FOR most of us going to the restaurant is a treat, but if you travel regularly for business, it’s a necessity.
You may need to eat out regularly due to your busy lifestyle, but is it possible to eat out and stay healthy? In a word: yes. However it involves being smart about what you order.
There are four key aspects to consider when choosing your meals: when you will eat, what you will eat, how it will be prepared and how much you will eat.
Structuring your meals (the timing of meals and the time in-between them) is very important as it can help you to control your blood sugar levels, which affect your energy. Eating out should ideally fall within usual meal times to help you avoid energy dips and increased hunger. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks should consist of small portions, and be aware that eating out during these times may lead to overeating.
The South African Guidelines for Healthy Eating encourage you to consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily. If you do skip vegetables or salads at lunch, you should try to consume the remaining portions at dinner, but this can be a lot to fit into one meal.
Remember, you will need a great deal of determination to make healthy choices when those dining with you are ordering tempting but unhealthy choices.
Order smartly
How food is prepared can make a considerable difference to its nutritional profile. While hake may be a healthy, low-kilojoule option, preparing the fish by covering it in batter and deep-frying it may negate any health benefit gained from eating fish.
Most restaurants can accommodate healthy requests, even if these are not on the menu. The secret is to order smartly. Reduce kilojoules by asking for sauces or dressings on the side and ask for meat and chicken to be grilled. Fish can also be dry grilled or grilled in lemon juice and oil rather than butter. Steaming and poaching are excellent ways to prepare delicate proteins such as fish or other seafood.
Pay special attention to the language used on the menu as this may indicate when high-energy ingredients have been used in dishes. Caramelised or candied dishes, fried or deep-fried all imply large quantities of fat or sugar have been used in their preparation.
Other adjectives that sound great but hint at less healthy options include rich, creamy, buttery, indulgent and cheesy. Rather choose options described as light, delicate, fresh, poached, steamed, grilled or cooked in broth.
Portion control
Weight gain is the inevitable consequence of eating more than one’s body needs. Portion distortion is a well-documented phenomenon; the portions of food purchased in restaurants and grocery stores have grown from reasonable to huge. Be aware the portions served in restaurants are often larger than most people need.
The author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, Mireille Guiliano, recommends that you divide the food on your plate into two portions: savour the first half and if you find you are still hungry divide the remaining food and repeat until sated. Note there is a subtle difference between eating until sated and eating until full. Eating until full is likely to result in overeating.
Portion control is essential when you are not preparing food yourself. Examples of this include a buffet. In this case aim to consume only one plate of food: fresh or lightly cooked vegetables or salads should make up at least half of your meal. Limit oily and creamy dressings. Limit meat portions and choose leaner cuts without visible fat. Go easy on the starchy foods and limit these to about a quarter of the plate or less.
An easy way to control portions is simply to order less. Ask for a starter or half portion or alternatively order a full portion and get take-aways. Kilojoules shared are kilojoules halved; why not share a pizza and light salad instead of filling up on pizza. This also works well for desserts.
A cheat sheet
The principles above do not describe what to order at a restaurant, so here is the dietitian’s cheat sheet.
Most starches at restaurants are the "white" or refined types and are often prepared with added fat, for example fried white rice, pasta, focaccia bread or chips. This means they may contain more energy than the more wholesome types we can make at home. If only refined starchy food is available, replace it with a side salad (dressing on the side) or steamed vegetables, which can help to reduce kilojoules. A small portion of protein such as a ladies’ rump or sirloin steak, a small ostrich steak, a steamed or grilled piece of fish or grilled calamari (skip the lemon butter and use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead) are good options. Remember to stick with the preparation and portion guidelines above.
Your choice of beverage can also make a difference to the energy content of a meal. Having a milkshake or smoothie can easily double energy intake. Carbonated sugary drinks and fruit juices also pack a kilojoule punch.
Alcohol has a high kilojoule content and should be limited to one unit for women and two units a day for men (less may be needed to achieve weight loss). One unit of alcohol equates to a medium glass of wine, one tot of spirits or one can of beer. Sparkling water, water with a slice of lemon, tea or coffee (without the excessive addition of milk and sugar) and the occasional artificially sweetened beverage will be much lighter in kilojoules than sugary and alcoholic options.
Save the sauce
At an Indian restaurant, choosing a curry is not always the best option from a weight-loss perspective. The sauces tend to be very rich and are often thickened with nuts, for example the korma curry sauce. Tandoori dishes that have been cooked in the tandoor (specialised oven) tend to be marinated in delicious spices and then baked, which makes them lower in kilojoules. The word "makhani" indicates that cream or butter have been added to the dish, which makes them high in saturated fats.
In restaurants where communal dishes are served be aware that the more variety one is offered, the more one is likely to eat. If ordering meze at a Greek or Turkish restaurant, put all the food you’d like to eat on your plate at once, so you can see the full quantity and limit the likelihood of overeating.
While sashimi and sushi can be great waist-friendly options, the several small portions can quickly add up to a very large meal. Avoid sushi with mayonnaise and try to add a side order of vegetables, salad or soup to bulk up the meal.
Italian restaurants do serve dishes other than pizza and pasta. Choose lightly cooked fish, salads and traditional soups such as minestrone. If you are really craving that pizza, why not ask for less cheese, choose healthier toppings and share it with a friend (add a salad for extra vegetables).
Moderation is the key to maintaining your health. However, there are many definitions of moderation. If you eat away from home regularly, your food choices will have a significant effect on your health (and waistline). If you are gaining weight, your definition of moderation may require a downward adjustment.
Limit less healthy choices to once or twice a week as a reasonable starting point, and remember when, what, how and how much when placing your order.
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