Most people enjoy a meal out now and then, but so often, restaurant meals hinder healthy eating goals due to large portion sizes and high fat and calorie content. However, it is possible to choose a healthy meal by reading the menu carefully and not being afraid to make special requests. When you eat out, the American Cancer Society recommends balancing your meal with lower calorie ones the rest of the day.
Dangers of a High-Calorie Diet
Regular intake of more calories than you are burning is going to make your weight creep up. Being overweight is associated with many health conditions that are easily preventable by watching calorie consumption and staying within a healthy weight range. Carrying too many pounds increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, sleep difficulties and damage to your internal organs, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. However, dropping excess weight reduces this risk and gives you more energy. When you eat at a restaurant, there are a couple of ways to determine whether a meal is low-calorie or not and being able to identify them allows you to enjoy eating out without ruining your health goals.
Ingredients
The ingredients used to prepare a restaurant meal will tell you a lot about its calorie content. According to Penn State, many restaurant chefs aren't aware of how many calories are in the food they prepare, which means you need to be vigilant about what your meal contains. Ingredients like butter, lard, fatty cuts of meat, sauces and breading will increase the number of calories your restaurant meal contains. However, it is important to keep in mind that regardless of what goes into your meal, sticking to one portion is necessary to keep calorie intake at a reasonable amount.
Cooking Methods
Understanding how your restaurant meal is cooked is an important step in determining whether it is high in calories or not. Items that are fried, crispy, crunchy, crusted, covered in cheese or cream sauce, battered, breaded or au gratin are ones to avoid, according to the National Consumers League. Instead, opt for menu selections that are grilled, roasted, baked, poached, steamed, broiled or broth based. This will mean less calories, while still being flavorful. However, it is important to ask your server how foods are prepared because sometimes a healthy sounding food may not be.
Recommendations
When you eat in a restaurant, there are many things you can do to make your meal lower in calories without much effort. The American Cancer Society recommends ordering sauces and dressings on the side so you can control how much you eat, sharing large entrees or taking some home, having an appetizer as your meal, ordering a baked potato instead of fries or choosing a salad or steamed vegetable as a side dish. Trim excess fat from the meat you order and have fruit or sorbet for dessert. Drinking water or unsweetened iced tea rather than a soft drink or cocktail with further reduce your calorie intake.
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