3 Tips to Eating Healthier When Dining Out!

by Javon Taylor March 13, 2023

You have been doing really great on your diet and are crushing it in the gym and then you get invited to go out to eat with friends or coworkers! This can be a very “dangerous” situation for most of us by causing us to indulge/overeat because:

Restaurants don’t naturally cater towards a healthier diet
Social Pressure: people have this unfortunate tendency to make you feel bad when you are working on bettering yourself

So I want to share 3 ways that will allow you to enjoy that meal with friends without the guilt from overeating!

1. Don’t Drink Your Calories

It can be very tempting to order soda when you go to a burger spot or a margarita when going out for Mexican food, especially when it's happy hour!

When we consume alcohol, alcohol carbs are different from regular carbs. Regular carbs contain 4 calories per 1 gram whereas alcohol contains 7 calories per 1 gram! And as we know, all regular sodas have a high amount of sugar in them!

Here are 2 options when it comes to your drink choice:

Order water: its free, which is why i order it because im cheap lol
Diet soda: this way you still get the flavor of a soda without sugar

2. Prioritize Protein and Avoid Higher Fat Meals/Components

You may not know but 1 gram of fat has 9 calories whereas 1 gram of protein and carbs has 4 calories. So when eating out, the majority of the foods we enjoy are covered in cheese or are deep fried which are higher in fat leading to more calories eaten.

There are several ways to limit your calories from fat. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Look for Protein Forward Items: Grilled Chicken, Baked Fish, Steak
Salads: ask for the dressing on the side
This allows you to control the amount of dressing you want and a little goes a long way!
Limit Dairy: cheese, sour cream, butter, cream sauce

3. Choose Carbs Wisely

I am unsure who needs to hear this but carbs are not the enemy! Carbs are simply energy for our body BUT when eaten in excess they are way less beneficial and can even be stored as body fat. Good carbs sources are items like sweet potato, fruit, vegetables, rice and beans.

Here are a few tips on how to eat good carbs without overdoing it:

Swap out those fries for veggies, side salad or a baked sweet potato
Avoid free chips/bread: 4-5 chips = 1 tortilla
Yeah, we are all guilty of eating 10-20 tortillas worth of chips!
Lettuce Wrapped or Avoid Bun all together

BONUS TIP

View the menu before you get to the restaurant

This allows you to be prepared before you get there and helps you avoid the “panic pick” when the waiter has asked you “are you ready to order?” for the 3rd time!

Thank You So Much For Reading!

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