By Nicola Cucuiet* and Sylvia Klinger
Eating at restaurants have long exceeded it s original meaning; from a place you go to for food, to a place to reunite with friends and loved ones and enjoy moments spent in the company of people you care for. Excessive dieting often leads to the believe that when in such periods, going out with friends and enjoying a meal at a restaurant is off limits. This can’t be farther from the truth. The only thing you have to do is to pay attention to what the menu offers and choose wisely, in order to sooth you cravings and you nutritional needs.
The grate thing about restaurants is that you have portion control, food sizes are already calculated and after you eat, no matter how much you like a dish you can’t go back for seconds as you would at home (that is probably why they give you such large portions). Today restaurants offer a vast variety of healthy choices like lean meat, fresh salads, grilled vegetables, and fresh fish. Take advantage of all the menu has to offer, and make every meal your own. Switch and mix them up, and make the most out of every combination. Engage in whatever conversation that is taking place at the table in order to prevent you from gobbling.
Another good thing to do it to try to limit yourself to just one course. This will eliminate the risk of overeating and bloating, leaving you satisfied and light, giving you the possibilities to dance the night away if the opportunity presents itself…you never know what the day has in store for you. And to not feel disadvantaged, split main courses or even better, split dessert with a friend. It is better to eat little portions of sweets, than to go from one extreme to another; times when you allow yourself to eat desert, and times when under no circumstances you consume such foods.
But among all these benefits that eating out can offer you, there are some things you should try to limit while dining out.
Go easy on the chips and guacamole or anything that comes before a meal: these are the first to be set on the table, given as a sign of hospitality and welcome, can tempt you to filled up on them, providing you with a lot of calories you don’t need.
Complementary drinks: if denied, can lead to people feeling offended, so explain your situation to the waiter in order to avoid any unpleasant moment.
Limit anything fried: when dealing with fried restaurant food the main problem, beside the high calorie intake is reuse of oil. You don’t know how many times it was used and what kind of oil it is. Most commonly, sun flower oil is used, which has a low degradation point, giving birth to free radicals that has a very negative impact on the body.
Keep dressings; most dressing contains mayonnaise. If you fell that your meals need more flavor, switch to olive oil, lemon or lime zest that are very tasty and very healthy.
Avoid alcohol; if it is cause for celebration you can allow yourself one small portion. Just look at things like this: instead of drinking (alcohol has 7cal/g) you can allow yourself to eat something you really crave for and in my book food trumps over anything else any day!
When committing to a healthy life style, the conviction that your social life has to end, can’t be farther from the truth! A healthy diet mean a balanced diet. it is not all about restrictions and forbidden foods. If you feel like there is nothing you can eat on the menu, it is possible that the problem is in your diet. So keep enjoying going out and spending time with friends.
Live life and love it. Eat well.
*Nicola Cucuiet – A Masters degree student in Clinical and Community Nutrition at University of Medicine and Pharmacy Targu Mures, Romania
