Tips for Eating Out

As I mentioned in one of my old posts, I used to be a dine-out-holic (read my old post HERE) I still do eat out time to time but now that has decreased tremendously.  I used to eat out a lot in my hometown because I had easy access and also because it was a social event. Now I eat out at restaurants maybe once in 2 weeks. This change was easy for me to adopt because of my physical and social environment.  I don't have a car so I am unable to have easy access to take-out foods; my friends are doing their assignments/ readings every single day so we don't really get the chance to meet up and go for dinner. So eating at home is somewhat inevitable and beneficial in cost savings and also for my health.

Since school is now coming to an end, I started to think about ways to maintain my healthy habit without pushing my friends away since my social interactions are important to me. According to the European Food Information Council, the impacts of social influences can be shown when one or more persons affect others' eating behaviour directly or indirectly. We may not realize that this is happening and this is because social influences can occur both consciously or subconsciously (European Food Information Council, 2004).

I recognize that I will be going for meals at restaurants more often in a couple of months because I have to catch up with a lot of friends; I decided to summarize some of the tips I gathered to eat healthy while eating out. I hope these are helpful if you ever run into the same situation as me. 


1. Order water instead of other sugary drinks (US department of agriculture, 2015)

This is also cost saving because water normally does not cost you a thing!

2. ALWAYS ask for whole wheat bread instead of white  (US department of agriculture, 2015)

Whole wheat is a healthier option to go.Look for options such as quinoa, brown rice, barley or oats (Eat Right Ontario, 2015).  

3. Ask for sauce/ dressing to be on the side  (US department of agriculture, 2015)

From personal experience, when I order poutine, the servers put A LOT of gravy on it to the point it is way too salty for me to even eat it. I always ask for half or ask for the sauce to be on the side so I can control the amount of sauce/ dressing I can put on my food

4. Make sure to order a meal that comes with vegetables  (US department of agriculture, 2015)

This can be inside stir fries, or pasta that uses tomato sauce instead of cream sauce. This way, you can also get your veggie intake

5. Sometimes, entrees are ginormous. In order to prevent yourself to eating more than what you normally do, order an appetizer instead (US department of agriculture, 2015)

Main course meals tend to be high in fat, sugar, and/ or sodium (Eat Right Ontario, 2015). If after eating your appetizer you would still like to order that specific dish, ask your friend to share it with you! 

6. Divide up desserts (Eat Right Ontario, 2015)

Have you ever felt somewhat full but not fully satisfied of with your meal? I know your instinct is to order dessert. Try a cup of tea/ coffee. If you want to order a rich, delicious cake, split it with your friends! 

7. Go for coffee/ tea

Sometimes, the best way to chat with your friend isn't over a meal but at coffee shop. This way, you don't have think about spending a lot of money at a restaurant and you will still get to catch up with your friend!

I hope this gives you some tips on how to stay healthy and still be able to eat out and enjoy the company of your friends. Please e-mail us at mphteamone@gmail.com if you have any questions. 

References

Eat Right Ontario. (2015). Top 10 tips for eating out. Retrieved from http://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Dining-Out/Top-10-tips-for-eating-out#.VQdvkI7F8W4

European Food Information Council. (2015). Why we eat what we eat: social and economic determinants of food choice. Retrieved from http://www.eufic.org/article/en/health-and-lifestyle/food-choice/artid/social-economic-determinants-food-choice/

US department of agriculture. (2015). Tips for eating healthy when eating out. Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-tips/tips-for-eating-out.html