Healthy Tips for Eating Out

I try to stay healthy through exercise and a clean diet. I have also always enjoyed eating out at restaurants, and quickly realized that the two do not always go hand-in-hand. But, it is possible to go out to dinner without busting your efforts (or your pants.) Here are some healthy tips for eating out...please add any of your own in the comments!

1. Eat before you eat.

It may sound counteractive, but it works. Instead of going out to eat starving, have a small meal about an hour beforehand, something like a bowl of oatmeal or small protein shake. By the time you get to the restaurant, order, and get your food, it's going to be a little while anyhow. But this way, you're not going to be so hungry that you overeat and disregard portion control. Those 150 or so extra calories beforehand will more than offset the 500+ extra you could easily take in by gorging yourself at the restaurant.

2. Beware the crouton

We think of "salad" as the clich©d health food. Crunchy lettuce, tomatoes, and all the other things your mother tried to get you to eat when you were a kid. But unfortunately, many restaurants today can be devious with their salads, loading them up with calories and fat in order to make them more appealing. For example, the Ruby Tuesday's Carolina Chicken Salad has bacon, cheese, and fried chicken, all adding up to over 1,000 calories and 68 grams of fat. Just for comparison, a McDonald's BigMac has 540 calories and 29 grams of fat.

3. Drink the supreme quart

The current recommendation is to drink 2 quarts (64 ounces) of water each day. I'll admit that I have a hard time sticking to this, because certain combinations just fit right to me, like pizza and beer or Chinese food and soda. Still, I will also admit that drinking water with a meal does help me feel fuller and in turn eat less. I usually compromise by having one beer or diet soda and then switching over to water. Another trick is to fill up on water before you go out. Drinking 2 full glasses of water (along with that small meal) before you head out will keep you from scarfing down your food like Kobayashi at a hot dog eating contest.

4. Do some legwork

And not just lunges. Most chain restaurants now publish the nutrition content for their menu online. You can usually find this information either on their web site, or through a simple internet search. There are even smart phone apps devoted to the cause. David Zinczenko's Eat This Not That! Restaurant Survival Guidecovers nutritional content on everything from restaurants and fast food joints to coffee shops and diners. It also offers more healthy tips for eating out, and a guide to the "best and worst" restaurant foods in America .

5. Squash your hunger with vegetables

A small house salad before your meal or some vegetables on the side can help you feel fuller, and in turn eat less. Even if you don't forego the fries completely, some veggies will give you another option to keep you busy and slow you down as you eat. Some other healthy sides to consider: baked potato (no sour cream), a cup of soup, or a tomato and mozzarella appetizer.

6. Make like a gymnast and split

Many restaurant portions are 2-3 times an official "serving size." (or 200 times. Check out the Denny's Beer Barrel Burger in Pennsylvania , which cost $379 and feeds 200 people!) Instead of eating for 3, order an entr©e, small appetizer, and a couple house salads to split with someone, or a couple dinners for the whole table to share. Otherwise,decide ahead of time that you will eat half to 2/3 of your meal for dinner, and brown bag the rest for tomorrow's lunch.

7. Have a game plan

If you know you will be going out to eat at night, try to keep the rest of your days eating in check. If you can eat healthy meals up until dinner, you will counteract some of those extra restaurant calories. (Find some healthy breakfast ideas here.) If you lift weights, try to work out that day so your body uses calorie intake to rebuild muscle. Of course, that's not free reign to go hog wild at dinner, but consider it instead "hedging your bets."

Sources: Personal knowledge
worldofdiets.com