Eating Healthy for Life

For many families dining out can often be a necessity. When both parents work, it can often be difficult to find the time and energy to prepare meals. On top of that, school activities can also interfere with normal meal times. Dining out is a great way to cope with our hectic schedules. But we also dine out to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. If you find that eating out is a big part of your life, you should take a look at these healthy restaurant eating tips.

1. Read the Menu Carefully.

When perusing the menu look for hidden fats and calories. Avoid buttery, creamy, and cheesy sauces which come with many of the meals on a menu. Choose instead those that rely on fruit coulis, wine reductions, or a mushroom sauce that is made with beef juices. If you are lucky many restaurants include notations on their menus that describe those meals that are either low fat or are a more healthy option.

2. Avoid Fried Foods.

Although this may sound obvious it can still be tricky. Even if you do order a broiled seafood platter you may find it has a broiled fish fillet, but also includes breaded and fried shrimp, scallops and clams as well. If the meal contains chips or fries, ask if they will replace them with a small salad instead.

3. Order from the Children’s or Senior’s Menu.

It is important that you ask questions first. Unfortunately many of the items on a children’s menu are not always made in the restaurants kitchen. They instead come ready prepared from a restaurant supplier. Unfortunately a regular diet of individual pizzas, chicken nuggets or fried mozzarella sticks are not the healthiest of choices for children. But the pluses are that children’s and senior’s menus provide you with smaller portions, as well as lower prices and food that children adore. So use them if you can order such dishes as spaghetti with marinara sauce, small hamburger patty or stir fry vegetables as an alternative to what you would usually order.

4. Healthy Portions

Why not share with your child and get an extra plate (the restaurant may charge for this) and give some of your own oversized entree to your child? It is a great way of introducing your favorite, healthy foods to your child.

5. Give Ethnic Restaurants a Try

If you are looking for an experience in dining to share with your family that will not harm their health then go ethnic. Take them to either an Indian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean or African restaurant which will provide you with highly seasoned dishes that will be ideal for those who crave flavors in their food. Plus their use of curried lentils, roasted vegetables, cooling yogurt sauces, with sparing use of meat all promise exciting flavors and are a healthy alternative to your normal restaurant choices.

Healthy restaurant eating doesn’t have to be boring. Nor do you have to just rely on salads in order to make sure that what you are eating is the healthy option. The trick is paying attention to how food is prepared, and eating smaller portions. Never forget that you can take part of your meal home with you for another day. Doggy bags are not just for Rover!