Your Guide for Healthier Eating Out

Today there are approximately 925,000 places in the United States, and approximately 22,151 places in Michigan, to eat out . And eat out we do! The average American household in 2004 spent $2,434, or $974 per person, for food away from home.* That’s good news for the restaurant industry, and for our social lives, but what about our waist lines?

Americans like a good value and for many that means lots of food for a reasonable price. But stop and think what happens when we overeat. Eating more calories than our bodies need over time means we gain weight. So what can you do when you eat out? Here are four easy steps to follow.

Take charge of your eating out habits! Restaurants say to “Have it your way”, so speak up and ask for reduced calorie dressing for your salad even if it’s not listed on the menu. If you want your fish grilled instead of fried, just say so. Would you rather have that creamy sauce on the side so you can control how much you eat? Ask away!

Be realistic about portions. If it looks like a lot of food – it probably is! Take half home (if you can get it into the refrigerator within two hours) for tomorrow’s lunch. Order one salad and one entrée for two people. Or even inquire about smaller portions or lunch size meals at dinner time. Don’t go for the value meal when it is more than you need or want. What type of value is that?

Try to include lots of colors in all your meals. Think about it – fruits and vegetables add all colors of the rainbow to our plate. The more colorful your plate is, the healthier it usually is.

One more thing each of you should work on is recognizing when to stop. Get to know your body and how it feels when you aren’t hungry. That’s the feeling you are going for at the end of a meal – not that bloated, full-to-the-top-of-your-throat feeling. Enjoy eating out, but be smart and don’t clean up your plate if you are full. Really, your mom will approve!

*Source: National Restaurant Association, http://www.restaurant.org/research/ind_glance.cfm

Ten More Ways to Make Eating Out Healthier

1. Choose fresh fruit or sherbet for dessert.
2. Order salsa with your baked potato in place of sour cream, butter, cheese, etc.
3. Choose pastas with tomato-based sauces rather than cream-based.
4. Have a salad as an appetizer.
5. Order vegetables in place of French fries.
6. Request that your food is prepared with little or no butter or oil.
7. Order dressing and sauces on the side.
8. Order water, diet pop, or unsweetened tea or coffee instead of regular pop or alcoholic beverages.
9. Eat half of your meal and take the other half home or split a meal with a friend
10. Don't feel like you need to clean your plate! Stop eating when you are satisfied.

What would you choose? (pdf)

You Can Make Healthier Fast Food Choices!
Check out your favorite eating place online and check out the calorie, fat and sodium content of your favorite meal. You may be surprised.

Ask for:

Instead of:

You saved 1190 calories, 58.5 grams of fat, and 295 mg sodium!!

Resource for Fast Food chart: www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.menuitems.index.html

Adapted from: Want to Watch Calories When Dining Out? Tips for Eating Smart , by Sheila Cohn, R. D. National Restaurant Association http://www.restaurant.org/dineout/nutrition.cfm