Not Eating Out is Simply Not Realistic

When you are watching your weight and living well, a successful experience dining out begins with proper preparation. If you’re selecting the restaurant, pick one that is menu friendly. Moreover, go online and know what you’re going to order ahead of time. 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.

By practicing moderation and making sensible choices, you can fit most of your favorite restaurants into your menu plan but don’t hesitate to adjust ingredients when necessary. A clear, broth-based soup with veggies is a good starter when dine out. Soups generally take a long time to eat and will help fill you up. Add a garden salad with a vinaigrette dressing and finish your meal with an appetizer-sized entrée.

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 – The first meal of the day should provide you with healthy carbs for energy, fiber to help fill you up, protein for muscle growth, and healthy fats for satiety, such as boiled eggs with whole grain toast topped with a slice of avocado.
• Eating Out at Lunch – Although it might be easy to hit the drive-thru at lunchtime, most fast food will leave you feeling hungry and crabby within a few hours of consuming it. So, avoid the temptation to stop at the vending machine or convenience store for a grab and go lunch.
• Eating Out at Dinner – When dining out, it is easier to make smart picks at restaurants where you have more control over what goes into your order. If you make good food choices a local sandwich shop or ethnic eatery can deliver the same healthy foods found at a five-star 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.

Putting healthy foods on your table at home is just the first step in your journey. MRC programs allow you to enjoy real, whole foods at every meal whether you’re eating in or dining out. 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.