12 Tips to Stay Healthy When Eating Out (Or Ordering In)
What to look out for when you’re not cooking
One of the most exciting things about living in a city like New York is the opportunity to enjoy food from world renowned restaurants and famous chefs. Of course, at the moment we are limited to ordering in and our choices have been cut in half. That said, we still have a reasonable number of establishments to choose from and before long (hopefully), we’ll be back eating inside the restaurants.
As a nutritionist and health conscious individual, I am very careful about ordering because when eating out (or ordering in) we simply don’t know — mostly — where the produce comes from, what ingredients are used and how the food is prepared. For the health conscious consumer, here are some of the main concerns and simple tips to consider:
1-Do the research
Many of us are careful about what we buy in the grocery stores, but somehow we forget that attention to detail when we go out for meals. Fortunately, many restaurants have started paying attention to us consumers and as such are becoming much more transparent about what produce they use and how they use it (think open kitchens). Many of us already spend much time looking for the best reviewed places, so it doesn’t require much on your part to look for the very restaurants that only use the highest quality produce.
2-Choose well
Menus are written to entice you. Keep that in mind as you read through the mouth-watering descriptions. If you want to avoid calorie dense meals then aim for the following descriptions, processes and cooking methods:
- Raw
- Steamed
- Boiled / par-boiled
- Poached
- Broiled
- Grilled
- Baked
- Stir fried (depending on the restaurant)
And be sure to avoid:
- Fried / deep fried
- Gratinated
- Glazed
- Breaded
- Crispy
- Purees and mash
- Buttery, creamy and cheesy
- Smothered
The more processes your food has to go through the fewer health boosting nutrients it will contain, there is just no way around it!
Side note: the same goes for the so called “health foods” you find in grocery stores. They may claim to be healthy and contain a host of beneficial nutrients however, research shows that if a nutrient has been extracted from one food and added to another, the nutrient have limited benefit.
3-Avoid other additives (as best you can)
Fats, oils, sugar and salt make for yummy meals and the better it tastes the more likely you are to come back. However, aside from obviously being calorie dense, depending on the product, some of these additives can also disturb your natural hormonal balance and satiety signals so that you end up eating more than you actually need.
4-Plan ahead
Never order when you are hungry! Same as you never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. If you can, plan ahead. That means looking at the menu of your restaurant of choice a few hours before going — preferably just after lunch when you are no longer hungry — and deciding which healthy meal you are going to order later. And stick to it when you get there! This way you avoid ordering too much and overeating.
5-Set basic rules
It can be very helpful to establish some baseline rules to ensure you get at least some nutritious items with you meal. A few examples:
- Always order a portion of veggies (preferably steamed)
- If you order something deep fried, also order something steamed
- If you’re having carbs, always order (or ask for) whole grain versions
- Eat in circles: don’t eat all the calorie dense foods first leaving no room for veggies or protein. Have a bite of protein, then a veg, then carbs and start over
Veggies and whole grains contain lots of fiber, helping you to feel more satisfied and full for longer.
6-Eat slowly
Whatever you do, practice slow eating. If you’re eating with friends or family, you can focus on the conversation and enjoy the company. Eating slowly aids your digestion by giving your system time to handle the influx of nutrients and allowing your body and mind to recognise when you are full. Eating slowly also helps you feel more satisfied, keeps you better hydrated and makes it easier to lose or maintain weight.
7-Stay hydrated
One of the easiest ways to take in extra calories is through liquids, whether it’s alcohol, sodas, juices or anything else. None of which keep you hydrated, particularly alcohol. If you do drink alcohol with your meal, have a rule that for every glass of wine, have a glass or two of water. I can’t tell you how many clients and friends who find this simple rule incredibly helpful.
8-Don’t order dessert
Ok, this one might not be for everyone — but do you really need to eat all that sugar, cream and whatever else? I have no problem with adding dessert once in a while, but when it’s added to almost every meal and it turns into a habit, that’s when it becomes a real problem. Not only do you take in so many extra calories, after you have already given your body what it needs with your main meal, you are also feeding your body highly processed food that cause blood sugar spikes and inflammation.
9-Don’t be afraid to ask for changes
If you don’t see what you want on the menu or if it’s not quite right, ask if they wouldn’t mind changing one or two things. The worst that can happen is they say no. But most likely they will be able to accommodate your request whether it’s replacing an item on the plate or cooking it a different way. I never liked asking for changes to my orders, but actually what I’ve found is that most restaurants want their customers to be happy and satisfied and if making slight changes to the dishes they are usually happy to do that. Sometimes they even have items or dishes not even listed on the menu.
As an athlete, I very rarely drink alcohol so when I’m out for dinner and I don’t just want to drink water, I always ask for non-alcoholic beer which are usually not listed. Or if I want a mocktail, I always go off list because most of them are full of sugary substances. When I eat Italian, I always ask if they can replace the white refined pasta with wholegrain. The main point here, never be afraid to ask for what you want.
10-Watch out for the sales tactics
So here’s the thing. Waiting staff are there to take your orders and wait on you, but they are also excellent sales people. If you’ve ever been out with a friend and ordered 2 glasses of wine, you know what I’m talking about. The waiter instantly tries to convince you that you want to order the full bottle — “you know you’re going to order another glass each so you may as well order the bottle, it’s cheaper.” Sure, it may be cheaper if you were actually going to order 2 more glasses, but obviously not if you weren’t. And on top of that, you end up drinking another 150–200 calories.
If it’s not the wine, they almost always try and get you to order dessert “you left room for dessert right?” They often tend to catch you off guard as well or when you are deep in conversation forcing you to make quick decisions. I usually just ask for the check before they can even ask, catching them off guard. But if that’s not you, try and take some extra time to think it through before you decide. Don’t feel rushed into it.
11-Fight the peer pressure
Peer pressure is hard. On the one hand you want to eat healthy, and on the other, all your friends are ordering mouth-watering and delicious, yet calorie-packed meals and you know you’re going to get food envy. This is where you need to practice not giving in to the pressure and set an example. It might not seem like it in the moment, but you’ll earn more respect from your peers in doing so and you will feel so much better about yourself. Of course, it’s hard though and in the beginning, you may want to have a conversation with friends and family, before going out explaining that you want to eat healthy.
12-Don’t beat yourself up
Sometimes, the pressure just becomes too much or you’ve had a bad day and you just want to give in to temptation. And you know what — that’s totally ok! Don’t beat yourself up about it afterwards. Instead, allow yourself to have a meal once in a while that isn’t necessarily the best for you, and allow yourself to enjoy it. And then get straight back to your healthy lifestyle without feeling shame. Just be careful you don’t develop an all-or-nothing mindset which often leads to regular overeating. Just because you have one less healthy meal doesn’t mean you have to spend the whole day or weekend eating junk. Just focus on one meal at a time and continue to make small improvements.
I am a huge foodie and love eating out, so these are strategies that I have developed over the past 10 or so years. But they have been absolutely necessary for me to stay healthy, as I did have a period in my life when I gained quite a bit of weight and it all came down to how I was eating.
Finally — I would love to hear your experiences and your own strategies for staying healthy when eating out or ordering in as the more tactics we have, the better off we are. So please add anything I haven’t mentioned in the comments. Thank you!
