Delicious food, no cooking and zero cleanup — dining out can be a welcome break from meal preparation at home. However, tempting dishes can add extra calories and offer less nutrition than a home-cooked meal. Follow 10 steps to eat healthy when dining out.
The sights and aromas inside a restaurant can be distracting and may tempt you to order whatever captures your attention in the moment. Instead, look at an online menu to make your meal choice before you arrive — and stick to it. Lighter fare options may be a smart way to find nutritious entrees or cut calories.
Restaurant portions are often oversized, so look for smaller options on a lunch menu, split a meal with a friend or ask for a take-home box for tomorrow’s lunch. You can also try to reduce your portion size by ordering from the kid’s menu.
Substitute a side (such as fries) or add a salad to your meal. Choose oil and vinegar over creamy dressings and ask for the dressing on the side to control how much you eat. Skip calorie-rich toppings such as croutons, tortilla strips and bacon.
Calories can add up quickly with each sip of a soda or sugary drink. Opt for water or unsweetened tea instead. Water is not only a zero-calorie drink, but it also helps your body digest food and absorb nutrients.1
Substitute vegetables as a side item and consider asking for an extra portion of vegetables. Are you ordering pizza? Choose vegetable toppings instead of high-fat, processed meats (and order a thin crust). Vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, which can help lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart disease.2
Select grilled, broiled, baked or roasted items over fried options, which can be high in saturated fat and calories. If the food comes with sauce or gravy, ask for it on the side or skip it altogether.
Don’t hesitate to ask for tweaks to your meal, such as no butter on a steak, no cheese on a salad or baked potato toppings on the side. You can also ask that your food be prepared with less oil or no additional salt.
If you’re really craving something sweet, share one dessert with everyone at the table. Or, have a bowl of fresh fruit or a simple cup of coffee instead.
Calories aren’t the only thing that can accumulate rapidly when dining out. Dollars can also add up quickly. Limit how often you eat out for the sake of your health and your budget.
There may be times when you’re limited to fast food, like on a road trip. If you end up in a drive-thru, skip toppings such as cheese and bacon on burgers. Consider mustard, which is a fat-free condiment, over calorie-dense mayonnaise. Choose a grilled chicken sandwich over a fried, crispy version.
Whether striving to make better food choices at restaurants or learning to eat healthy on a budget at home, your overall well-being is important to us at GuideStone®. As part of our biblically based health plans, we offer wellness tools such as Twin Health™ to help reverse type 2 diabetes. For more information, contact us at Insurance@GuideStone.org or 1-844-INS-GUIDE (1-844-467-4843), Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT.
GuideStone welcomes the opportunity to share this general information. However, this article is not intended to be relied upon as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
1MayoClinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/digestion/faq-20058348
2WebMD.com/diet/health-benefits-vegetables
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