| Eating
out and eating well can be hard for some people. Below are a few tips
to assist you in making healthy choices when you are in someone else's
kitchen.
Plan Ahead
- Prepare to eat healthy. Tell yourself that you will make healthy
choices.
- If you are going to a new restaurant, call before and ask about
healthy choices they have. If they are not sure of the nutritional
contents, ask how they prepare their food.
- Know what you plan to order before you go.
- Plan to eat regularly scheduled meals and budget more calories
for your meal out.
- Eat a healthy snack before going out to eat to prevent over-eating
at the meal.
Look and Ask
At the restaurant carefully review the menu. Many restaurants include
nutritional information as well as mark items "healthy choices".
Sometimes something marked as a healthy choice may be less healthy
than a menu item not marked as such. Words
that point to healthier fare include broiled, flank, grilled, marinara,
poached, pico de gallo, roasted, steamed, teriyaki, tomato sauce.
Words to avoid are alfredo, au gratin, battered, buttered, creamy,
crispy, fried, pesto, prime, scalloped, tempura.
Ask your server how each item is cooked and ask them to broil or
bake your food. Also ask for fresh fruits and vegetables instead
of fries or potatoes. It’s always good to ask
how big the portion sizes are. If portion
sizes are large, ask for a take-out container when your meal is
brought out. Place half of the food in the container to take home.
What to look for at Different Restaurants
| Steakhouse |
Choose charbroiled
or grilled lean meats such as London Broil, flank, round steak.
Order a baked potato (limit the butter and sour cream) and fresh
vegetables. Order medium or small portions of the meat, 3-6
ounces. Avoid fried foods. |
| Seafood
|
Choose baked or broiled
items and cocktail sauce instead of tartar sauce. Avoid fried
items (including hush puppies). |
| Italian |
Choose tomato based
sauces, Canadian bacon or vegetable pizza and plain breadsticks.
Ask for dressing on the side. Avoid cream and cheese sauces
(alfredo), and limit amount of olives, red meats (sausage, pepperoni
hamburger,etc.), and cheese. |
| Oriental |
Choose stir-fry or
steamed vegetables as well as no MSG items. Choose steamed brown
rice. Avoid stir-fried rice, fried won-ton chips and egg rolls. |
| Mexican |
Choose pico de gallo
rather than guacamole and sour cream. Choose picante over cheese
sauces. Rice and beans are a great choice for protein. Avoid
the chips that welcome you to the table and other fried items
such as enchiladas. |
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