If you go to a nice restaurant, you sometimes want to indulge in dessert as a special treat at the end of your meal but don't want to sabotage your healthy eating habits. Restaurant desserts can be unhealthy in two main ways -- portion size and nutritional composition. A few simple strategies can help you control portions and make healthier choices.
Choosing Restaurants
Increasing numbers of restaurants these days focus on wholesome, nutritious cuisine. A restaurant with many whole food, organic and vegetarian offerings usually offers more healthy dessert options than a steakhouse. For chain restaurants, you can check nutrition data online before you leave home to choose a meal that will be best for your diet.
Portion Size
Many restaurants offer far larger portions than are recommended for ideal nutrition. You can make restaurant desserts much healthier by controlling portions. Rather than ordering an entire dessert for yourself, split one with a friend. See if the restaurant offers seniors' or children's menus with smaller portions. If you order a full-size dessert, ask for a take-home container and pack up half the dessert to take with you and eat on another day.
Fruit-Based Desserts
Fruit is an ideal dessert, filled with fiber and vitamins. Avoid syrup-covered fruit cocktails and look for plain fruit, perhaps lightly dusted with powdered sugar, chocolate shavings or a light glaze of fruit puree. Fruit with chocolate or other sweet dips is an increasingly popular offering, as are fruit parfaits with reduced-calorie or low-fat toppings.
Frozen Desserts
Nonfat sherbets or sorbets in moderate portions are fat-free low-calorie choices. Try a low-fat frozen dessert made with yogurt, low-fat milk or low-fat soy products for a sweet treat that may fulfill up to 10 percent of your daily calcium needs. Avoid full-fat frozen desserts and calorie-laden toppings such as whipped cream or butterscotch. Try dried fruit or plain nut toppings instead.
Baked Desserts
Baked desserts can be the least healthful ones on the menu. Watch portion size carefully. Choose low-fat custards, puddings or meringues. Try dessert squares, crumbles or tarts with whole grain crusts and low-fat fruit fillings rather than creamy fillings.
Ask Your Server
Ask your server for help. At most restaurants, servers can suggest healthful options or discuss ways the chef can modify regular dishes to make them lower in calories and more nutritious. Don't be embarrassed to ask. Most servers are glad to help you select the options that are best for your lifestyle.
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