Tips on Staying Healthy when Eating Out

I must admit, I may be one of the most annoying customers for a restaurant server. I always ask questions about ingredients, add things, remove things, put things on the side, you name it. Although I advocate making your own food at home so you can control the ingredients and cooking methods, every once in a while you may want to give yourself a break and go out to dinner. This is fine if it is done infrequently, but try and make healthy decisions when you’re out as well. Here are some tips on how to do this.

Look at the menu ahead of time. Most restaurants now offer nutritional information for their menu items online so you can see how much fat or calories are in a particular dish

Ask the server about the ingredients in a particular dish. If it sounds like it is cooked in a lot of butter or other fat or has a cream based sauce, I would avoid it or make adjustments

Avoid appetizers that are fried or have a lot of cheese

Substitute unhealthy sides, such as fries or chips, with healthy ones, such as steamed veggies

Keep in mind that salads are not always the lowest calorie option, especially when they have meat, cheese and a cream based or oily dressing on them. Just ask for no cheese or meat and substitute the dressing for just balsamic vinegar without the oil

Order water with lemon instead of soda

Remember, a cheap date is usually a healthy one! My husband is lucky because I am a cheap date and usually order water and a salad and/or a bunch of sides such as grilled veggies with rice and do not order the higher prices menu items such as meat and pasta

Go international – international cuisine, such as Asian, Indian, and Thai often provide more vegetarian or vegan options that are healthier than your typical American food restaurants

The good news is, is that restaurants are now making a better effort to provide customers with nutritional information as well as more vegetarian and vegan options. This makes it easier to eat healthy while still enjoying your night out.

This is my favorite website for finding veg-friendly restaurants: 

http://www.happycow.net/