Eating Out

Eating out and dining with friends and family is an important and enjoyable part of life. We all tend to eat out more often than we did in the past and what was once a treat is now a regular occurrence. Meals eaten out tend to be higher in fat, often the wrong type, and the portions are usually larger than those you would serve at home. It is very easy therefore to find your waistline expanding slowly but surely over time.

Business lunches, coffee and a muffin with friends, breakfast on the weekend and a couple of evening meals out constitute a major part of your weekly food intake. The solution is not to avoid eating out, but to educate yourself on how to eat healthily when you are out so that you remain in control of your nutrient intake and continue to work towards your goals. Remember that the changes you make to your diet should be ones that you can continue for a lifetime and that includes eating out.

Inevitably we are in less control of our nutrient intake when someone else has prepared the meal. Eating out more frequently is likely to increase your intake of all types of fat. Even with the best of ordering intentions, meals you expect to be low fat can come out dripping in butter or cream. On the other hand eating out can be a positive step in improving your nutrition. By choosing wisely you can increase your intake of vegetables; increase the variety of foods in your diet by ordering foods that you might not eat at home and ensure you consume your targeted intake of fish or red meat. The trick is to order what you want and don’t be scared to ask how dishes are prepared. Most restaurants today are more than happy to accommodate you. You don’t need to feel awkward and very simple changes can make a big difference. In general:

• Choose grilled, BBQed or baked foods over fried or roasted options

• Ask for sauces and dressings on the side. This is usually where the extra fat is hidden and this way you can eat it sparingly

• Cut down on the amount you eat by ordering two entrées

• Choose an entrée-sized pasta dish and order a salad as well

• Choose low GI carbs whenever possible and eat only a small serve of any high GI carbs

• Order a side of steamed vegetables without butter

• Eat slowly, stopping when satisfied rather than when you have emptied the plate

• Skip the cheese and dessert, or share helping yourself to only a taste

• Order a large sparkling mineral water and sip throughout the meal to avoid drinking too much alcohol

• Choose tomato-based or consommé-style sauces rather than creamy ones

• When your meal arrives decide how much you need and stick to it, leaving the remainder on the plate

Some of the higher fat meals below contain healthy fat (marked with an *) and are better choices than those rich in saturated fat. However they still contain far more fat than we need and push up the total energy content of the meal, making it hard for you to control your weight. Save them for an occasional treat if you particularly like the dish.

Italian

Traditional Italian food is very healthy. It contains lots of vegetables; utilizes pasta which has a low GI and is therefore absorbed slowly keeping you full for longer and opts for olive oil as the main fat. However, restaurants are often too generous with the use of olive oil; they often add cheese and/or cream to dishes and invariably serve up very large portions. A good option is to order pasta with seafood or meat in a tomato-based sauce and a side salad with the dressing on the side (adding only a little). Or you can order pasta as an entrée size and that way you won’t be tempted to eat too much. Remember too to skip the bread if you have chosen a carbohydrate-rich meal such as pasta.

Asian

We tend to think of Asian food as being particularly healthy but many people are unaware of the fat content of many dishes. Remember that the takeout and restaurant food is often a far cry from the native food of the country. Apply the basic principles and avoid the deep fried options instead going for stir-fries or steamed dishes. Choosing wisely is usually easy in this type of restaurant and therefore they are usually a good choice of venue.

Indian

In most countries, restaurant and takeout Indian food tends to be extremely high in fat. You only have to look at the curries on display in a takeout to see the layers of fat swimming on most dishes. To make matters worse the fat is ghee (clarified butter), which is extremely saturated and has been shown to raise LDL cholesterol.

Traditional Indian food is based on vegetables and lots of legumes such as lentils and beans. These are the options to go for where you can. Tandoori dishes are always a good bet as these are baked in the oven and if there is a sauce it is served separately. The other good news is that the rice in Indian restaurants is usually basmati which has a lower GI than most other rices. Chapatti also have a low GI and are a good option. Finally just watch your portion size - eating too much is usually the biggest problem!

Japanese

If you can choose the restaurant, Japanese is a good choice as most of their food is low fat and therefore less energy-dense. They use a lot of fish and seafood which provides a good level of omega-3 fats and portion sizes are not excessive. As a nation Japanese have one of the healthiest fat intakes and their level of heart disease is correspondingly low. Unfortunately this is changing as they adopt a more Westernized approach to eating. Watch out for the obvious high fat foods such as Tempura which is deep-fried. Teppan Yaki dishes also have a bit more fat but are still usually much lower in fat than other restaurant meals. Sushi or Sashimi make a good low fat lunch and early tests have found sushi to be low GI. Miso soup is another good option.

Lebanese, Greek & Turkish

The obvious rules apply here. Where food is fried or in pastry the fat and energy content will be high, eg Baklava pastries have about 20g of fat each. Felafel, although usually deep-fried, are packed with healthy ingredients and are a good option teamed with pita bread, salad and humus. Watch also for dishes with lots of olive oil - although this is a healthy fat the energy content is the same as all fats so we still need to watch the amount we eat. Choose plain grilled kebab style meat dishes with tabouli salad and pita bread. Tzatziki and hummus dips are also good options and make good shared starters.

Spanish & Mexican

This can be a good option as it is relatively easy to avoid the high saturated fat dishes. Cheese added to meals is the major source of saturated fats so avoid dishes named “con queso”. Many dishes, especially Mexican, use beans in place of or along with meat. This tends to lower the fat and increase the fibre. Nachos may be very tasty but try to stick to a taste as a portion of nachos with cheese and sour cream can notch up to 65g of mostly undesirable fat in one hit! Spanish tapas is an excellent way of having a small taste of lots of different dishes and should be savoured over a lengthy evening with good company.