Eating Out and Remaining Healthy and Happy - A Real Possibility Or Just a Fairy Tale?
For the majority of people, having dinner at a nice restaurant is a very enjoyable experience.
There's no cleaning up, you aren't limited by what's in your pantry, and other people do all the work for you.
However, for someone on a diet or who wants to maintain a healthy diet to prevent weight gain, your choices of where you can eat may be very limited, or even nil! But, don't despair.
It IS possible to eat at most restaurants and still be true to a healthy diet and lifestyle When you start ordering, don't bother with the drink section.
Beer, cocktails or even milkshakes contain empty, useless extra calories that you simply don't need.
A glass of cold water is actually better for your digestion.
However, if you need to consume alcohol, consider something like a glass of red wine.
Research has shown that a single glass of red wine can be good for you and prevent heart attacks for some at-risk people.
The reasons for this are too complicated to write about in this article, but who cares? Just remember, the key word here is a "single" standard glass of wine.
Any more can be bad for your health.
Unless you want to have a side salad, you should also skip the appetizer menu.
Most appetizers tend to be fatty and salty foods like garlic bread, chicken wings, etc.
At this stage, you should only be thinking about the main course.
However, if you MUST have an appetizer, why not share it with the rest of the table? If you order a garlic bread, why not have just one piece and share the rest? When it comes to choosing the main course, you should think about what the ingredients are.
High-fat foods or creamy sauces should be avoided.
If you are intent on cutting out carbohydrates, potatoes and rice should be avoided or eaten in lower amounts.
When the main course arrives, think about the portion you'll be eating.
There are many restaurants that give you great value for your money.
In these places, if you order a steak, the steak they give you may be so large you might think you've got half a cow on your plate! A way around this is to order something from the lunch menu if possible.
The reason for this is that the portions tend to be smaller.
Another technique is to ask for a doggie bag right away and split your dinner into halves or even thirds.
This means that you are eating less calories, and you even have a meal or two for tomorrow! At the end of the meal comes the dieter's worst enemy...
the dessert menu! Just like the appetizer menu, this should be avoided at all costs, unless they offer something healthy like fresh fruit salad.
Some of the fancy desserts that are available may have more calories than your entire main meal! Therefore, if you have enough will power, avoid eating dessert.
However, if you MUST have dessert, do the same technique with the appetizer and order one dessert but share it with the rest of the table.
Eating out at a restaurant does not have to be an unpleasant experience if you are trying to maintain a healthy diet.
Today, most restaurants have healthy options for those people trying to watch their calories.
The reason for this change is because more people are trying to watch their weight by eating healthy foods and businesses see this as a great market to tap.
Don't believe me? Who would have thought 10 or 20 years ago people would be going to McDonald's for their salads?
There's no cleaning up, you aren't limited by what's in your pantry, and other people do all the work for you.
However, for someone on a diet or who wants to maintain a healthy diet to prevent weight gain, your choices of where you can eat may be very limited, or even nil! But, don't despair.
It IS possible to eat at most restaurants and still be true to a healthy diet and lifestyle When you start ordering, don't bother with the drink section.
Beer, cocktails or even milkshakes contain empty, useless extra calories that you simply don't need.
A glass of cold water is actually better for your digestion.
However, if you need to consume alcohol, consider something like a glass of red wine.
Research has shown that a single glass of red wine can be good for you and prevent heart attacks for some at-risk people.
The reasons for this are too complicated to write about in this article, but who cares? Just remember, the key word here is a "single" standard glass of wine.
Any more can be bad for your health.
Unless you want to have a side salad, you should also skip the appetizer menu.
Most appetizers tend to be fatty and salty foods like garlic bread, chicken wings, etc.
At this stage, you should only be thinking about the main course.
However, if you MUST have an appetizer, why not share it with the rest of the table? If you order a garlic bread, why not have just one piece and share the rest? When it comes to choosing the main course, you should think about what the ingredients are.
High-fat foods or creamy sauces should be avoided.
If you are intent on cutting out carbohydrates, potatoes and rice should be avoided or eaten in lower amounts.
When the main course arrives, think about the portion you'll be eating.
There are many restaurants that give you great value for your money.
In these places, if you order a steak, the steak they give you may be so large you might think you've got half a cow on your plate! A way around this is to order something from the lunch menu if possible.
The reason for this is that the portions tend to be smaller.
Another technique is to ask for a doggie bag right away and split your dinner into halves or even thirds.
This means that you are eating less calories, and you even have a meal or two for tomorrow! At the end of the meal comes the dieter's worst enemy...
the dessert menu! Just like the appetizer menu, this should be avoided at all costs, unless they offer something healthy like fresh fruit salad.
Some of the fancy desserts that are available may have more calories than your entire main meal! Therefore, if you have enough will power, avoid eating dessert.
However, if you MUST have dessert, do the same technique with the appetizer and order one dessert but share it with the rest of the table.
Eating out at a restaurant does not have to be an unpleasant experience if you are trying to maintain a healthy diet.
Today, most restaurants have healthy options for those people trying to watch their calories.
The reason for this change is because more people are trying to watch their weight by eating healthy foods and businesses see this as a great market to tap.
Don't believe me? Who would have thought 10 or 20 years ago people would be going to McDonald's for their salads?
