Eat Out Without Blowing Your Nutrition Plan

Restaurants make it easy for you to ditch your healthy diet. All you have to do is waive the waitress over and give her your order, and within seconds a chef in a poofy white hat will be deep frying potatoes, smothering them in a rich cheese sauce, and serving them up with a crock of ranch dressing for your dipping pleasure. Even if you choose nutritious foods, when eating out, you may still be walking into a health land mine. Butter is de rigueur (a fancy French phrase that means “all over the damn place”), cream takes the place of milk, and nary a whole grain can be found in the entire kitchen.

PORTION SIZES

Restaurant portion sizes present another pothole on the road to diet success. A porterhouse steak at a typical steak house weighs in at one-and-a-quarter pounds—six times the USDA serving size—meaning the meat alone boasts 1,000 calories before you add in salad, soda and sides. You might not eat the whole thing, but you’re likely to each much more than if you sat down to a 3-ounce serving. In fact, studies show that when people are served more, they eat more. Remember this the next time a waiter plunks down a towering mountain of tortilla chips, refried beans and guacamole in front of you.

ESTIMATING CALORIE CONTENT

Think you can determine the healthfulness of a restaurant dish just by eyeballing it? Think again. When dietitians were asked to estimate the calorie content of popular restaurant meals, even these trained professionals consistently underestimated the total by 200 to 600 calories. For example, a hamburger with a side of onion rings from a typical dinner house brought in estimates of 865 calories, when the meal actually weighed in at 1,550 calories.

Follow the tips below so you’ll walk out of your next restaurant experience with just a full stomach—and not clogged arteries and a rapidly inflating spare tire.

• Ban the bread. Don’t even start on the bread basket. After your first piece, you just want more and then who the heck is in the mood for a salad? That also goes for the free tortilla chips, popcorn and crackers many eateries offer while you’re perusing the menu.
• Skip the starch. Ask the server to leave off the side starch—the French fries, mashed potatoes or whatever—and double up on the veggies instead. Just be sure the greens aren’t something like creamed spinach or broccoli in cheese sauce. The plainer, the better.
• Word up. Look for words like grilled, broiled or poached on the menu. These items are likely to be lower in calories. By the same token, put the kibosh on any dishes with key words like smothered, deep fried, and golden brown.
• Ask and ye shall receive. Even a healthy-sounding grilled fish can be a calorie bomb as most chefs brush butter or oil on meat before they serve it. Ask your server how a dish is prepared, and ask if the chef can leave off the butter, or if he can make a stir fry with a lot of veggies and only a little meat. Some restaurants even have keys on the register already that say “light cheese” or “dry bun.”
• Punify your portions. There’s no rule that you have to order one giant, fat-laden dish. Instead of the usual pasta and garlic bread at an Italian eatery, for example, try appetizer-size portions of marinated calamari and steamed clams, or minestrone soup and marinated mushrooms. If you can’t resist your fetish for fettucine, order a side portion plus an appetizer salad.
• Mix-N-Match. Can’t resist that oily stir fry of creamy pasta dish? Order it with a side of steamed vegetables, mix the veggies into the main dish, and eat only half of the combined meal. You’ll save on calories and increase your vitamins. Even better, you’ll have a doggie bag to bring home for tomorrow’s lunch.
• Dip and stab. Order your sauce or salad dressing on the side. Don’t simply glob the little container of sauce all over your dinner; instead, dip your fork into the goop before spearing your food. You’ll get all of the flavor with a fraction of the calories and fat.
• Bag it. Ask you server for a to-go box, and pack up half your meal as soon as it arrives. When it’s put away in a box and sitting on a chair, it’s not tempting you. Whereas if you’re served a big portion and say you’re just going to eat half—well, it’s hard to stop at half.