A lot of Restaurants are well known for sneaking in unhealthy ingredients and some of us think that the only way to maintain a healthy diet is to avoid eating out altogether.   Another well known thought is that you can only eat at restaurants that are geared solely towards maintaining health.   These things are simply just not the truth.

The truth is that with a bit of careful research and forward planning, you can enjoy eating out at various places from fast food outlets up to the finest restaurants and still maintain a healthy diet.

Here are some important tips to bear in mind as you continue to enjoy eating out:

 1. Look for the light options on the menu.   Not all restaurants will offer such options, but a growing number of chain restaurants are promoting light alternatives without much searching.   You may even find light options marked on the menu.   You’ll soon find that light doesn’t always mean you’ll be giving up flavor, so go ahead and try the healthy alternative.

 2. Take half your dinner home.   Meals are being served in larger and larger portions all the time. Sometimes your meal won’t be unhealthy, but the size of your portion will be.  In an effort to avoid overeating and maintain a healthy diet simply ask your restaurant staff to serve you half the meal and box up the other half for you to take home with you.

3. Grilling is Great!   One way to eat smart is to opt for your food to be grilled instead of fried.  Fried foods have so many additional calories and fat. Grilled chicken or fish make great choices because they’re lean proteins and packed full of flavor so you stay on a healthy diet regime.

 4. Avoid drinking extra calories, if you are trying to stay healthy.   If you’re watching those calories, they add up very quickly once you add alcohol.  Drinking soda products or alcoholic beverages while you’re dining out can ruin a healthy diet and eating plan very easily.

 * Choosing water as an alternative is a wise move and then you’ll only need to worry about the calorie content of your meal.

 5. Be salad wise. You can choose a salad as your main dish as a way to lessen your calorie intake. You’ll probably find that there are bigger salads on the menu, which can be very satisfying, beyond the house or side salad. Many of them contain a bigger vegetable variety or meat such as chicken, beef or prawns.


 Ask them to serve your salad dressing on the side rather than on the salad.  That way you control the amount of dressing you put on your salad.    Remember, a little bit can go a long way. Avoid the creamy dressings. That’s the fatty stuff!

 6. Appetizers can make the meal. Most restaurants serve tasty appetizers, so you can order one of these as your main dish. If that’s not enough food, you might want to order two appetizers. Many times two appetizers will still be less food than a main course selection and be very satisfying and can help you maintain a healthy diet.

 7. Choose healthy sauces.  Be aware of the sauce in the dish of your choosing.   If you’re eating Italian always choose an option with a tomato-based sauce. This will provide you with a bigger benefit than a much richer cream based alternative. This is also the case when it comes to choosing your soups; avoid the cream based ones wherever possible.

 8. Include fruits and veggies with every meal.   They are an important part of a healthy diet for everyone,  so you should continue to seek them out when you’re making your selections at a restaurant. Steamed vegetables can be a great side dish, and fruits can likely be ordered in place of a dessert item.   Often they are served very differently, therefore making them a treat to eat!

 If you find along the way you need some guidance, I recommend you go to STRIP THAT FAT website and take a look at their product offering, it may be just what you need!

Keep in the mind the same healthy information you use when cooking at home to order your meals while you’re out.   Don’t be afraid to indulge yourself occasionally, but maintain an awareness of a healthy diet and portion size and your healthy eating plan with be full of success.

By MaryAnn Roche

www.completepersonaldevelopment.com

This entry was posted on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 8:33 pm and is filed under Body Image, Healthy Eating/Weight Issues, Personal Development Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.