Depending on the type of diet your following, when it comes to eating out it can be a tough decision to make. Because restaurants don’t typically show nutritional food values, making the right healthy food choices whilst eating out can be hard.
Eating out for most of us has become part of our social lives and with a little understanding of how to eat out and make healthy food choices, could see this experience something to look forward to.
Taken from the “Yahoo Singapore News” here are some tips to follow
Tip# 1 Make Healthy Food Choices – Research Menus In Advance
Some restaurants have made their menus available online. If the restaurant you are visiting has done so, spend some time looking through it to determine which dishes fit in best with your diet goals.
Doing this beforehand will save time while you are at the restaurant with others, and more importantly, gives you the chance to request if the restaurant can make small changes to the food. Small changes such as substituting a creamy sauce for a light vinaigrette can go a long way in making the dish that much healthier. Do not hesitate to ask for substitutes that are healthy — as the customer, you hold control over what you eat.
Another customisation you can request for is for the salad dressing to be served separately, and not drizzled over the salad. This way, you can selectively dip your salad into the dressing, ultimately consuming much less dressing.
If you don’t quite understand the menu, ask your waiters to explain how the food is cooked, don’t just assume, as sometimes it’s the simple dishes that have many hidden calories. Always choose grilled, poached or plain foods, if you like to have a dish with sauces choose tomato based ones over cheesy ones.
When you find a good restaurant that you enjoy going to and go to often you can ask the Chef to do specially prepared meals for you, if you ask in advanced, this way you will know that its been cooked per your instructions.
Tip#2 Observe Portion Sizes
Several restaurants serve portions that are more than enough for one person. Do not feel obliged to clear your plate. As an alternative to wasting food, you can request for the remainder of your meal to be packed up, or for half to be packed even before the meal is served. Another idea for controlling your portion is to order healthy appetizers as the main course.
In addition, keep track of how many calories you are consuming, including things that come on the side, like dips and drinks. If you are zealous about keeping track of everything you put into your mouth, you are less likely to overeat.
Don’t be afraid to share a starter or dessert with a friend, this way you won’t feel obligated to finish what’s on your plate and your also halving the calories. This works well if there is something on the menu that you desperately wants but knows that eating a full portion will do no good to your waistline.
Tip#3 Choose Your Restaurant Based On The Types Of Food Served
It’s sensible to choose a restaurant based on the type of food they serve. This way you will be less likely to order something from the menu that will damage your weight loss efforts.
Restaurants that specialise in grilled foods and fresh salads are always good choices compared to fast food places.
Additionally, try to avoid buffet-style restaurants as much as possible. Such situations make it easier to overeat, as you try to get the most out of the money you pay. If a buffet is unavoidable, drink plenty of healthy, fresh liquids and stick to eating salads and vegetables. It may help to set limits before going into the restaurant, such as “I will only eat two small plates of food” or “I can only have one small dessert.” The original article is posted here.
Eating out should be an enjoyable experience and one that you look forward to. Arm with the right know–how you can still eat out and make healthy food choices and still lose weight.
It’s all about doing a little research before hand. And don’t forget to ask friends and family for their recommendation on a good healthy restaurant, you might be pleasantly surprise on their answers.
Do you have a favourite healthy restaurant worth sharing? Please leave your comments in the section below.
No comments yet.