Being served meals with excess fats, sodium, and enormous portions when dining out can quickly derail your diet. Here are five healthy suggestions that will help you make the best meal decisions to maintain a healthy weight. Moderation and awareness are both keys to success when maintaining sensible eating habits. Here are the best ways to dine out while remaining true to your diet goals. With these helpful suggestions in mind, you can even eat at fast-food restaurants without losing you healthy focus:
1. Curb your intake of cholesterol and saturated fats
Request that your meal be prepared with olive oil or vegetable oil, rather than butter. Or you may decide to search the menu and find healthy oils in the ingredient list.
Pass on the breadbasket. Or at the very least, least skip the butter.
Ask for calorie reduced salad dressing-- on the side.
Trim the observable fat off poultry and meat. Eat only a portion that's about the size of a deck of cards, and take the rest home.
Lean meat and poultry still have significant fat and calories.
Chose meals that are prepared with healthier cooking methods, such as broiling, steaming, grilling, roasting, poaching, baking, or stir-frying.
2. Be on the lookout for hidden salt
Be alert for ingredients, cooking styles and labels that indicate a dish may be high in salt, such as pickled, cured, smoked, soy sauce and broth.
Do not use the saltshaker
Select healthy fruits and vegetables rather than salty appetizers or snack foods.
Be sure to limit the use of condiments such as ketchup, mustard, pickles and sauces that have a high salt content.
3. Avoid oversized servings an enormous portions
Remember that you don't have to clean your plate. Even if there are only a few bites left. A few bites left here and there can really ad up.
Substitute a healthy appetizer for an entree.
Share a meal with a companion.
Put half of your meal in a takeout container even before you begin eating.
4. Keep low calorie, low sodium foods, and portion control in mind when ordering.
More and more restaurants recognize the fact that many people are trying to maintain healthier ways of eating. Many restaurants now use icons on menus to identify low-fat items. As you consider your meal options, keep these tips in mind:
Drinks.Choose water, club soda, tea and coffee. If you want an alcoholic beverage, stick to moderation. That means, in general, one drink a day for women, two a day for men.
Appetizers.Choose appetizers with fruits, vegetables, and steamed fish. Skip fried and breaded appetizers.
Creamed Soups. You're often better off avoiding high fat creamed soup and choosing fruit or salad. Also, tomato-based soups are usually high in sodium.
Breads.If you don't want to skip the bread course completely, ask for whole-grain bread, or rolls. Try diligently to stick to one piece. Garlic toast, muffins, and croissants usually have more calories and fat than whole-grain bread alternatives. Remember that crackers can have high salt and fat contents.
Salads. When ordering a salad, avoid eggs, cheese, or chopped meats as salad toppings. Request dressing on the side, and limit yourself to a single spoonful while staying with low-fat dressing varieties. Also, avoid bacon bits and prepared salads like potato salad.
Sticking to healthy foods when going out to eat doesn't have to be an ordeal. If you know what to look for , and if you follow the suggestions listed above, it should be easy. Cutting back on fat calories and sodium can be as easy as changing the restaurant that you frequent. When it comes to weight loss, knowledge is your best ally.
Author: Carolyn Smith, head writer and researcher for womens-weight-loss-and-fitness.com womens-weight-loss-and-fitness.com
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