Healthy Restaurant Eating: Is The Tide Turning In Fast Foods?

From the 6 August Medical News Today article

Eating out, and the amount we spend on it, especially on fast foods, has been rising steadily for decades, and parallels the increase in daily calorie intake that is contributing to the growing obesity crisis. But is that about to change? Official figures, which take years to emerge, don’t appear to show it, but some more recent findings suggest the tide could be starting to turn, although for surprising reasons…

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More Tips for Healthy Eating Out

Here are some more tips, based on information from the University of Wisconsin, on how to be kind to your waistline and your health when eating out, without spoiling the fun and enjoyment of good food.

1. Do your research first: find out who is offering healthy, low fat meals.
2. Eat something, like a piece of fruit, or drink a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon, about half an hour before, so you are not starving when you order, which can affect your choices.
3. If you can’t control your portions, avoid restaurants that offer buffet or “all you can eat” menus.
4. Eat half the entrée and ask them to wrap the rest for you to take home.
5. Order one meal with two plates, one for you, one for your dining partner.
6. Have an appetizer as a main course.
7. Don’t eat everything: skip the bits you like less.
8. Prefer spinach, watercress, dark green leaf salads (they are more nutritious) to those where the only leaf is pale iceberg lettuce.
9. Avoid thick sauces made with butter or cream: ask the waiter if you are not sure. Go for stock-based sauce, or cooked in own juices instead.
10. Instead of french fries, have baked potato, a side salad, or some steamed vegetables.
11. Skip the mayonnaise and rich sauces in sandwiches and ask for extra tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mustard instead.
12. Eat less at another meal in the day – but don’t skip meals, as this can lead to binge eating.
13. Watch the alcohol and sweetened drinks: they are also rich in calories.
14. Look for low fat, grilled, flame-cooked, broiled and steamed main dishes instead of battered, tempura, breaded, fried foods.
15. Choose hard rolls, plain bread sticks, french bread or wholemeal buns and avoid dishes made with pastries, croissants and biscuits.
16. Choose soups that are broth-based rather than cream or milk-based.
17. Have extra vegetable toppings on your pizza instead of meat and extra cheese.

Read the entire article