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6/10/14 blog post

how to stay healthy when eating out

Take a moment and ponder…how often do you eat outside of the home? Yes, this includes carry-out, getting a pizza, grabbing a coffee drink and also eating inside a restaurant. Are you now thinking, “WOW?!?” How can we stay healthy when dining outside of the home?

Plan ahead: Select a restaurant where food is cooked to order, rather than a fast-food or buffet-style chain. Many restaurants will honor requests for low-salt, low-fat, and low-saturated (bad)-fat versions of certain dishes.

Get to know the owner and servers: Ask for more details about how food is prepared and cooked. It’s OK to ask the waiter or waitress for help!

Watch out for before-the-meal “extras” such as drinks (including juice), appetizers, and bread and butter: These are often a source of extra calories, fat, and sodium. Order low fat milk or water for beverages. Maybe make a healthy appetizer your meal?

Read the menu carefully: Before ordering, ask how dishes are prepared. Don’t be shy about making a special request!

Ask for salad dressings, sauces and gravies to be served on the side: That makes it easier to control how much is added to the food.

Ask about healthy substitutions: Ask for a baked potato, unsalted vegetables, or fruit instead.

Choose desserts carefully: Fresh fruit is just as tasty and healthy!

Portions are huge! Ask for a smaller portion, such as a lunch portion instead of a dinner portion.

Select: Foods prepared by baking, broiling or boiling rather than frying.

Order vegetable sides: This way the family will still get vegetables on their plates.

Stay fresh: Aim for as much fresh fare on your plate. Less processed and healthier!

Yes – we will eat out this summer. But it doesn’t have to be full of unwanted calories and fat. How do you stay healthy when dining out?