Dining Out Tips for Valentine’s Day
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Going out to dinner can be a such a fun, enjoyable experience, ESPECIALLY at the holidays! But for anyone trying to stick to a “diet”, eating out can be torture.
With society as a whole becoming more health “aware”, restaurants and food companies are following suit. Most restaurants have their nutritional information right on their website. If you can’t find it on their website, try a site like:http://nutritiondata.self.com/. They may have a similar dish at a different restaurant that is comparable.
By planning in advance, the meal becomes much less stressful and you don’t have to feel guilty about it! Heck, plan for those couple drinks you deserve too Or that chocolate cake that I KNOW is calling my name 
If for whatever reason you are unable to plan ahead, here are some restaurant tips you should know:
We’ve gone over this, but BEFORE you put ANYTHING in your mouth, guzzle that cup of water sitting in front of you! It will help curb your craving.
Appetizers- Stay away from the fried, cheesy, greasy or creamy choices. Go with a vegetable based soup or order a small side salad (with the dressing on the side) to start. The soup or salad will satisfy you with much less calories than other options.
Bread baskets- if you can, opt out. Totally remove the temptation by having the waiter or waitress take it away. If you must indulge, go for the whole-grain or rye breads without butter. Just weigh out your calories- is that bread worth not having a drink with dinner? Would you rather have a couple pieces of bread or that brownie? Make it worth it!
Salads– salads are a GREAT choice- without all the “add ons”. Croutons, eggs, cheese, cold cuts and dressings can all be sources of extra calories. Go with a house salad and a light dressing on the side.
Entrees- fish and poultry have less calories than red meats, so those are the better choices. If you do choose red meat, remember that 3oz (a deck of cards) is a serving- so get the rest to go! Order it with the butter, sauce, sour cream, cheese topping, etc on the side. This way you can still enjoy the toppings (if you choose) but YOU dictate the amount of calories!
Dessert- if you’ve “planned” this into your meal- good for you Coffee, fresh fruit and sorbet are all great low-calorie options that will satisfy your sweet tooth.
Keywords to steer you in the right direction:
Low fat meals: steamed, boiled, baked, roasted, grilled, stir-fry, poached,
High fat meals: fried, sauteed, batter, creamy, cream sauce, cheese sauce, marinated in oil, special sauce, crispy
To good health!
Casey
www.meetcasey.com for more health, nutrition and wellness info