Next time you plan on heading out for dinner, keep these healthy dining out tips in mind:
- If you splurge at one time during the day, make up for it later on. For instance, if you enjoy a 1,000-calorie sandwich for lunch, have a light salad for dinner. This will help balance out your calories throughout the day. Overall, you will not have a significant increase in calories.
- Drink water. Drinking water before, during, and after your meal will help you eat less. It fills you up.
- If you drink alcohol, limit it to one beverage. Besides helping your calorie count while eating out, your pocketbook will thank you. Drinking less alcohol means consuming fewer carbohydrates.
- Eat a light snack before going out to dinner. By doing this, your appetite will decrease prior to getting to the restaurant. Eating something containing a high amount of protein -- such as peanut butter on graham crackers, a hard boiled egg, plain yogurt with granola and fruit, or cottage cheese on a bagel -- is a great idea.
- Order your sauces, salad dressings, and/or condiments on the side. This will give you a chance to control what you eat. Restaurants will eagerly oblige.
- Order seafood dishes that are prepared in a healthful manner – such as poached, steamed, broiled, baked, or grilled. Some restaurants designate these dishes with an asterisk. Some simply have an entire section titled “healthy options.”
Dining out can be a healthy experience and fit well into your healthy living lifestyle. The key is knowing how to make the most out of it.
