out with loved ones and friends, but spend more time choosing your food. Hasty decisions, especially those made when your stomach is growling, are often bad ones.

Main Course

Most people find it relatively easy to eat right at home, but they quickly fall into old habits when it's time to eat out. However, most restaurants now have menu items or entire menus that cater to health-conscious diners. For those restaurants that haven't caught up with the times, you shouldn't feel guilty about making special requests. Here are some tips to help you when dining out:

- Entrees covered with sauces, as well as creamy dressing, thick soups and casseroles should be avoided because they are usually rich in fat.

- Avoid fried foods. Choose baked, broiled, boiled, roasted, steamed and grilled.

- Club soda, herbal tea, and decaffeinated coffee are good choices of beverages at a meal, as is a glass of ice water with a wedge of lemon or lime.

- Sourdough, whole-wheat, rye and French breads are lower in saturated fats than biscuits, white bread, and dinner roles.

- Salads are available almost everywhere. Order salads with reduced-calorie salad dressing.

- Ask to have sauces and gravies omitted, or "on the side".

- Look for items labeled "heart-healthy" on the menu

- Don’t be afraid to ask how a dish is prepared.

- Substitute low-fat choices (steamed vegetables for creamed sauces, baked potatoes for french fries, etc.).

- Avoid items described with terms like battered, creamed, au gratin, scalloped, breaded. Good terms include au jus, poached, steamed, baked, etc.

- Pizza: choose thin-crust, avoid meat toppings and get small amounts of cheese (if you pat the top of a pizza with a napkin, this will soak up a lot of extra fat).

- Pastas: good choices if accompanied by red marinara sauce or simple vegetables. Avoid cream sauces.

- Sandwiches: choose lean and not processed meat, get extra lettuce and tomato, and hold the mayo.

- Order the fresh fruit for dessert. If you HAVE to have that chocolate decadence (or whatever your hot button is), split it with a companion, and make sure you cut down somewhere else. Okay, I’m feeling sorry for you. Sometimes you simply cannot resist temptation . . . eat the whole thing, but feel very guilty (and make sure you cut down somewhere else).
© HeartPoint

Dessert

Eating out is a major part of my social DNA. My favorite first date is a nice dinner and great conversation. When my girlfriends from college are in town, I like to take them to my favorite restaurant. After a bad day, I swing by my local fav for a quick bite. After a good day, I swing by my fav for a quick bite. You get the picture.

If you're like me, and you can't see yourself limiting your out-of-home dining experiences, you don't have to feel bad. Don't make your social life suffer just because you're living a healthy lifestyle. Just make the decision that you're going to make smart choices and bring home a lot of doggie bags!