Ordering Heart Healthy Options Gives You a Head Start

Eating out at restaurants, you can say goodbye to knowing everything that goes into your food. However, menu descriptions often include common key words that will help you identify the most-unhealthy culprits. Ideally, asking for nutrition information or visiting a restaurant’s website ahead of time can help you make the best food choices when dining out. Plus, you can choose how the dish is seasoned and prepared. You don’t have to be perfect.

As long as you avoid over-sized meals that can spell disaster for your waistline, dining out with friends and family is still as great way to reconnect. Just remember a good game plan reduces the need for damage control. Being mindful of your manners can help you eat less and enjoy it more. Eating slowly is polite and better for your digestion. Moreover, chewing each bite thoroughly slows down the time it takes to eat.

If you take advantage of heart-healthy options or reduced-calorie menu items, you will have a head start on making smarter food choices. Also, try these tips for dining out on a diet:

• Plan in Advance – If you know you are dining out, do not fast. Instead, it is important for you to meet your minimum food requirements for fruits, vegetables, entrees, protein shakes, and healthy snacks. You will be less likely to overeat at the restaurant.
• Stay Hydrated – Eating plenty of water-filled fruits and vegetables is a healthy way to maintain weight and support your commitment to living well. Staying hydrated helps to flush toxins from your body and gives a boost to the metabolism.
• Ask for Substitutions – You should be able to enjoy eating out without sacrifice to your commitment to live a healthier life. But, you need to avoid that moment of reckless abandonment and ask for substitutions that won’t waste the progress you’ve made.
• Order Colorful Foods – Since no single food can provide you with the variety of nutrients you need, order colorful foods when dining out. Moreover, don’t ignore how your food will be prepared to ensure you are eating well.

Eating somewhere other than your kitchen can be fun and sociable but it can also be intimidating if you’ve just started your program for eating healthy and living well. Just remember to stick to your goals by making the same good food choices you do at home. When dining out, one of the most difficult things is making yourself follow the same healthy eating habits that you rely on when preparing menus at home. The key is to not take a step backwards by allowing too much butter, salt, or saturated fats.

You don't have to dread eating out in fear of wrecking your diet. Just do the same things you are already doing when you eat at home and choose the healthiest options from your drink to your entrée. Our team of MRC weight loss coaches will always be there to support you each step of the way as you establish new habits for eating healthy and living well. To Get Started today, click the button to find the MRC center nearest you.