Eating out is both enjoyable and social.
However, research has linked eating out to overeating and poor food choices.
This article provides 19 clever tips for eating healthy when dining out.
These will assist you in sticking to your health goals without sacrificing your social life.
1. Before You Go, Read the Menu
If you are unfamiliar with the menu, read it before arriving at the restaurant.
When you’re hungry or distracted, you’re more likely to make unhealthy choices.
The sight and smell of food can make it difficult to stick to a plan, especially if you are hungry.
Choosing your food before you arrive allows you to avoid making rash decisions that you may come to regret later.
2. Eat a Healthy Snack Before Arriving
If you are hungry when you arrive at a restaurant, you may overeat. A healthy snack before you arrive is one way to avoid this.
A low-calorie, high-protein snack like yoghurt may help you feel fuller and prevent overeating.
3. Drink plenty of water before and during your meal.
Water is an excellent choice for drinking before and after meals, especially if it is substituted for sugar-sweetened beverages.
Water can help you cut calories and added sugar by replacing sugar-sweetened drinks.
According to one study, dieters who drank 500 ml (17 oz) of water half an hour before a meal ate fewer calories and lost 44% more weight than those who did not.
4. Examine how the food is cooked and prepared
The way food is cooked can have a big impact on how many calories it has.
Look for steamed, grilled, roasted, or poached foods. In general, these cooking methods result in less fat and, consequently, fewer calories.
Foods described on the menu as pan-fried, fried, crispy, crunchy, or sautéed typically have more fat and calories.
5. Experiment with Mindful Eating.
Mindful eating entails making deliberate choices about what you eat and paying close attention to the eating process.
Take the time to enjoy the aromas and flavours of your meal, as well as any thoughts or feelings that arise while eating.
Mindful eating has been linked to healthier restaurant food choices.
It can also help you improve your self-control and avoid overeating.
6. Place Your Order Before Everyone Else
Other people can have an impact on our decisions without us even realising it.
People subconsciously mimic each other in social situations, and dining out is no exception.
People’s menu selections and eating habits can be heavily influenced by the choices of others at the table.
If you’re going out to eat with a group that is likely to order something that isn’t on your healthy eating plan, make sure you order first.
7. Place an order for two appetisers. in place of a Main
According to research, when people are served larger portions, they are more likely to overeat.
If you’re going to a restaurant where the portions are known to be large, order two appetisers instead of a main course.
This can help you fill up without consuming too many calories.
8. Take your time and chew thoroughly.
Eating slower and chewing your food thoroughly may help you eat less. It can also make you feel fuller faster.
To avoid eating too quickly, try counting a minimum number of chews per mouthful while eating.
Putting your utensils down between mouthfuls is another good way to slow down and allow your satiety signals to kick in.
9. Instead of dessert, have a cup of coffee.
Instead of dessert, order a coffee.
In addition to significantly reducing calories and added sugar, you’ll reap some of the many health benefits associated with coffee.
10. Stay away from all-you-can-eat buffets.
People are notoriously inaccurate when it comes to estimating portion sizes.
Eating the right amount can be difficult when faced with an unlimited supply of food at a buffet.
If you have no other option but to eat at a buffet, a smaller plate may help you eat less.
Another effective technique is to use a standard-sized plate and fill half of it with salad or vegetables.
11. Request a Healthy Swap
The majority of people do not consume enough vegetables.
Vegetables are great because they have few calories but a lot of fibre and nutrients.
Broccoli and spinach, for example, are extremely low in calories but high in fibre, vitamin C, and a variety of beneficial plant compounds.
Increased vegetable consumption has also been linked to a lower risk of many diseases such as cancer, obesity, and depression.
When you order your meal, ask the server to substitute fries or potatoes for extra vegetables or a salad. You’ll eat more vegetables while consuming fewer calories.
12. Request sauces or salad dressings on the side.
Sauces and dressings can add a lot of fat and calories to a dish, so request them on the side.
Two tablespoons of ranch salad dressing, for example, will add 140 calories and 16 grammes of fat to your meal.
Keeping it separate will allow you to better control how much you eat.
13. Skip the bread basket before dinner.
If you arrive at a restaurant hungry, it’s easy to overeat the appetisers served before your meal.
If you’re easily swayed, return them.
14. Begin with a soup or salad.
Having a soup or salad before your main course can help you avoid overeating.
Several studies have found that eating soup before a meal can reduce your total calorie intake by 20%.
Because the type of soup made no difference, any soup of the day can be a really healthy option.
15. Give to Someone Else (or Order a Half Portion)
A study of people who successfully lost and maintained their weight found that they frequently shared food or ordered half a portion when dining out.
It’s a simple way to cut calories and avoid overeating.
If you don’t have anyone to share your meal with, you can have the waiter wrap up half your meal for you to take home.
Drinks with added sugar should be avoided.
Many of us consume far too much sugar, which can be detrimental to our health.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are one source of sugar that we do not require.
Sugar-sweetened beverages have been linked to an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
If you want to drink something healthy while dining out, stick to water or unsweetened tea.
16. Choose tomato-based sauces over cream-based sauces.
To help cut calories and fat from your meal, choose tomato- or vegetable-based sauces over creamy or cheese-based ones.
They will also supplement your diet with more nutritious vegetables.
17. Beware of Health Claims
Dietary labels can appear on restaurant menus. A meal may be labelled “paleo,” “gluten-free,” or “sugar-free.”
These labels do not always imply that a choice is healthy. Sugars and fats can be hidden in these foods to improve their taste.
Even so-called “sugar-free” cakes and sweets may contain “natural” sugars that have been added. These are still added sugars; they’re just not the traditional table sugar or high fructose corn syrup used in cakes and candy.
Agave nectar, for example, is commonly found in “healthy” dishes but is just as unhealthy as regular sugar, if not more so.
To be certain, thoroughly read the menu description. Added sugars can hide in a variety of places. When in doubt, consult with your server.
18. Consider Your Entire Diet
There will be times when you just want to eat your favourite food without worrying about whether it is healthy or not.
Being adaptable in your diet and food choices has been linked to improved overall health and weight management.
It’s useful to consider how a meal fits into your overall diet.
Go ahead and treat yourself if you generally follow healthy eating patterns.
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