A.3.a. General Tips for
Healthy Dining Out
Whether or not you're trying
to lose weight, you can eat healthy when dining out or bringing in food, if you
know how. The following tips will help you move toward healthier eating as you
limit your calories, as well as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium
when eating out.
You Are the Customer
-
Ask for what you want! Most
restaurants will honor your requests.
- Ask questions! Don't be
intimidated by the menu - your server will be able to tell you how foods are
prepared or suggest substitutions on the menu.
- If you wish to reduce
portion sizes try ordering appetizers as your main meal.
General Tips: Limiting your
calories and fat can be easy as long as you know what to order. Try asking
these questions when you call ahead or before you order. Ask the restaurant
"Do you or would you on request...":
- Serve margarine (rather
than butter) with the meal?
- Serve fat-free (skim) milk
rather than whole milk or cream?
- Use less oil when
cooking?
- Trim visible fat off
poultry or meat?
- Leave all butter, gravy, or
sauces off a side dish or entree?
- Serve salad dressing on the
side?
- Accommodate special
requests if made in advance by telephone or in person?
Above all else, don't get
discouraged. There are usually several healthy choices to choose from at most
restaurants.
Reading the Menu
-
- Choose lower-calorie,
low-fat cooking methods. Look for terms like steamed, in its own juice (au
jus), garden fresh, broiled, baked, roasted, poached, tomato juice, dry boiled
(in wine or lemon juice), and lightly sautéed or stir-fried.
- Be aware of foods high in
calories, fat, and saturated fat. Watch out for terms like butter sauce, fried,
crispy, creamed, in cream or cheese sauce, au gratin, au fromage, escalloped,
parmesan, hollandaise, bernaise, marinated (in oil), stewed, basted,
sautéed, stir-fried, casserole, hash, prime, pot pie and pas-try
crust.
Specific Tips for Healthy
Choices
Breakfast
- Fresh fruit or small glass
of citrus juice
- Whole grain bread, bagel or
English muffin with jelly or honey
- Whole grain cereal with
low-fat (1%) or fat-free milk
- Oatmeal with fat-free milk
topped with fruit
- Omelet made with egg whites
or egg substi-tute
- Multigrain pancakes without
butter on top
- Nonfat yogurt (try adding
cereal or fresh fruit)
Beverages
- Water with lemon
- Flavored sparkling water
(noncaloric)
- Juice spritzer (half fruit
juice and half sparkling water)
- Iced tea
- Tomato juice (reduced
sodium)
Bread
Most bread and breadsticks
are low in calories and low in fat. The calories add up when you add butter,
margarine, or olive oil to the bread. Also, eating a lot of bread in
addition to your meal will fill you up with extra unwanted calories and not
leave enough room for fruits and vegetables.
Appetizers
- Steamed seafood
- Shrimp* cocktail (limit
cocktail sauce - it's high in sodium)
- Melons or fresh
fruit
- Bean soups
- Salad with reduced fat
dressing (or add lemon juice or vinegar)
*If you are on a
cholesterol-lowering diet, eat shrimp and other shellfish in moderation.
Entree
- Poultry, fish, shellfish
and vegetable dishes are healthy choices
- Pasta with red sauce or
with vegetables (primavera)
- Look for terms like baked,
broiled, steamed, poached, lightly sautéed or stir-fried
- Ask for sauces and
dressings on the side
- Limit the amount of butter,
margarine, and salt you use at the table
Salads/Salad
Bars
- Fresh greens, lettuce and
spinach
- Fresh vegetables - tomato,
mushroom, carrots, cucumber, peppers, onion, radishes, and broccoli
- Beans, chick peas and
kidney beans
- Skip the nonvegetable
choices: deli meats, bacon, egg, cheese, croutons
- Choose lower-calorie,
reduced-fat or fat-free dressing, lemon juice, or vinegar
Side Dish
- Plain vegetables and
starches (rice, potato, noodles) make good additions to meals and can also be
combined for a lower-calorie alternative to higher-calorie entrees
- Ask for side dishes without
butter or margarine
- Ask for mustard, salsa or
low-fat yogurt instead of sour cream or butter
Dessert/Coffee
- Fresh fruit
- Nonfat frozen yogurt
- Sherbet or fruit sorbet
(these are usually fat-free, but check the calorie content)
- Try sharing a
dessert
- Ask for low-fat milk for
your coffee (instead of cream or half-'n-half )
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