Strategies for Health
When people eat out, they generally eat 30-50% more calories than if they made the same meal at home. Here are just a few ways to prevent overeating by 200-300 calories in one meal.
Don’t order drinks, or limit yourself to one glass of red wine. When you order a drink in a restaurant, it is often larger than a serving and then you sit there drinking it while waiting for food. When your food arrives, you may get a refill. At home, you generally don’t get a drink until you sit down. Drinking water is the healthiest choice. A glass of red wine has been shown to provide some health benefits.
Don’t eat the free-be’s. The free chips and bread are almost always the poorest quality food…that’s why they’re free! Before any actual food arrives you have consumed many empty calories that do not contribute to feeling full.
Salads should only be ordered with an Italian dressing or vinaigrette. Olive oil based dressing have healthy omega-3s while Ranch and Blue Cheese have too much saturated fat and calories.
Order fish. It is usually prepared in a healthier (or lower calorie) way than most entrées. Unless you have eaten fish twice this week, your entrée decision is made. If the restaurant doesn’t serve fish or it only serves fried fish, you probably shouldn’t be eating there.
As a general rule, dessert should only be ordered when you are celebrating an occasion. No one needs dessert just because it is Saturday night.
Stay tuned for more ways to eat well when away from the kitchen.
Posted by Dani 
