Healthy eating can be a challenge when dining out. With determination and some healthy tips, you can make healthy choices.
Dining in Buffet-style Restaurants:
- Walk through the line without a plate to see what is available.
- Do not feel the need to eat every dish available, choose your favorite foods.
- Use a smaller plate to control your portion sizes.
- Remove the plate from your table when you are full.
- Eat most of your food from the salad bar; fill your plate with vegetables and fruits.
Dining in Regular Sit-down Restaurants:
- Forgo the cocktails, appetizer, bread and butter. Order a salad or non-creamy soup.
- Use low fat sauces and dressings.
- Choose seafood, chicken or lean meat instead of fatty meats such as prime rib and liver.
- Get baked, broiled, steamed, or grilled items instead of fried.
- Pick a small portion or share the meal with a friend.
- Limit butter, sour cream, gravies, cream, and cheese sauces.
- Avoid foods described with the following terms, as they are usually high in fat:
- Buttery, buttered, in butter sauce
- Sautéed, fried, crispy, braised
- Creamed, in gravy, cream, cream sauce
- Au gratin, in cheese sauce, escalloped
- Trim all visible skin and fat from meats prior to eating.
- Request to replace fries, chips, or other high-fat side dishes with salads, steamed vegetables, or a baked potato.
- Choose fresh fruit, sherbet, gelatin, or angel food cake in place of cheese cake, ice cream, or other traditional high-fat desserts.
Dining in Fast Food Restaurants:
- Check the nutritional content of food on the restaurant’s website.
- Choose a side salad, a fruit cup, or a baked potato with fat-free or low-fat sour cream instead of deep fried sides.
- Avoid ordering sandwiches or burgers with double meat.
- Order a grilled chicken sandwich rather than a fried chicken sandwich.
- Choose non-caloric beverages such as water, unsweetened coffee or tea, or diet sodas.
- Avoid high-calorie condiments such as mayo and ranch dressing; choose lower calorie condiments such as mustard.
A registered dietician can provide tips and guidance to get you on the way to a healthier lifestyle. Call Gundersen Lutheran Nutrition Therapy at (608) 775-3447 or (800) 362-9567, ext. 53447 to schedule an appointment.