Eating at a restaurant is typically a fun, social experience! The problem is that a restaurant’s motives have little to do with your health.
If you eat out or take out a lot, simply reducing the number away-from-home meals can dramatically improve your food quality.
For the occasional night out, it’s becoming easier to be selective about your choice in restaurants.
Some restaurants are putting meal details on their menus or online. If you have a restaurant that you like to frequent—check to see if they have menu information available.
THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE
It can take time to transition to eating at home—or to take food with you to work or school. Yet it is worth the effort not only in the health benefits, but also in the cost savings!
When you do eat out, keep the following thoughts in mind:
- Choose restaurants that focus on whole, healthy foods. They can be hard to find, but they are out there. Talk to friends, family or your health coach about options.
- Be careful with condiments and sauces. These can be particularly dangerous for adding calories in the form of sugar and fat. Don’t turn your healthy salad into a calorie-bomb.
- Size Matters. We are all aware that huge restaurant portions are common. Consider ordering off of the appetizer menu, splitting a meal with a friend, or asking for a doggy bag at the start of the meal.
- The Yin and Yang of Ordering In. Ordering in or getting take-out is generally not a good idea; although, there are more and more food delivery services that focus on healthy options. Talk with your health coach about some of these services.
