Making Healthy Choices When Eating Out
Lets face it, eating healthy requires conscious effort and preparation. Many people work so hard to avoid temptations associated with “giving in” that they forgo one of the most important human needs: being social. Here are a few things you can try in order to have your “social cake” and eat it to.
1) Get Restaurant Information Ahead of Time. It’s easier to make an informed decision rather than making one on a whim. If you know the restaurant you’ll be eating at, you can get a general idea as to what may be on the menu and you can do your research online, or choose not to eat at all.
2) Get a Drink….. of water or some other moderately healthy beverage. If you choose to consume alcohol, leave the sugar drinks alone and opt for substitutes with liquor and diet soda, tonic, or seltzer. They contain far less calories than a long island ice tea or chocolate cosmopolitan.
3) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask. When placing your order, ask the waiter if he can make it specifically as requested. If he says no, ask to speak to the manager or head chef. Many times the food comes pre-packaged in butter sauces or creams. Depending on the type of establishment, the chef may be able to prepare a variation of the meal you are requesting, and guess what it’s fresh and not pre-packaged. It may cost a bit more, but it’s well worth it.
4) Check Your Food. Don’t take the waiter’s word that your food was prepared without oil or butter. Check it and make sure. If it’s not prepared as you requested, send it back. It’s your money and your body. People often think this is a waste of time, but if you are in contest prep and the food was incorrectly prepared, do you think the judges are going to want to hear, “It was the waiter at Chili’s fault.” (I’ve found that the easiest thing to order at basic restaurants during contest prep is a plain chicken breast and plain bake potato. You can add whatever condiments to it when you receive it.)
5) Don’t Feel Compelled to Keep Eating. When you’re done, you’re done. Have the waiter remove your plate. Push anything else on the table that is remotely saying, “Eat me” to the other side. (You know the rolls, the left over fries on your friends plate, the half eaten piece of cake. Get rid of it!) Or if your friends are cool with it, have it removed from the table altogether. They don’t want that stuff either. At that point people are just eating because food is there.
6) When all Else Fails Walk Away. If temptation just gets too overwhelming, then get up and leave the table. Go to the restroom or go to the bar just to order a diet soda, but remove yourself from the situation. Give it a few minutes and then return.
By choosing to live the healthy lifestyle we do, we automatically standout because our healthy behaviors are not the norm. Use it to your advantage. Influence others rather than let them influence you. You never know, maybe the next time you and your friends dine out, they will have picked up something new from you…….and at the end of the day you still have your social life. Best of luck to you!
I truly hope you were inspired, motivated, encouraged, and learned something from this health segment series! Please don’t hesitate to post your questions on this site or email me directly at Laura@LeanLikeLaura.com.
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