From the workplace canteen or sandwich bar to the fast food outlet and, especially in fancy restaurants, nutrition is often an afterthought. People who eat out a lot tend to choose very simple food. It’s better to save treats for at-home eating, when you know exactly what you’re getting and can control portion size.
Be confident when ordering and feel free to order exactly what you want. Mix and match from the menu and ask the waiter to bring the dish with the accompaniments you like, or leave out any foods you don’t. This ‘power ordering’ is now quite widespread and most restaurants are happy to help. If not, they don’t deserve your custom! So here are some easy tips to help minimise the overindulgence when eating out:
General Advice
- Order extra vegetables or salad with your main course
- Ask for salad dressings and sauces to be served on the side. For Healthy Salad Recipes – made with low calorie Hermesetas, please click here
- If you only have 2 courses, a starter plus a main course is generally healthier than a main course and dessert
- If you do have 3 courses, order a second starter instead of a main and accompany with salad or vegetables
- Choose a sandwich shop that makes sandwiches to order, so you have a say in exactly what is in your sandwich
- Raw, crunchy foods that need chewing are great, so you feel you’ve eaten more
- Start your day with a healthier breakfast which you can control – how about ‘Super Healthy Easy to Make Granola’ (click here for the Granola Recipe) or a ‘Green Smoothie’ (click here for the Smoothie Recipe) to start your day?
