If you and your family love to eat at restaurants as I do, you may think that this lifestyle is not good if you're trying to maintain a healthy diet.
In many cases, you would be correct.
However, you can still enjoy restaurants occasionally while maintaining your healthy diet.
It's all about making good food choices, which starts with learning about the nutrition you need to stay happy, physically healthy, and active.
When you pick up the menu, start by skipping over the drink section.
Although you may be tempted to enjoy a beer or mixed beverage with your dinner, these usually have many empty calories, which is not good for your body.
Plus, alcohol is a depressant, and that can be havoc on your motivation the next day.
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.
Also skip over the appetizer menu, unless it's to over a side salad.
The appetizers at restaurants are usually fried, high-fat foods that are not meant to fill you up and can in fact make you crave even more high fat foods.
Examples of these are mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and buffalo wings.
Instead, simply focus on your main course or, if you must indulge, share a single serving with the entire table of people.
When choosing your main dish, it is of course important that you look at the ingredients carefully.
Anything with cream sauces or high-fat meats should be avoided, and pass up the potatoes or onion rings.
Instead, move over to side dishes like vegetables or ask for just the main course whenever possible.
Remember too that portion is everything.
Try to order off of the lunch menu whenever you can, and ask for a doggie bag right away.
Split your meal in half from the start so that you are not tempted to eat the entire thing.
You'll find it is quite enough for two or three portions.
At the end of your meal, pass over the desert menu, just like you did with the appetizers.
Again, you can share a single desert with the entire table if you feel compelled to order something, or split your portion in half.
Many fancy desserts are restaurants have more calories than your entire meal, so keep this in mind before you flag down the waitress to put in an order! Many of these heavy deserts can leave you feeling lethargic later.
Of course, on special occasions, it's alright to cheat a little, but overall healthy eating requires lots of resisting temptation around you.