When you choose to go out to eat, do you order the tastiest sounding meal and not worry about the calories? With all the greasy, fattening, high calorie, over-sized meals you can order, it is far too easy and convenient to make the wrong choices. When you go out to eat, you want to enjoy yourself, but if you don’t want to fatten yourself up, here are a few tips to make eating healthier easier while eating out.
It is always best to order salad dressings and other sauces on the side. This gives you the power over how much condiments or dressing is used.
Creamy sauces will have more calories and fat than tomato sauces. If you are wanting to order a pasta dish, it is smarter (calorie wise) to stick with dishes that use tomato sauces.
Grilled vegetables and fish do not need to be cooked with butter or oil. Ask for your grilled dishes to be without butter or oil.
Skip the soda, and alcohol, and just go with water. Not only does it have zero calories, it is also the best liquid you could possibly choose to drink, and it costs nothing. Water is a win-win all the way around.
Dessert may taste great, but it is often loaded with sugar and fat. Choose to share it with someone. Half of it will still taste just as good as the whole thing, and eating only half is a smarter choice.
You can always eat soup and a salad! Soups will often be a low calorie, yet still filling choice if they are not cream based.
Since dairy contains fat, ask to have salsa in the place of sour cream, butter, cheese, or bacon, when you order a baked potato.
This may seem like it shouldn’t have to be said, but many people ignore it. When you are full, stop eating! Many seem to think it is a contest to see how much they can eat. Don’t fall for that trap!
Don’t try to finish everything. Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. Since the feeling of fullness is delayed, eat slowly so you don’t overeat, and take the rest home!
A baked potato or steamed vegetables are smart options for sides. When you have the choice of sides, don’t choose french fries.
Don’t add butter as it will just add fat. Eat bread plain, and don’t use that extra butter they send you.
Order food that is either baked, grilled, boiled, poached, or steamed. These cooking methods do not use as much fat.
Order dishes that include vegetables or fruits. Vegetables and fruits are healthy and should be eaten often, so make sure you are getting some in your meal.
Whole grains are always better than processed grains. Choose whole grain bread over white bread, and brown rice over white rice.
Don’t ever associate eating the healthier choices as “depriving” yourself of the other, less than healthy options. While the fattier, more calorie rich food may taste amazing, eating less of it, or cutting it out is a positive choice. The word “depriving” indicates that what you are doing is negative, and that is absolutely not the case!
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