Eating Out... Stress Free!

You've seen the size of platters that restaurant food is served on these days, right? Some as large as 15 inches in diameter! That can cost you... oh.. maybe a couple of grand in calories! YIKES!

Here are some hints when it comes to eating out so you don’t break your “calorie bank:”

*THINK AHEAD: look @ online menus before you go to the restaurant. Try to plan out what you will order, that way you don’t have to look at the menu and fight off all those temptations.

*NO FAST FOOD joints!

*PORTION CONTROL!!!!!!

*Ask for ½ orders

*Ask for your entree to be divided in half and put in a "to go" box BEFORE the waiter brings your meal. This way, you are not tempted to eat the whole portion.

*If you dine at a buffet.... choose a LARGE plate for your salad choices and fill it up. When you fill up on veggies you will not eat as much of the high calorie food.

*If you dine at a buffet...choose a SALAD plate to use for the high calorie-entree foods. Don’t let those cooked veggies fool you... more then likely they are loaded with butter, or oil and sodium. So, by pass those cooked veggies, unless they are steamed with NO butter, and choose your entree wisely. A plain baked potato with salsa is always a smart choice.

*Start any meal with a salad and dressing on the side, if possible.

*Choose grilled, baked, broiled, steamed or poached for your entree protein.

*Avoid the sauces, creams, & gravies, as these will rob your calorie bank for sure.

*When choosing Mexican food, go for the grilled fajitas and CORN tortillas. NO beans and NO rice. Light on the guac and sour cream. Use lots of salsa for flavor. You can also choose ONE cheese enchilada with chips and salsa, or ONE soft grilled chicken taco with chips and salsa. Be careful of those chips, tho... they can really eat into your bank!

*When choosing Italian, go for spinach or whole grain or angel hair pasta with marinara sauce or olive oil and fresh pressed garlic on the side. Or olive oil, tomatoes and fresh basil. You can order the lasagna or ravioli, but remember to have that entree divided in half and placed in a "to go" box BEFORE it gets to your table. That will save you 400 to 600 calories depending on the serving size.

*When Chinese is your delight..... Stay away from fried anything. Not only are these choices ballistically high in calories; but also, they are loaded with vegetable oil, sodium and high fructose corn syrup (found in the sauces.) Go for steamed veggies and brown rice with a side order of your favorite sauce.... use it sparingly.

These days, in this economic down turn, a lot of restaurants are offering "cheap meals," "for cheap food", is what I call it. Fried everything with sides of corn and mashed potatoes or fries. All this type of food is an inexpensive expense for the restaurants, but filled with zero nutrients for you. All you get from this "cheap meal?"...... High fat, high sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and high calories.


Ok.... so, the next time you head out to eat, you can either blow your whole days.. or sometimes two days ...worth of calories, or you can think ahead, plan what you are going to eat and take this list of hints with you.


Until Next time.......


GOOD (EATING) and GOOD HEALTH TO ALL!!!