You are sitting with your friend in your favorite restaurant and you glance at the menu. Will you have steak with potato chips? How about pizza or a fried chicken? Burger and fries or will it be curry and rice? Tempting as it may sound, ordering such foods can ruin your diet. As a matter of fact, a single of such meal is enough to provide you with a day or two’s worth of calories! However, you don’t have to quit eating out altogether. After all, eating out with friends or spouses has become an important part of socializing. Everything from official meetings to blind dates seems to revolve around restaurants so it is impossible to cut them off altogether.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind while eating out on a diet.

• Choose a restaurant that you are familiar with so that you know what they have on their menu. Decide beforehand what you will have and keep count of the calories. You can also request copies of menus to be sent to you. Some restaurants have that facility.

• Instead of going in for wines or carbonated drinks, order a glass of mineral water. This will save you from several calories and of course a few dollars too.

• If you don’t wish to drink plain water, ask for green tea without sugar or a glass of fresh fruit juice.

• Choose appetizers made using fruits and vegetables. Avoid cheese dips and cream sauces.

• Salad dressings tend to be rich in calories, so if you wish to order a salad or make one for yourself from the salad bar, ensure that you choose only low fat dressing.

• Avoid bread or food stuff made using bread. That means no pizza or sandwich.

• It is a good idea to order soup provided that you order clear vegetarian soup. Non-vegetarian soup is cooked in stock and is bound to be high in fats.

• Eat slowly. Remember, the main purpose of eating at a restaurant is to bond with the other person or people with you so take time to talk to them and listen to them talk. The body takes some time to process the satiety signals which the brain generates. Eating slowly will give your body the time it needs to recognize that it is full.

• Choose fish or chicken meals which are not cooked in too much oil. Baked, grilled, poached, steamed, roasted or broiled meats should be fine.

• Avoid meals with high starch content like dishes made from potatoes, pasta or rice.

• Choose a serving of fresh fruit or low fat yogurt for dessert. If your restaurant does not have these options, skip dessert altogether. You can buy yourself a pack of low fat ice cream or yogurt from the supermarket on your way back.

• If possible choose a restaurant which has special menus for those on diets. For example, some restaurants have special menus for Atkins diet, South Beach diet and more.

• Some restaurants have menus which display the calories contained in different dishes. If your restaurant has such menus, calculate the calories you take in and contemplate how you will burn these calories away.

• You ought to stop eating for at least 3 hours before you go to sleep, so time your outing such that you get enough time between the meal and sleep. If possible, plan some other activity after the meal. For instance, you can go for a walk or return home and finish pending chores before going to bed.

• Don’t forget to enjoy yourself. It is easy to obsess over your diet and weight and forget about everything else. Don’t do this. Let healthy eating become a habit, not an obsession.

Sticking to a healthy diet plan while eating out is certainly not easy, but if you remain firm and adhere to your resolution, your efforts will be well rewarded.

Jonathan Pitts

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