How to Eat Healthy While Out to Dinner

Earlier this week I did a post on eating a quick and healthy dinner when you're at home, and I am now following up with a post on selecting a healthy option when you go out to dinner. I'm going to talk about a few specific ideas from popular chains as well as some general guidelines for figuring out what is healthy and what is not when reading a menu.


I'll start with the general guidelines for deciphering what can sometimes be a confusing restaurant menu, and how to go about ordering so that you don't end up with something atrociously unhealthy. 

1. Start with soup or salad. Start with a broth based soup or salad with dressing on the side. These options are generally going to be calorically low and will start keeping you full before your entree comes so you're less likely to overindulge.
2. Look for key words when ordering. Words like "crispy", "pan-fried", and "creamy" are all going to be healthy eating disasters. Make sure that when you read the item description you watch for words like these that can key you in as to how the food is prepared. And keep a lookout for healthier keywords such as "baked", "broiled", or "grilled". 
3. Watch your drinks. Drinks are commonly forgotten about when we all go out to eat. Minding how many cocktails you have throughout the night can save you quite a bit. Or opt for healthier cocktail options whenever possible.
4. Split it. Consider splitting your entree with someone at the table, or when it is brought to you, mentally halve it and take the rest home as leftovers.