Surviving on a diet, especially when dining out can be a little tricky. You want to enjoy yourself while you’re out with your friends, but at the same time you don’t really want to ruin the mood with your restricted meal plans. Here are seven tips to help you enjoy dining out with friends, without having to worry about compromising your diet.
1. When dining out, don’t order at a restaurant on an empty stomach. When you order food when you’re hungry, you’re bound to make some bad choices, whether it’s fattening food, or something that will contain a lot more calories than you need.
2. If you know the restaurant’s known for its large portions, order from the appetizer menu instead. Pick out an appetizer that comes with a balanced serving of vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates.
3. When it comes to ordering smart in a restaurant, the trick is all about decoding the menu. Look out for these buzzwords like au gratin, breaded, fried, creamy and gravy. You don’t have to avoid everything on the menu with these words listed, but opt for the healthiest option.
4. Eating also requires some extra effort when you’re on a diet, but a rule of thumb would be to avoid anything that is deep-fried. Opt for anything that’s grilled, baked or boiled.
5. When you’re in an Italian restaurant, it’s hard to resist the hearty pastas, artisan breads and cheesy pastas. When dining on Italian, perhaps you can skip the pastas and opt for some of the delicious grilled meats they have to offer. And if you’re eating the breads, avoid dipping them in olive oil.
6. A couple of restaurants are open to help their customers personalize a meal. If there’s something you’d like to order when you’re eating out but wished it was a little healthier, ask the waiters if they’re able to modify the order a little. Perhaps you’d prefer your meat boiled, or change your salad dressing to something less fattening. It won’t hurt to try, but don’t get
7. It’s hard to deny that dining out always requires a little sweet treat. We all need a little reward once a while, right? If you’re planning to order dessert, simply share it with friends. All you need is a little taste of something sweet to help you curb the cravings.