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/