Dining out with family or friends can be a fun, memorable experience. However, it can also lead to bad eating habits that may cause negative health consequences down the line.
Consuming unhealthy foods and beverages can lead to weight gain, obesity, and possibly an increased risk for certain cancers. While restaurant food looks, smells, and tastes great, proper nutrition can often fall by the wayside.
Many menus feature entrées with rich sauces and salads with creamy dressings but offer few whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
The next time you go out to eat, consider these tips for eating healthy to help you make nutritious food choices at restaurants.
Plan to make healthier food choices
When you plan for a meal, better decisions are made. Almost all restaurants now have their menus online. Some even have nutrition information for their items and tips for eating healthy.
Before heading to the restaurant, take a look at the menu. Learn what the healthier food choices are and decide ahead of time so you are confident in the restaurant.
If you don’t want to eat something exceptionally healthy, planning ahead also gives you more time for physical activity.
Balance the additional calories with exercise. One easy way to do this is by parking 10 or 15 minutes away from the restaurant to add in an easy walk. You can even take a stroll afterwards to help your digestion.
Don’t be afraid to ask for substitutes
I sometimes substitute the fries for double the vegetables and they are more than happy to oblige.
Also, ask for olive oil and lemon in place of dressing when ordering a salad. Commercially manufactured dressings have inflammatory ingredients like excessive salt, sugar and synthetic ingredients.
Choose a healthy appetisers
It’s easy to consume a lot of calories when you start with an appetiser. Many are fried and or come with creamy dips. This starts the meal in the wrong direction. Your body will crave more fat, salt, and sugar.
Skip drinks with added sugar
Drink water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages such as juice, iced tea, milkshakes, or lemonade. Try sparkling lemon or lime wedges. If you drink alcohol, limit it to one or two drinks for the day.
Beware of your environment
Lastly, this is a big one! Just because you are eating at a restaurant it doesn’t mean you have to try everything on the menu. Just because you are meeting friends it doesn’t mean you have to lose control.
A better way to eat out is that it provides more choices. I bet your local restaurant has far more choice than your freezer. Use eating out to try healthy options that you don’t buy in the supermarket.