Eat Out Healthfully

Going out for a meal is one of America’s favorite pastimes, and the following tips will help you do it in a healthful way.

• Select a restaurant that meets your dietary needs. Call ahead and ask, if you’re not sure.
• Request low-fat recommendations from the server or chef. Many menus now indicate if an entree is low-fat.
• Ask how items are prepared (deep-fried in vegetable fat, for example, if you’re a vegetarian).
• Focus on the whole experience—the company, service, ambiance, and food. Don’t use eating out as an excuse to overeat.
• Choose a salad, fruit, rice, or baked potato for side items.
• If you can’t eat it all, don’t try. Take it home.
• Avoid buffets. The temptation to pile it on is too great.
• Just because it sounds healthy, looks healthy, and tastes healthy, doesn’t mean it is. A salad soaked in oily or creamy dressing can be more fattening than a hamburger and French fries.
• Ask for salad dressings, sauces, and toppings on the side.
• Drink a big glass of water while scanning the menu to curb your appetite.
• Order a large side dish with a small entrée, or order two healthful appetizers or first courses and skip the entrée.
• Put your fork down between bites and chew slowly. Savor it, and stop when you feel full.

Jyl Steinback is a lifestyle trainer and author of Superfoods: Cook Your Way To Health.

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