How can we eat in restaurants without violating the things that I have tried to teach you in the previous articles? Well there is a way. In the days we live in, restaurants offer optional food choices when you order. You can still eat healthy if you know what to order and what foods to replace. Here are some tips and guidelines for dining at restaurants:
1. Instead of pasta, you can order a side salad. When ordering salad, it is better to order Italian dressing, light Italian dressing, or oil/vinaigrette, or no dressing at all. Also, ask about the dressing on the side. This way you can control how much dressing to put on your salad. No need to drown your salad in dressing. A little spread will be enough for flavor.
2. Watch out for hidden (sugar) carbohydrates! They’re in the sauces, the sodas, and even the condiments. A bit of sauce and seasoning is fine for flavor, but keep it in check.
3. If you keep your carbs low during your meal, you can indulge in a small amount of dessert. I call this “earning the right to splurge”. However, if you are already full, there is no need to eat dessert. They don’t just want to be “stuffed” to their full (satisfied) level.
4. Use the “eyeball method”. When you have a chicken breast (or other protein source) on your plate, your fruit and vegetable foods can take up twice as much space as your chicken breast (or other protein source).
When you have a chicken breast (or other protein source) on your plate, your whole grain, rice, or potato foods can take up as much space as your chicken breast (or other protein source).
If you have a chicken breast (or other protein source) on your plate, your meal from a less healthy carbohydrate source such as pasta, french fries, tortillas, sauces, etc. should take up less space than the chicken breast (or other protein source).
5. Watch what you drink! Many people will try to eat healthily instead of counteracting what they eat by drinking soda, sugary drinks, or other high-sugar beverages with their meal. The best choices for drinks with meals are water, iced tea (low or no sugar), or light soda.
Note: The sugar sweeteners are bad for you!
Note: Diet sodas are very bad for you!
6. You don’t have to eat everything on your plate! You can and should take something home in a container if your plate is too full. You can eat the leftovers later or give to someone else. Our body can only use and digest a certain amount of nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat) at a time. When we overeat, even if it’s a healthy choice, it becomes waste or fat.
7. When you eat at fast food restaurants, you need to be even more careful about what you eat. Beware of sodas, fries, sauces, tortillas, pasta and too much bread. Jack in the Box fills you up with an Ultimate Cheeseburger and iced tea (no fries). At Carl’s Jr., you can have a six-dollar low-carb burger wrapped in lettuce instead of bread; again, no fries or soda pop. At McDonalds, you can order some sort of chicken sandwich with iced tea or lemonade and maybe throw away half your bun. These are just some examples. You can “make it work” for you.
Eating at Mexican restaurants presents a big challenge, but you can still do well. For example, if you order a large burrito without sour cream, make sure it has beef, carna asada, or chicken in it, and certainly don’t feel like you have to eat the entire “mast” tortilla it’s wrapped in However, if you have a choice, order a wheat or whole wheat tortilla. Some Mexican restaurants these days have healthier options…
8. The biggest challenge is eating at buffets or in all-you-can-eat restaurants! However, you can still “make it work”. Remember, you control the food; Food doesn’t control you. Think “protein” when you fill your plate. Carbohydrates are “everywhere” it seems. Rather than piling on a few items you crave, it’s better to get just a tiny bit of several items, just enough to satisfy your taste buds. For example, instead of a lot of fries, just take 2 or 3 fries. Instead of getting a lot of pasta, just take a small piece of pasta and a small piece of rice and a small piece of bread. Who cares what people think? Always remember the “eyeball method”.
9. Of course, you can save your cheat meal or two for food, but don’t overdo it. They want to be able to walk out of the restaurant, not crawl out, roll out or be carried! If you cheat too much, you could set yourself back several days and counteract all your discipline from the previous days. Your cheatmeal is only allowed as a reward, not as a punishment!
Thanks to Doug King
