As I've said, I mostly eat at home these days and only go out when company is here or when there's something going on with friends. I like going out, but I am increasingly frustrated when restaurants have few options to help make it all easier to stay on track.
For example, it drives me nuts that you so often have to pay extra to get a salad (healthy, if done right) instead of fries (no hope there). Lettuce is cheap, so what gives? I suppose it's partly that lettuce doesn't stay good as long as those frozen fries, but that's no excuse. I think it should more often be a free substitution to help health-conscious consumers.
When I go out, I have buzz words to look for to indicate danger. Obviously, batter is out, along with it's buddies fried and breaded. Blackened is generally a problem (a delicious, delicious problem), cream sauce is a source of terror, and cheesy is probably something best to avoid. Rich and/or decadent often imply buttery and fat-ladened. Sauce is something to be wary of till you know the details. Smothered is a word best avoided food-wise and otherwise. Etc. Beyond those, though, restaurants can be sneaky in making things sound healthy that aren't and in adding crap to things that should be healthy. For example, rumor has it that Outback Steakhouse (and others) coat their lettuce in butter to make it look and taste better. So that nice salad you had to balance the steak....not so much a balance.
If you're heading to a restaurant, what to do, then? How can you go in making good decisions? There are a few web-based ways to find out.
1) I mentioned early on about Dottie's Weight Loss Zone, which has WW points for foods from tons of restaurants. Sometimes it's a little out of date, but it definitely gives you a good idea of what you're getting into.
2) Last night, a friend told me about another site called Healthy Dining Finder that offers the healthy--or at least, healthier--choices at national chain restaurants. You can enter the restaurant's name or you can look for restaurants in your area that are listed. It's pretty cool, and even helps you figure out how to special order things to make them better for you.
3) You can also just Google the name of the restaurant and food you want to eat (or what you already ate). Most restaurants have some basic nutrition information out there, or at least there are other sites that have compiled the specifics. A lot of times when I do that, one of the easiest sites to use is The Daily Plate. However, there are others that will show up. It's best to be a little selective here, as there's no way to know how accurate these places are. It's just a nice rough guide.
4) If you know in advance where you're going, the restaurant site might have some information on their healthier options. Sometimes menus themselves have little labels of healthy choices, too, but I like to look stuff up in advance if I can.
One of the great things about many of the local restaurants where I live is they work with a local hospital nutritionist to offer healthy options. The program is called The 500 Club, and the nutritionist helps area restaurants develop menu items that fit their theme (e.g., steakhouse, diner, Italian) that are 500 calories or fewer and fewer than 15 g of fat. It's so great because the meals are balanced and delicious, but not over the top. At one place, I get the chicken and marinara pasta with a salad, a roll, and (AND!!!!) frozen yogurt for dessert. It definitely encourages people to eat local. You might look up similar programs in your area or inquire about how to get one started with your local medical center.
The reason I'm thinking about this today is because my parents are on their way here, and I have a feeling we'll be eating out...I'm trying to figure out how to indulge without overindulging. We'll see how it goes.
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