How To Eat Fewer Calories When Eating Out:

Going out to eat is fun and festive, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up and order all the food, right? Of course, there are meal times, but studies show that eating out, whether at a restaurant, at a fast-food checkpoint, or at a fast-food joint, is a daily high in calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Causes, however, rest assured that if you prepare yourself with a few simple strategies, you can create a more balanced meal with all the pleasures of food; just fewer calories.

Here, nutritionists and dietitians work with their highly customizable tips that will cut down on any meal. Some tips (like dropping a loaf of bread or ordering a dressing on the side) may already be a hack to your restaurant while others (ordering a salad may not always be your best bet) to get you out to eat. Can adorn a new perspective about At the end of the day, it’s all about balance and choosing healthy and delicious foods that will make you feel full instead of losing.

Eating out just a few times a week can lead to weight gain and obesity, according to USDA data. A 2010 study by the department found that each meal away from home adds an average of 134 calories to a person’s daily diet – and hundreds more if the food away from home comes from a fast-food restaurant. More Eating out was also associated with less than a quarter serving of fruits, whole grains, and leafy green and dark orange vegetables for the average adult. And for those who were obese, the calorie burden throughout the day was higher than for normal-weight people on days when food was eaten away from home.

Scroll down for Fail-Safe Ordering Tips, and find out what other foods may not be as nutritious as you might think with the 30 health foods that aren’t really healthy. And if you want healthy recipes, supermarket shopping guides, and essential nutrition tips at your fingertips, the new Eat This, Not that! Subscribe to! Magazine now!

This number is not encouraging if you are on a diet and enjoy keeping your social calendar booked, have a business lunch or dinner, or find yourself relying on the convenience of catching something that You haven’t created yourself yet.

But the good news is that you have a lot of options to make sure that those numbers don’t apply to you when eating out.

“There are now a lot of restaurants that cater to health-conscious consumers,” says Tina Rogerio, RD, author of The Best Home Made Baby Food on the Planet. “All healthy eating in restaurants requires a little forethought, planning, and self-discipline.”

Research has shown that people who eat at restaurants several times a week are better able to maintain a healthy diet than people without this information, and with the right information about healthy eating habits. They were able to lose weight. The study, published in the January 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Heavier, included 35 women between the ages of 40 and 59 who ate more than three meals a week. Of these, 19 women took a six-week course on how to eat mentally in a restaurant and 16 other women did not (creating a control group for the experiment).

Slightly spoil your dinner.

The most common problem with restaurant food is that it takes time to sit down, look at the menu and place your order. When it comes to food, you are starving. That’s why many restaurants add a basket of bread and butter or some chips and salsa to please you.

Instead, spoil your dinner a bit: take a piece of fruit, a few pieces of cheese or yogurt, or a handful of nuts before you go. Turn off bread and chips, which can add hundreds of calories to your diet before you start the first course.

Calories you can reduce from 150 (1 slice of bread + butter) to 500 (basket of chips).

Plan ahead.

“The biggest thing is to make a plan before you walk in the door,” says Mattweek, owner of Week Fitness, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN. “Find out what items are on the menu that interests you and how you would ask them to prepare.” Whether it’s requesting a baked code instead of frying or ordering a side salad instead of french fries, going with the plan can help prevent you from making last-minute calorie spills.

Sit in a quiet place.

No one knows, but people who sit in the more disturbing parts of the restaurant (by the window or in front of the TV) eat a lot. It makes it easy to lose track of how much noise you are putting in your mouth. If you are making a reservation, request a silent table. If you go in and you are offered a table in a busy place, ask for one away from the action. It’s worth the wait.

Ordering matters:

Instead of allowing the waiter to write everyone’s order before you arrive, go first voluntarily. “When you order first, you’re more likely to stick to your healthy eating goals than to be influenced by your food partner’s options,” said Julie Upton, MS, RD. Says a registered dietitian and partner based in the Bay Area. – Founder of hunger for health. “However, if you are out with a bunch of health nuts, you can place a final order, as their positive choices will be reflected in the way you order.”

Don’t forget about liquid calories:

Remember that while moderate drinking can have health benefits, the empty calories in alcohol can increase rapidly. Restaurants often over-serve drinks, so instead of the official 5-ounce serving a glass of wine, you can get almost double that. To go out without feeling deprived, Ruggiero suggests adding a dessert or a drink, but not both.

“If you want to have fun, have a nice glass of wine or a thin cocktail, like vodka and a splash of juice or soda,” she says. “Remember that restaurant sections can be more generous than your home, so take a sip and drink water with your meal.” To be satisfied with just one drink, she suggests trying something new and different, and focusing on enjoying the experience, don’t underestimate some of the same old drinks without thinking twice.