Guidelines to Maintain Your Nutrition
The American lifestyle has changed drastically over the past 20 years. Between work, family, social and community activities, very little time is left for shopping, cooking, and preparing meals. As a result, we are eating out and ordering take-out food more than ever. Americans spend about $970 million per day on food consumed away from home. We sit in restaurants, drive up to fast food windows, walk in to coffee and bagel shops, order and have food delivered to our homes and offices, and even order meals online. The options are limitless, especially in big cities such as Washington, DC. This trend, however, is wreaking havoc on our calorie and fat intake. Not only are we eating out more, but we are also less active than we used to be. Less physical activity combined with eating out more may be the one of the reasons why Americans are heavier than ever.

Despair no more; it is possible to maintain healthy eating habits even if you eat most of your meals away from home. All it takes is a little insight and some planning and you can continue to eat a healthy diet. The guidelines below will help you to choose healthier meals when you are dining out at various restaurants.

General Guidelines

Order all high-fat condiments "on the side." Examples: butter, margarine, salad dressing, sour cream, gravy, mayonnaise, oil, and guacamole. When ordering a salad, ask your server if they offer "light" or "fat-free" salad dressing. Balsamic vinegar is a tasty option and it is fat-free and low in calories. Be sure to order all salad dressing "on the side" so that you can control the amount you put on your salad. Choose only foods that are baked, grilled, roasted, or broiled. Avoid foods that are fried or sauteed; these will be high in fat. If you are ordering a food that is going to be broiled, ask the server if anything else is broiled along with it. Some foods may be broiled with butter or oil, which will substantially increase the fat and calorie content. Avoid foods served in a cream sauce or soups with a cream base. These usually contain butter and heavy cream, which are both high in total and saturated fat.

Fast Food

The healthy options at a fast food restaurant are limited. Most of the food is fried and/or high in fat and sodium. If your goal is a healthy diet, keep your visits to fast food restaurants at a minimum. Here are some suggestions to help make your meals healthier.

Choose turkey or chicken sandwiches that are grilled or roasted rather than fried. Stick with the basic hamburger; avoid the larger "deluxe" sandwiches. These have extra meat, cheese, and salad dressing or mayonnaise and can contain up to 50 grams of fat! Choose a baked potato instead of French fries. Avoid high-fat additions to the potato (cheese, bacon bits, and sour cream). If you do choose French fries, choose the smallest size since it is considerably lower in calories and fat than the larger sizes. Most of the salads at a fast food restaurant are good choices if you order low-fat or fat-free salad dressing instead of regular. When ordering pizza, choose vegetable toppings (mushrooms, green peppers, and onions) instead of meat toppings (sausage, pepperoni, ground meat). Do not order double cheese or stuffed crust pizza; this is double fat! Nutrition information is available at most fast food restaurants which will help you choose an entree that fits into your healthy lifestyle.

Breakfast

When ordering toast, pancakes, waffles, or French toast, ask that the butter or margarine be served on the side. Most restaurants spread an excessive amount of butter or margarine on these foods. Ask your server if "light" or "sugar-free" syrup is available. Ask if light cream cheese is available instead of regular. Ask for milk for your coffee instead of cream. When ordering a latte, choose skim milk instead of whole milk. These items are particularly high in fat and calories and consumption should be minimized: sausage patties or links, sausage gravy and biscuits, omelets with meat and/or cheese, pastries, and large muffins. Instead choose hot or cold cereal, fresh fruit, omelets made with egg whites, or toast. When ordering a scone or muffin, split it with someone instead of eating the whole thing yourself. Most muffins and scones contain more than 500 calories.

Lunch

Fortunately, the portion sizes of entrees served at lunch are usually of reasonable size, which is why the prices are lower than those at dinner.

If you can order a half sandwich, do so. Some sandwiches contain six to eight ounces of meat and can be up to 700 calories. Ask for sandwiches without cheese. This could save you 200 to 300 calories and 15 to 20 grams of fat. Select whole grain breads for your sandwich instead of white or rye bread. Ask that the mayonnaise and/or oil for your sandwich or oil/salad dressing for your salad be served on the side. Avoid sandwiches with the word "salad" in them (chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad). These are usually loaded with mayonnaise and can contain up to 40 grams of fat! Choose sliced meats instead (turkey, chicken, lean roast beef, or ham). If a sandwich is served with a side dish, ask what it is. If it is French fries or chips, ask for a salad instead.

Dinner

Watch the amount of bread you consume before dinner. Also watch the amount of butter or margarine you add to the bread. If you are hungry, order a salad and eat that instead of the bread. If breadsticks are served, ask for plain. Most breadsticks are soaked in butter or margarine. If garlic bread is being served, ask for plain bread; it will be considerably lower in fat. Choose leaner meats, poultry, and fish. Order cuts that contain the words "round" or "loin" in the name of the meat. Order an appetizer as a meal or split an entree with someone. Most entrees served at dinnertime are enough for two people. The usual portion size of meats on dinner entrees is six to eight ounces. Eat only half and save the rest for another meal. The recommended portion size is three ounces, which is about the size of a deck of cards. Most portions of starches (rice, pasta, noodles) are large; eat only half of the serving and save the rest for another meal. If vegetables are served with your meal, request that the be served plain, without added butter or margarine. If ordering dessert, share the dessert with one or two other people or eat half of it and take the rest home.