If you and your family love to eat at restaurants, you may think that this lifestyle is not good for a healthy diet. In many cases, you would be correct. It is, however, quite possible to stick to a healthy diet while occasionally enjoying a restaurant meal. It’s all about making good food choices, which starts with learning about the nutrition you need to stay happy, physically healthy, mentally stable, and active.

It’s a good idea to start by ignoring the drinks section of the menu. Beer and other alcoholic beverages have many empty calories, which do your body no good. The exception to this rule when it comes to alcohol is wine, especially red wine, which can be fine if you have a single glass and can actually help prevent heart disease for some patients.

You should also skip the starters, unless you order a side salad. The appetizers at restaurants are usually high-fat foods that are not meant to fill you up and can in fact make you crave even more high fat foods. Some examples are potato skins, nachos, mozzarella sticks and chicken wings. Rather just have a main course, or share a single serving with a couple of other people.

You should carefully check the ingedients in the main dish you select Anything with cream sauces or high-fat meats should be avoided, and pass up the potatoes or onion rings. Instead order side dishes like vegetables or ask for just the main course when possible.

Remember too that portion control is everything. When possible, order from the lunch menu. Ask for a doggie bag at the beginning of the meal. Split your meal in half from the start so that you are not tempted to eat the entire thing, which is usually enough for two or three portions.

After the meal, skip dessert. If you’re really tempted, share a dessert with the whole table, or split the portion in half. Many fancy desserts in restaurants have more calories than your entire meal, so keep this in mind before you flag down the waitress to put in an order! On special occasions, you can cheat a little, but you should learn to resist temptation in order to stick to healthy eating.

Mike Devoran publishes DietHealthFitness, a source of great information on any health-related topic.

- Mike Devoran

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