Vitality News Health Articles

You might think that it’s not possible to maintain a healthy diet when you eat out at restaurants. This is often true. However, you can still enjoy restaurants occasionally and maintain your healthy diet. You simply need to learn a little bit about nutrition, which will allow you to make the correct food choices to stay healthy, active, mentally stable and happy.

It’s a good idea to start by ignoring the drinks section of the menu. Although you may be tempted to enjoy a beer or mixed beverage with your dinner, these usually have many empty calories, which is not good for your body. Red wine is an exception to this rule, and may actually help prevent heart disease. Try to have only a single glass.

You should also skip the starters, unless you order a side salad. Most restaurant appetisers are high-fat foods, which can make you crave more of the same. Some examples are potato skins, nachos, mozzarella sticks and chicken wings. Rather just have a main course, or share a single serving with a couple of other people.

When choosing your main dish, it is of course important that you look at the ingredients of the dish. Avoid anything with fatty meats or cream-based sauces, and don’t order the onion rings, fries or baked potato. Rather order a side dish of vegetables, or ask for the main course alone.

Portion size is also important. When possible, order from the lunch menu. Ask for a doggie bag at the beginning of the meal. Split your meal in half from the start so that you are not tempted to eat the entire thing, which is usually enough for two or three portions.

After the meal, skip dessert. Again, you can share a single desert with the entire table if you feel compelled to order something, or split your portion in half. Bear in mind that the desserts served in restaurants may have more calories than the rest of the meal. On special occasions, you can cheat a little, but you should learn to resist temptation in order to stick to healthy eating.

Mike Devoran runs DietHealthFitness, where you’ll find a wealth of information on healthy living.

- Mike Devoran