Look for Menu Clues When Dining Out

There is a lot of diet information out there and everyone seems to have a different idea as to what works best when eating out. Cutting calories through smaller portion sizes and focusing on energy balance are both important things you can do. Take time to look over a restaurant’s menu for clues to fat and calorie content of dishes that you are considering. Look for food preparation key words like baked, broiled, grilled, braised, poached, roasted, or stem for healthier options.

Most salad bars and buffets offer fruit juices and fresh fruits. Avoid fruit juices as they likely have added sugars and sodium. Instead, opt for blueberries, black berries, or apple slices. Make sure you are not famished when you arrive at the restaurant. Keeping your hunger under control on days when you know you’re eating out will keep you from diving into the basket of bread or trying to fill up on appetizers.

Since it is not realistic to assume that you will never eat out again. Try these tips to make healthier food choices when you’re eating off a buffet or deciding which menu items best fit your plans for living well:

• Eating Out at Breakfast – Health-conscious food trucks offer some of the best tasting breakfast options that are also compatible with eating healthy and living well. Try a fresh grilled veggie burrito on a whole-grain wrap.
• Eating Out at Lunch – Many of the traditional lunch foods are among the worst foods to eat. Many fast food options are full of processed sugar, refined grains, high in calories, and low in nutrients. So, beware of food that is easy to grab and go.
• Eating Out at Dinner – When you run out of time, a new option to eating out at dinner are convenient prepackaged meal boxes. Most grocery store delis create healthy meal boxes that go directly into the pot or pan and are ready to eat in about the same as the wait time at a restaurant.

Having dinner at someone’s house or dining out at a restaurant should never be used as an excuse to eat unhealthily. Sticking to your commitment for living well should make it easier to make good food choices. Eating out doesn't have to sabotage your diet or cause you to lose control of your weight loss plan. By following smart eating strategies, you can become very adept at selecting the best menu items.

MRC menu plans are simple and easy to follow. You eat real, nutritious foods that you purchase at your local market or order in restaurants when dining out. Contact us today to learn more about living well through healthy eating. At Metabolic Research Center, we understand that losing weight and living well are about more than just eating healthy. Our goal is to make sure the path you’re following is sustainable regardless of where you decide to eat.

Click Get Started to find the Metabolic Research Center nearest you.