Healthy Eating When Dining Out

Whether or not you're trying to lose weight, you can eat healthy when dining out, if you know how.  So, if you're treating yourself to a meal out, here are some tips to help make it a dining experience that is both tasty and good for you.

Ask if the restaurant will:

• Serve margarine rather than butter with the meal?
• Serve fat free (skim) milk rather than whole milk or cream?
• Trim visible fat from poultry or meat?
• Leave all butter, gravy or sauces off a dish?
• Serve salad dressing on the side?
• Accommodate special requests?
• Use less cooking oil when cooking?

Select foods which are:

• Steamed
• Garden fresh
• Broiled
• Baked
• Roasted
• Poached
• Lightly sautéed or stir-fried

Source: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in cooperation with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health.