Eating out is not always bad for your health

How many times have we asked ourselves “what am I going to eat today?” and the answer would be A LOT! We all know it so there’s no sense in denying it, we are a people who love food. But the more important question is why do we allow ourselves to be so consumed in food, always wanting the tastiest, the highest in calories, the fattiest and oh just so scrumptious? Oh deny all you want, I see your Al-Baik plastic bag stuffed in the trash (I secretly love it too!). It is always a good idea to indulge, it’s our nature but must we indulge every single week? Or every single day? That’s not only going to expand your waist line but that number in your bank account will just go down, down, down.
Weekends are a time to relax, a time to spend with family, friends and loved ones and my grandmother always told me that the secret to love is through the stomach. But it is a fact that we gather, eat, enjoy our time and leave. Many families enjoy checking out new restaurants or visiting their favorites every now and then, but I will go back and point out that it’s not the best of ideas to lose ourselves as we indulge in good food.
As a society that loves to eat, and almost all societies do, we lose ourselves, our waistlines scream “mercy” and we just have no idea what’s going on inside.
I won’t even mention the amount of restaurants that we have upon our disposal but they can be a major hazard to our health. Societies have grown to know and understand the importance of healthy food. Here are a number of tips to stick by when dining out, you and your waistline can thank me later.
1. Always ask for vegetables instead of fries. A side of vegetables isn’t as much as you’d expect French fries would be so ask your waiter to double it, you can even triple it. A normal serving of vegetables per day is between 2½-6½ cups of both fruits and vegetables, divide that according to your preference and you’re good to go.
2. Check out the “healthy” or “low fat” entrées. Many chain restaurants even special restaurants provide healthier options, many times you won’t find any nutritional values on the side of the menu to explain to visitors so you must ask about the method by which the vegetables are cooked, for example, ask that they not use butter, grill instead of fry, etc. This is to ensure that at least the grams of fat aren’t sky rocket high.
3. Ask for half portions. In some menus, the option to order a half portion is provided, so use that and order a side of something healthy like a salad, hummus or guacamole dip with fresh vegetables (special requests might be an option so ask your waiter). If the half portions aren’t available, either you finish half of your meal and take it with you or share with your partner or friend, never over stuff. If that is still a difficult option, ask your waiter to remove half of the meal before touching it, box it up and give it to someone in need.
4. Salads are always a great idea for appetizers, I’m not talking about the salads with rich creamy dressings, opt for an oil based salad dressing. A study in Penn State University, USA found that volunteers who ate large portions of vegetables before their main meals not only felt stuffed quicker but found that they’ve consumed less calories than volunteers who hadn’t eaten salads as first-course meals. Choosing a salad over a burger doesn’t always mean that’s the best option, a salad dressing can have more calories per serving than a whole burger! Even “light” salad dressings save on calories but make up for it in sodium and sugar. Ask if you can have vinaigrette instead and also ask to have it on the side, all you need are 2-3 tablespoons.
5. Stay away from all you can eat buffets! No questions asked.
6. Skip on the bread basket, you don’t need it, you’ll feel stuffed quicker than you’d like on carbs nonetheless.
7. Opt for water instead of fizzy drinks and sodas and ask your waiter what fresh juices are available, you can never go wrong with fresh juice.
8. If you’re stuck, always order fish. It’s healthy, it’s clean and has less fat than grilled chicken but if you’re not a fish fan, a nice lean grilled steak is a great option and please put down the butter, better yet “waiter please take that small plate of a heart attack away”.
9. Go brown, order brown rice instead of white, get whole grain pasta and bread instead of white normal bread, you won’t taste the difference.
10. The most difficult choice of them all, skipping on the dessert menu after a good meal. All I see is sugar on top of sugar on top of sugar and a dollop of fatty cream on top! Talk about diabetes, yikes. Yes it is difficult, but it’s not important, have a piece of chocolate when you get home instead.
These tips can be applied at home as well as when dining out, it’s a sure way that you don’t break your commitment to becoming a healthier you.