Sunday, September 12, 2010

Eating At A Restaurant Without Affecting Your Dietary Plan

By Cheryl Kroff

Dining out while on a diet can be a discouraging. You may not know what foods you can eat or what portion sizes will help or hurt your weight plan. Fortunately, there are tips that you can follow when eating at a restaurant that will help your order a delicious, satisfying meal that won't add to your waistline.

When you open the menu your first obstacle is the pictures. The photos you see of the photos were taken in such a way to stimulate the appetite. The truth is the food rarely looks or tastes as good as you think it will from looking at the picture. When you look at the menu, try concentrating the food descriptions rather than the tempting photos.

When you're reading the menu doesn't be influenced by the names of the entrees. Like the photos, the names are also designed to whet your appetite and make you crave them.

Entrees that are listed as "rich" or "decadent" sound a lot better than foods with plain titles. Don't fixate on the entree's name, instead, read the description and make your decision based up on what's in it and how it's prepared.

Another deception found in menus is the placement of unhealthy items next to healthy ones. In studies, psychologists found that diners more often the unhealthy items when they are placed in such a manner. Now that you know about this trick, don't fall for it.

Restaurants will also place a variety of vegetables on the menu and give it the illusion of having healthy choices. These vegetables can be bad for you because some are covered in fatty sauces, cheese, carbs and may even be fried.

Don't assume if you are ordering vegetables that they are healthy. Read over how it is prepared. Look for the words sauteed or steamed. Don't order it if it is described as friend or coated in something fattening.

If you go to a restaurant with friends beware of sampling. It can be hard to pass up a delicious looking entree when offered it, but all those bites can add up. You never know how many calories and grams of fat are in each bite.

If you're on a diet you don't have to avoid restaurants, just be prepared to be tempted. Be strong and know that you're healthy choices will make a difference.

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