How to Stay on Your Diet Even Eating Out

A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy diet protects you against many chronic non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

“Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for healthy diet,” says WHO.

However, one of the most challenging parts of staying on a healthy diet is having to step away from your home and cooking routine to eat out at restaurants and other eateries.

With so many delicious-looking dishes enticing you out there, it can be hard to resist the temptation of indulging in food that’s not health for you. But it’s essential that you stay on your diet even when eating out to avoid compromising your health.

Tips to  Stay On Your Diet Even When Eating Out

Let’s say you are on a diet program that provides a detailed diet plan for effective management of food intake and nutrition for better health and fitness, you need to make better choices and stick to your diet by avoiding food traps that you stumble on at restaurants.

1. Avoid Common Food Traps When Eating Out

In order to stay on your diet despite all of the food temptation at restaurants and eateries, beware of the following diet traps that are commonly asked when eating out:

Will You Have a Drink with That?

Calories from alcoholic drinks should be included in your calorie calculations. A typical cocktail can contain as many as 300 calories.

If you are counting calories, this extra beverage can easily throw off the balance of your diet plan.

Will You Have Dessert?

Ordering dessert is a sure-fire way to blow your diet. Even if you skip the chocolate sundae, most desserts have between 150 and 300 calories.

If you do order dessert, it's best to avoid decadent desserts like cheesecake and ice cream. It's even better to skip dessert entirely if it's possible.

If you must have dessert, try to select one of the healthier options. For example, many restaurants offer sorbet or fresh fruit with a few tablespoons of low-fat whipped topping as an alternative to rich desserts.

Conscious dieters often worry most about those two common restaurant food traps. But, there are other things about the rest of the meal you should pay attention to as well.

What About the Rest of the Meal?

Many restaurants now offer low-fat and low-carbohydrate meals, but be careful. You might end up eating more than you should.

Watching your fat and carbohydrate intake is the best way to maintain your diet – not simply select a meal with the lowest calorie count.

Large portions are another problem that has become common in restaurants. Many restaurants serve huge portions, giving a generous serving of protein, starch, and vegetables.

If you are ordering a pasta dish, for example, make sure that the amount of pasta is in proportion to the other ingredients in the dish. Ask for far less pasta if you want to avoid overeating.

2. Avoid the Breadbaskets On the Tables

This is a very tempting habit that you should avoid because many restaurants can refill the breadbasket at any time.

If you eat all of the bread, it can add extra calories to your meal that will offset any other healthy choices you make.

You can also ask the waiter to remove the bread basket altogether when you are seated. This will help prevent you from getting too hungry and overeating bread.

3. Watch Out for Hidden Calories in Restaurant Foods

The calories in restaurant foods can be much higher than similar foods that you prepare yourself. This is because many restaurants prepare foods with much higher butter, oil, sugar, and other ingredients than you would prepare at home.

If your goal is to lose weight, make sure that the ingredients in your food are similar to the foods you make for yourself at home. Those hidden calories are the reason why restaurant food tastes better than what you cook at home.

You can easily stay on your diet while eating out by carefully reading the list of ingredients in the restaurant food. Keep an eye out for items such as mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, and fried foods.