Celebrations, getting together with friends, spending time with family, are just some of the many reasons we dine out! Problem is, we don’t always make the healthiest choices when doing so.

How can we eat out and still be healthy?

Here are my top 10 things you can do to eat healthier while dining out:

  1. Ditch the deep fried, pan fried or any fried. These terms mean the food has been cooked in lots and lots oil that will leave it saturated. Foods will contain extremely high amounts of fat. Just a few bites of fried food will have more fat then you need in an entire day. There is also no telling what quality of oil the food is being cooked in, so, if it is highly processed, unhealthy oils you will be consuming an extreme amount of it.
  2. Order grilled, steamed, baked, broiled or roasted. These cooking methods require less oil to prepare so you are most likely getting a lower fat option then fried foods, making it a healthier choice.
  3. Order water, seltzer water, sparkling water or unsweetened iced or hot tea and coffee. Beverages can really add serious calories to your meal without even realizing it. Instead of ordering high sugar drinks go for an unsweetened option. Order a drink to satisfy your thirst, let the food satisfy your taste.
  4. Don’t order appetizers or dessert. Go into the restaurant with a plan and let that plan be a meal only. Restaurant size portions are more then we need to eat at any given meal so adding an appetizer or dessert to that can really push the calories over the edge. If you must, suggest ordering to split and share among your group and take only a few bites to taste.
  5. Order any sauces, dressings or high calorie condiments on the side. Restaurants will drown your food in these items really packing on the calories. Ask to get these items on the side so that you can control how much goes on your food.
  6. Don’t order butter or cream based dishes. These dishes will be extremely high in saturated fats because the base of the sauce is butter, heavy cream, milk, etc. Consuming items high in saturated fat can be unhealthy and dangerous to your health.
  7. Choose whole grain or no grain. Ask for whole grain versions of bread, pasta and rice. Or, substitute these items for a baked white or sweet potato. If they do not have these options it is better to skip the grain all together as refined grains offer absolutely no nutritional value and just add empty calories to your meal.
  8. Include vegetables or fruit in your meal. Make sure the meal you order includes vegetables or fruit in some way. They are lower in calories, will help fill you up, and add nutritional value to your meal.
  9. Take half of your meal home. Most restaurant portions are more then double or triple the amount recommended for any given meal. When portion sizes are large, eat half and take half home to reduce the amount of calories you consume.
  10. Omit, limit or get cheese on the side. Cheese is another high fat item. by omitting or limiting the cheese you will be reducing your calories, saturated fat and cholesterol within your meal. If you must have the cheese ask for it on the side so that you can control how much goes on your plate.

These ten things can really help in reducing the calories of your meal so that you can leave the restaurant not feeling extremely guilty and uncomfortably full. Next time you eat out see how many of these things you can do to reduce the calories in your meal.

Eating out doesn’t have to mean eating unhealthy!