Never Skip Meals on Days You Are Dining Out

It is always possible to make wise choices when you eat out. If you can choose the restaurant, pick one that features healthier menu options or try out a blindly selected locations vegetarian option with grilled veggies. If you pick a restaurant that offers healthy food options or one that provides nutrition information, it makes it easier to select foods that are lower in fat, salt, and sugar, and higher in fiber.

Don’t skip meals when you know you are going to be dining out. When you are hungry, it is easy to make poor food decisions and ordering is one of the first challenges you face. Also, remember alcohol stimulates appetite. Letting someone else do the cooking can be a real treat, especially after a busy day. Remember that portion sizes have ballooned in recent years, so plan to stop eating before your plates are empty.

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 – Although buffets are a popular option among the “eat-n-run” crowd, most fast food menu items should be avoided. Instead of that healthy looking glass of fruit juice, which can contain added sugars, eat fresh berries or an apple.
• Eating Out at Lunch – Don’t unravel the healthy choices that you’ve made in choosing the ingredients for your lunch entrée by making a poor decision in your selection of a midday drink. You should avoid sugary drinks, sodas, and coffee-products filled with cream and sugar.
• Eating Out at Dinner – You don’t have to give up eating out at dinner to keep your commitment to living well. Dining out is all about making healthy choices in what you choose to eat, how it is prepared, what the portion size looks like, and which beverage you select as a chaser.

It is your responsibility to know what you are putting in your body and your server’s responsibility to know what goes into the food they serve you. When eating away from your own kitchen, there are always unknowns. That’s why it is prudent to ask how your dish was prepared. By following smart eating strategies and planning ahead, you can make better food choices eating in or dining out. You will only know for sure what is in your food when dining out if you ask.

Whether you are preparing your own meal or eating out at a fancy restaurant, MRC’s approach to healthy eating is engineered for your unique body chemistry and specific needs. Find out today, how we can help you get on track for living well. Here at Metabolic Research Center, we believe that eating healthy and living well must be sustainable. To keep your social life intact, click Get Started to find the center nearest you.