Thursday, March 19, 2009

Dining out Tips


Tired of leaving a restaurant and feeling like you've just wasted your entire week at the gym? If you follow my tips, you will still enjoy your dining experience out and feel great when you leave.

  1. Order from the appetizer menu and order a side salad. Ask them to put the dressing on the side.
  2. Drink a glass of milk, water, or have a serving of low-fat/fat free yogurt before you leave the house to go to the restaurant.
  3. Ask for a doggy bag at the beginning of the meal. Cut your portion in half and take it home. Being a part of the clean your plate club is over rated.
  4. Share an entree with a friend.
  5. Always ask for your poultry to be cooked the following ways: steamed, poached, roasted, broiled, boiled, grilled, or baked.
  6. If you are a beef eater, choose lean cuts like flank or loin.
  7. Ask for your side entrees to be broiled or roasted instead of fried.
  8. Beware of the buzz words creamy, buttered, au-gratin, breaded, alfredo, battered, or gravy. These pack a heavy punch in calories.
  9. If you must have the 3 layered chocolate cake, ask for extra spoons so your friends can help you out.
  10. Drink lots of water during your meal.
  11. Avoid the bread bowl on the table. If you must, moderation is key!
  12. If you know you will go out to eat tonight, eat smaller meals that normal throughout the day but make sure you are not famished so that by the time dinner time comes along, you suck it up like a sieve.
  13. If you feel you might over eat the hors d'oeuvres, don't sit near them!
  14. Choose mineral water or diet instead of alcoholic beverages, or at least alternate them slowly.
  15. Eat slowly.
  16. Try to eat the same portion as you would at home.
  17. Choose fish or poultry when you can.
  18. Order your baked potato plain. Ask for the extras on the side. Use sparingly.
  19. Keep the ground rules of nutrition in mind. Eat a variety of foods in moderate amounts, limit the amount of fat you eat, and be mindful of the amount of salt.
  20. Keep in mind that an average fast food meal can run as high as 1000 calories or more.
  21. If you are having fast food for one meal, let your other meals that day contain healthier foods, like fruits/vegetables.
  22. Limit bacon and sausage.
  23. Watch out for words like jumbo, giant, deluxe, biggie-sized, super-sized. Order regular or junior size instead.
  24. Skip the croissant or biscuit. Eat your sandwich on a bun, bread, or English muffin.
  25. Salads can carry alot of calories. It's all in the dressing.
  26. Potato and macaroni salads are loaded with fat.
  27. Pizza can be a good fast food choice. Go for thin crust always with vegetable toppings. Limit 1-2 slices.
  28. Watch out for traps. Fat free muffins are normally loaded with sugar. Skinless fried chicken can have as much fat as regular. Chinese food may seem like a healthy choice, but many foods are deep fried, high in fat and sodium.
  29. Turkey is healthier than ham.

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