Nourishing Knowledge Blog Post Six: Eat Smart While Dining Out
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Dining out, whether it is restaurant dining, grabbing something on the run or a takeaway, is something most of us like to do. One of the main issues with these food choices is the high kilojoule content, due to extra oil, fewer vegetables, fatty meats and pasta-based dishes. These meals can bring so much enjoyment and are about sharing food – and time – with your family and friends that it would be a shame to give them up altogether, but knowing a few basics when it comes to food selection outside the home goes a long way in making healthy choices.
To eat healthy meals when you leave the house:
- Never go to a restaurant starving- If you arrive at a restaurant very hungry, you can guarantee the bread and oil and your three-course meal will be demolished in no time.
- Choose grilled, baked or stir-fried menu options
- Order entrée size, ask for a smaller serve or share a main meal
- Go for lean meat, chicken, fresh fish or other seafood, or a vegetable dish
- Avoid buttering the bread before your meal
- Avoid deep-fried foods
- Ask the waiter about hidden ingredients – for example, what’s in the dressing or sauce?
- Ask for sauces or dressings in a separate dish so you can control how much you add
- See if it’s possible to get a vegetable or tomato-based sauce instead of a creamy one
- Choose vegetables or salad over chips
- If you really want dessert, share it with a friend
- Ask for a chilled bottle of tap water and drink it while you eat
- If you choose to drink alcohol, only have one glass, or alternate with glasses of water
Tell us how do you make the right food choices when eating out?
May you be Mindful message.
Mindful Eating
This involves sitting down at a table and eating a meal without engaging in any other activities – no newspaper, book, TV, radio or music. Now eat your meal paying full attention to which piece of food you select to eat, how it looks, how it smells, how you cut the food, the muscles you use to raise it to your mouth, the texture and taste of the food as you chew it slowly.
You may be amazed at how different food tastes when eaten in this way and how filling a meal can be. It is also very good for the digestion.
Don’t forget to post your mindfulness stories to be in with a chance to win the May you be Mindful prize pack.
References:
Department of Health 2016, Healthy eating out, http://healthyweight.health.gov.au/wps/portal/Home/eat-well/healthy-eating-out/, viewed April 2016