Written by Sam
Going out to eat is always a really tricky thing - it's so hard to find a healthy and nutritious meal without feeling like you missed out on the 'real food' the restaurant offers. I remember one time I ate out with friends and I ordered a vegetarian dish, and I was absolutely miserable as I watched my friends chow down on steaks, ribs, and all that good stuff. Over the years I have found ways to make smart, healthy choices at restaurants without sacrificing any flavor or satisfaction from the meal. In this post, I will go into depth about foods to avoid, key words to look out for, and some overall tips to guide you to a more healthful experience when you go out to eat.
What to Avoid:
1) Fried Food
Food prep is key when going out to eat, or when making any food choices for that matter. Frying the food triples the calories and adds a lot of unnecessary fat to your diet. Even if the food may seem nutritious (Tempura vegetables, for example), frying it pretty much cancels out any health benefits you would get from the vegetables. Also, you may not know what kind of oil the restaurant uses to fry the food in. If they use lard or shortening, it is a significant source of saturated fat, and it will clog up your arteries real quick and put you at high risk for heart disease. Ain't nobody got time for that! So what should you do? The healthiest way to go is to look for the words grilled or steamed in the description. These two methods of cooking require little to no oil, and often times you get to taste the real flavor of the meat or whatever is the main focus of the dish. Personally, I would choose grilled over steamed because you don't sacrifice any flavor with the nice charred taste that grilling adds to the food, but this is totally up to you.
2) The Free Bread :(
It pains me to write this because every time I go out to eat, I almost always eat the free bread that they put at your table (let's be real, Olive Garden bread sticks are divine). Although it seems fairly harmless, the bread can really add on a lot of calories to your meal before you even get to the main course. 1 Olive Garden bread stick, for example, already sets you back 140 calories and lesbihonest, we can't only eat just one, so it's a really slippery slope. My best advice for you is to ask the waiter to take away the bread altogether at the beginning of the meal so that the temptation won't be there; We often overeat because the food is in front of us and not because we actually want it. At the same time, everything is okay in moderation, so if you want one bread stick, then go ahead and enjoy it! Just ask the waiter to take it away after you eat one so you aren't tempted to grab more.
3) Salads
This may seem contradictory because salads have the impression of being the ultimate health food - you can't go wrong with eating all veggies, right? It turns out that salad can be one of the most dangerous foods for that reason - we may eat a ton of it thinking it's good for us, while ignoring the fact that there can be a lot of junk in it. We will use the nutrition facts for a Caesar Salad from Panera Bread as an example:
310 calories, 220 calories from fat (!!!), 24 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 480 mg sodium, 50% vitamin A, 50% vitamin C, 20% calcium
Yikes. In that one side salad alone, you're getting over 1/3 Daily value of fat and saturated fat, 1/6 daily value of cholesterol, and about 1/5 daily value of sodium. There are a good amount of vitamins in it, but you can get that more Vitamin A and Vitamin C by eating 1 medium carrot (203%) and 1 medium orange (85%), respectively. Now imagine the damage an entree salad can do, especially with some of the add on's restaurants offer (bacon, steak, etc.). Of course, there are good salads that you can find at restaurants that you can definitely go for if salad is your thing! First, you want to look for romaine lettuce or any other kind of green aside from iceberg lettuce, since iceberg is mostly just water and has hardly any nutrition (Romaine lettuce is a significant source of vitamin A). Also, avoid the heavy dressings such as ranch, caesar, thousand island, or pretty much any kind of creamy dressing. Instead, go for the vinaigrette's because they are packed with flavor and generally don't have as much oil. A good addition to a salad would be to add chicken breast, a good source of lean protein that will make you feel full. The best tip I can give you with salads is to order the dressing on the side. That way, you are in control and can adjust it to your own taste because a lot of the time, salads are too fattening and salty with the amount of dressing a chef adds.
What you should do:
1) Don't be afraid to ask questions!
We all see those people at restaurants who ask the waiters a million questions about what things are cooked in, how things are prepared, etc. and we may think they're super annoying. But, this is honestly one of the best things you can do (just don't ask a ton of them, you can get to the point by asking a couple good questions)! By doing this, you can avoid a lot of unhealthy dishes and it's crucial you find out what food you are putting into your body. For example, one time I asked the waiter what my sauteed vegetables were cooked in, and he said they were sauteed in butter. If I didn't ask, I would've ordered it because I saw the word "vegetable" and I was sold, thinking it's already healthy. Also, the menu can be tricky with it's wording and it masks how detrimental the dish is for your health. A lot of dishes come with some sort of sauce on top, and a lot of times, there is cheese or heavy cream used in those sauces. This can add a significant amount of fat and calories to your dish that you absolutely don't need, so that's why it is important you clear this up by asking the waiter before you order it! The general rule of thumb is if the food is cooked in vegetable oil or olive oil, then you should be good to go, since those are your healthier oils that don't contain any saturated fat. You are paying for the food and the service, so might as well get your money's worth and ask those questions!
2) Ask for half portions
In my nutrition class this past week, I learned that most of the portions we are given today are up to 3 times as large as we need to be eating in one meal. If restaurants offer the option of having a half size or full size version of your entree, go for the half size. In general, the half size is still plenty of food and you will still be satisfied! It takes your body 20 minutes to recognize it is full, so don't freak out when you aren't full after eating only half of your food; Eat your food slowly, enjoy it, and let your body tell you when it's time to stop. Another trick is to ask for a carry out box as soon as your food comes to you, and then pack some of it right away. By packing it up and getting the food out of your sight, you will eat less and have some delicious leftovers for the next day.
3) Choose Lean Proteins
Whenever you hear lean protein, you always think chicken and fish. These are the two of the healthiest protein choices (tofu and beans are also great choices), but you can actually have steak if you are careful about what cut you have and how many ounces it is. The best choice of steak you want to choose is sirloin - it is very lean and still holds a lot of the flavor that everyone craves in a juicy steak. The nutrition facts for a 3.5 oz serving of sirloin steak is as follows: 206 calories, 5.4 grams of fat, 2.06 grams of saturated fat, and 39 grams of protein. As you can see, it's pretty modest in calories and fat, while packing a lot of protein, which will help keep you full. So even if you have a good sized appetite and want an 8 ounce sirloin steak for example, you are still at under 500 calories for your main dish. The cut you want to avoid is the ribeye - in my opinion, the tastiest but also the fattest cut of beef. This is the nutrition facts for a 3.5 ounce serving of ribeye steak: 466 calories, 37.6 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 30 grams of protein (For the nutrition facts for other cuts of steak, go to the 1st link in the "Sources" section at the bottom of this post). If you want to go the chicken route, chicken breast is the way to go. Chicken breast gets a bad reputation and everyone thinks it's too dry, but if it's cooked properly and well seasoned, it can be delicious. For fish, pretty much everything is fair game, because even the fattier fishes such as salmon are packed with omega 3 fatty acids, which have been found to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and decrease your risk of heart disease. Overall, just be mindful of how your lean protein is prepared and if there are any scary add-ons such as rich sauces.
4) Drink Plenty of Water
To prevent myself from over eating, I always drink a lot of water, anywhere from 2-4 cups when I go out to eat. I still have room to enjoy my meal, but the water fills me up enough that I don't have to eat more than I should be eating. I was eating at a buffet last month (I seriously don't recommend this but I had no choice), and I drank around 4 cups of water with my meal. Because of this, I was able to limit myself to eating 1.5 plates of food, which is a pretty modest amount for a buffet eater. I was satisfied and I still stayed full for a long time afterwards. Water is free and it can be your best friend when you're eating at a restaurant, so take full advantage of it.
I hope all these tips will help you out next time you decide to go to a restaurant. Restaurants aren't as dangerous as many people think of it to be - as long as you stay smart and have the correct principles, your health will be in good condition!
Sources:
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/the-leanest-and-fattiest-cuts-of-steak
http://www.netrition.com/rdi_page.html
http://www.paneranutrition.com/
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/olive-garden-breadstick-with-garlic-butter-spread-88753926
https://www.google.com/#q=orange+nutrition
https://www.google.com/search?q=carrot+nutrition&oq=carrot+nutrition&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j5j0.1587j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
http://www.mommymdguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/QuestionsBabysFirstYearGoingOutToEat1.jpg
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