Eating Out Options

If you're like me, you probably don't go out to eat that much because you are a poor, poor college student. However, when you do go out, you don't have to go crazy. While some places do list nutritional information on their menus and others at least mark which options are "healthier," a lot of them don't. I know I suggested in a previous post to look up the restaurant you are going to on a website like Calorie King, so that you can know exactly what you are going to be consuming before you even get to the restaurant. An article titled "The 30 Worst Fast-Food Restaurant Choices" also suggests the following "rules" for eating out:

*Avoid anything with the word "sampler" or "platter," unless you plan to share
it with three or more people and make it your main course.
*Skip anything
that comes in an edible bowl or includes the words stacked, stuffed, double,
triple, slammed, or dunked.
*Nachos are something best shared with a group,
and subs are something best measured in calories, fat, and sodium -- not inches.
*When you see the words crispy or glazed, realize that's what will happen to
your arteries and your eyes, respectively, if you consume too many of these
items.
*Dressing and sauces are among the major calorie culprits of many
restaurant choices, sometimes doubling the fat and sodium content of an entree.
Ask for all sauces on the side, and try replacing cream-based dressings with
mustard (straight mustard, not sugar-loaded honey mustard), suggests New York
City-based nutritionist Sharon Richter, MS, RD. Other good alternatives: lemon
and grated cheese (25 calories per tablespoon).
*Just because an item falls
under the word "appetizers" does not mean it should be followed by more food.
Not even in the same day. Some of the country's most ubiquitous food
establishments serve appetizers that would stuff a Sumo wrestler.

The same article also uncovers the worst menu choices from several restaurants including Quizno's, TGI Friday's, California Pizza Kitchen, Denny's, Applebee's, On the Border, Outback Steakhouse, Baja Fresh, PF Chang's, and Olive Garden and suggests healthier alternatives from each place.

Read the article and I challenge you to order healthier the next time you go out to eat.