Eating Out – Smart Eating Strategy

Eating out should not interfere with your healthy diet plan. Eating out should not mean eating everything or eating anything. You should keep following points in your eating out Plan:-

Eating Out

1. Make a smart eating strategy
2. Plan ahead and select an eatery/restaurant catering for everyone
3. Consider the Menu
4. Choose foods in advance carefully to keep you on your within diet plan

Groundwork

1. Search net and download menu or get copy of menu before hand
2. Make a plan
3. Eat a light lunch, if you are going to a restaurant for dinner so that you do not exceed daily dietary calorie limit and vice versa
4. Pre-Select foods from menu, prefer steamed, broiled, baked or grilled, avoid fried and sautéed items over foods described as “crispy,” or “rich”.

Selection of Eatery/Restaurant

1. Think ahead and read reviews and prices from internet, if available.
2. Consider meal options at different restaurants
3. Find places with a wide range of menu items
4. Check nutrition information of various items, if available.

Ordering

1. Balance your order by embracing foods from all the different food categories i.e meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and grains.
2. Prefer freshly made salads, entrée salads with chicken, cheese or seafood provides protein along with fiber and vitamins. Exploit a low-fat dressing or skip a few of the extras.
3. Order menu items that contain fewer calories and eat a smaller portion.
4. Order an appetizer in place of an entrée and add a small salad to meal.
5. In burgers and sandwiches, go with low-fat options like with lettuce, tomato and onion. Select condiments like ketchup, mustard and low-fat dressings.
6. Balance your meal by ordering healthy side dishes, such as a side salad with low-fat dressing, baked potato or fruit.
7. Replace fries in a combo-meal with salads having low fat dressing. Alternatively, skip combo-meal and order individual items.
8. Be vigorous, ask menu questions and make individual requests to meet your nutritional requirements.
9. A lot of restaurants serve huge portions, sometimes enough for two or three people, either order less meals and share or eat a smaller portion and take leftovers home for another meal.

 How to Consume Meal

1. Eat slowly. Your brain receives “not hungry” message from your stomach in about 20 Minutes, so enjoy every bite by eating slowly. Fast eaters frequently are overeaters.
2. Do not eat to finish all the Food. If done, get the remaining food packed for another meal, do not overeat to finish all the food.
3. Keep space for sweet dish. Sweet dishes are usually served at the end, so keep space for sweet dish, so that you do not end up overeating.