5 Top tips to make eating out healthier

There will come a time in our lives when we realise, we are not invincible and that we want to be healthy on the inside as well as the outside. There are many skin care routines people follow, hair care products they use and so on, but the reality is that if we fuel our bodies well and consume all the nutrients we require, our bodies will do most of the TLC for us. On top of this, our insides will be healthy too, so when this realisation hits us square in the face, we generally look to make changes and we will:

A – Sign up for a diet plan.

B – Read up and research healthy eating and living.

C – Watch an influencer on one of many social media platforms (this can work if they actually know what they are talking about).

D – Start taking all sorts of supplements left right and centre.

E – Join a gym.

F – Look for some magic pill or injection that we feel will have all the answers without us having to make any changes to our lifestyles and with no side effects (This one unfortunately isn’t real, like a Unicorn, Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny it does not exist at the moment).

Whatever route you choose, you make changes to your lifestyle, and these changes start to bring some results, which is great. You start to feel the benefits, your clothes start to fit better, and your confidence is coming back, then the first hurdle approaches and you start to panic. There is a social event coming up and you will be eating out, it seems like you have lost control of what you can eat (not to the extent you perceive I will add), you know the people you are going with will expect you to have a drink or 3 and you will want to get your money's worth as eating out isn’t always the cheapest of things.

There is another, bigger fear about eating out that most people face when on a healthy living and eating journey, especially near the start, and that is GUILT! Most of us have been there, you meet up with friends or family at the restaurant, get some drinks in as you all catch up, you are hungry because you had a small breakfast and lunch knowing you were eating out tonight and then the menu comes. When we are hungry everything looks delicious. You can’t decide what you want to eat. Then someone says those fateful words “We are all having starters, aren’t we?” You then have to look at the starters, knowing the main alone will probably push you well over your calorie limit and now you’re looking at the starters, and these smaller dishes look very calorie dense too. There are pates, fried foods, foods covered with cheese, there is always the soup but unfortunately you don’t particularly like the sound of it. Everyone is ready to order so you end up panicking and just picking without reason and being hungry your body is craving calories.

As delicious as your meal was, guilt is starting to kick in now. You feel you have undone all your hard work and are now thinking to yourself “well what’s the point, why do I bother? All that hard work and I’ve ruined it.” Guilt is a negative emotion and one reaction to guilt is to eat something that gives us pleasure, a pick me up. Something nice and sweet that will temporarily give you a positive feeling (until the guilt then comes back around about that too) and right on cue the waiter arrives “would you like to have a look at the dessert menu?” Game over! You spend the next week or two having what is known as a blow out! You just eat all the wrong foods, snowballing out of control and the scales are going the wrong way.

I have heard this from many a client over the years, sometimes it’s a birthday, Christmas, a Wedding, or just a catch up with old friends. But it doesn’t have to be like this, you don’t have to let one bad meal ruin your day, week, month or year. Another PT I used to know would say to his clients “If you overspent on a holiday or car, would you then walk away and decide to blow all your remaining money because of one big purchase, or would you tighten the purse strings and get back on top of your finances?” Healthy eating is the same, it’s what we do most of the time that will make a difference.

So, in a very long-winded way, what can you do differently to avoid the scenario? Are there any tips to being able to eat out and enjoy yourself whilst not being a killjoy or undoing all your hard work. The answer is of course yes there are, and these are my 5 top tips for making eating out healthier:

1 – Look at the menu in advance

This is vital because we all turn up to a restaurant hungry, and when we are hungry two things happen. Firstly, everything on the menu looks good, and it’s really hard to decide what you want. Secondly, your body will be craving fatty, sugary foods because it wants calories. These 2 factors make picking something healthier a challenge. A day or two before you go have a look at the menu, make sure you have eaten too and are not hungry, this way you can make a more educated decision and pick what you will eat before you arrive, saving time, stress and calories.

2 – Drink water

Alcohol can be our downfall when eating out. Some people feel the need to keep up with others, some people want to get their money's worth, others get lost in the moment and end up drinking more than they realise, and alcohol is full of empty calories. By drinking water, you can make a big difference here. I’m not saying you can’t have a glass of wine or a beer, just alternate with some good old-fashioned H2O, and if you’re feeling fancy why not go sparkling. By drinking water you will be hydrating, reducing your total calories consumed and water will fill us up more than alcohol.

3 – Pick grilled or steamed foods rather than fried

Obvious I know, but a hard decision to make if hungry. By picking foods that have been grilled or steamed you are straight away reducing the calories you consume. Fried foods are very fatty, and fat is high in calories. Other benefits to these dishes are they usually come with a variety of vegetables rather than just chips or fries so your meal will have more colour, nutrients and less calories. It’s a win-win.

4 – Have dressings/rich sauces on the side

This may sound strange to some, but have you ever ordered a meal that comes with a dressing or sauce and there is just too much of it for your liking? Also, most dressings are full of calories as a lot of them are oil based. By simply asking for the dressing to be on the side you can apply as much as you require, straight away reducing the number of calories you are consuming and making your meal a little more palatable for your taste.

5 – Choose health sides and desserts, also do you actually need a dessert?

Another obvious one here, but it is a common banana skin moment when you see the fried onion rings or triple cooked chips on the side part of the menu and think to yourself “that sounds REALLY good.” By applying this point with point 1 you can choose a healthy side to go with your meal, and it will be something you know you will like as you are picking it on a full stomach, so there will be no urges to go for something a little bit cheeky. These healthy sides like a side salad or sweet potato for example can help to keep you on track whilst you enjoy a meal out. Then when the waiter comes to tempt you with a dessert you can ask yourself “do I really need/want one?” If the answer is yes do not feel guilty. You can also share a dessert with someone so you are halving the calories (unless you are sharing with my son then you would be lucky to get more than one bite).

There you have it, my 5 top tips to making eating out healthier. I must stress that I am a believer in everything in moderation and that no foods should be banned from our diets, but by making healthier choices most of the time we can stop those feelings of guilt when it comes to our food and still enjoy socialising and eating out with our friends and families. Also if you do over do things, that’s just one meal, don’t let it spoil your hard work and dedication to living a healthier lifestyle, we are all allowed to enjoy our food, and dare I say have the odd treat we know isn’t very good for us every once in a while, just don’t make these foods a staple part of your diet!

I hope this helps and please give it a go if this is something you struggle with, and if you do let me know how you get on.