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Tips for Dining Out

Home-cooked meals are clearly the healthier option, but often families get busy and turn to restaurants for the convenience. With the large portions and tempting fried foods, it can be difficult to make good choices.

Consider these tips the next time you and your family dine out.

Dining out tips

  1. When ordering takeout, divide your meal into smaller portions, saving the rest for another meal in the future.
  2. Order off the kid’s menu or ask if a lunch portion is available. These portions tend to be smaller and may still be enough to satisfy your hunger.
  3. Research the nutritional information for restaurants you visit often. You can find almost any restaurant’s nutritional information online.
  4. Request a to-go box at the beginning of your meal. Put half of the meal in the box before you start eating to prevent overeating.

Make substitutions

  1. Instead of cream sauces, such as Alfredo, try a red sauce like marinara or marsala.
  2. Instead of cream-based soups, such as broccoli cheddar or baked potato, try broth-based ones like chicken noodle or vegetable.
  3. Trade in breaded or battered foods for grilled, broiled, roasted, or poached foods.
  4. Instead of french fries, try a baked potato or a side salad.

Learn more 

For tips on healthy choices when dining out, visit http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-fast-food.htm. Other helpful tools for researching nutrition facts at your favorite restaurants include MyFitnessPal.com and Livestrong.com.

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