Healthy food choices are available almost everywhere food is sold. You can enjoy a restaurant meal without worry or guilt – it just takes a little thinking and planning about the choices you make.
Ask questions
The server can usually tell you how the food is made and what ingredients are in the dish. Lower the fat content of your meal by asking for healthier cooking methods, such as steaming, baking, and broiling, or substituting high fat foods for healthier choices.
Tips to help you make healthy choices
Use the following tips to help you control what you are eating when you go out.
- Don't go out to eat when you are really hungry. Eat a piece of fruit or some vegetables an hour before going out to help decrease how hungry you feel. If you go out when you are really hungry you will likely eat too much.
- Many restaurant chains provide nutritional information for their menus. Use the nutritional information to pick foods that are lower in fat, sodium and sugars, and higher in fibre.
- Share your meal with someone else. Restaurants often give you more food then you would eat at home.
- Ask for leftovers to be packed up. You can eat the leftovers at another meal.
- Don't add salt or butter to food at the table. Restaurant food is often already high in fat and sodium.
Buffet survival tips
If you eat at a buffet look at all the food that is offered before you make your choices. Pick foods that aren't deep fried, and are higher in vegetables and whole grains. Use a smaller plate and wait 20 minutes to see if you are still hungry before you go for seconds.
What will you do?
Below are some things you could ask for to make your meal healthier when you are eating out. Check the ones you will ask your server to do the next time you are at a restaurant.
I will ask the server to:
- Prepare the food with no added butter or oil and to use less salt or soya sauce.
- Bring me milk instead of cream for my coffee.
- Not put any butter or margarine on my toast, bread or buns.
- Put sauces, gravies and salad dressings on the side, so I can add less myself.
- Bring me a low-fat salad dressing or some vinegar or lemon juice for my salad.
- Bring me a garden salad, baked potato or rice instead of French fries.
- Bring an extra fork to share my meal or dessert.
- Pack up half of my order before it comes to the table.
Breakfasts
Fact: A breakfast special that includes hash browns, fried eggs, bacon and buttered toast has 63 grams of fat. This is the same amount of fat as 5 chocolate bars or 13 pats of butter. Make a healthier choice instead, and you will consume a lot less fat with your meal.
- Choose these foods more often
- Fresh fruit
- Low fat yogurt
- Dry whole wheat toast, bagel or pancakes, whole grain cereal with 1% milk, bran muffin
- Peanut butter
- Poached or boiled egg
- Egg substitute
- Back bacon or ham
- Jam
- Margarine
- Milk for coffee or tea
- Limit these foods
- Side bacon and sausages
- Hash browns or fried potatoes
- Fried eggs or omelets with cheese
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Donut, danish or croissant
- Cream for coffee or tea
Lunches & Suppers
Fact: Eating sliced turkey with mustard on rye bread, instead of tuna salad on a croissant, saves you 220 calories and 19 grams of fat.
- Choose these foods more often
- Soups, salads and appetizers
- Broth-based soups or cream soups made with 1% milk
- Salads with low-fat dressing on the side
- Whole grain bread or rolls without butter
- Sandwiches or submarines
- Whole grain bread, bagels, rolls, pita, or tortillas
- Mustard, salsa or horseradish
- Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and bean or alfalfa sprouts
- Lean sliced or shaved turkey, beef or corned beef
- Entrees
- Meat, fish and poultry that is poached, barbecued, baked, grilled, roasted, broiled or stir fried
- Steamed rice
- Baked potato
- "Au jus" or in own juice
- Pasta in tomato, vegetable or marinara sauce
- Limit these foods
- Cream soup made with whole milk or cream
- Chicken wings, potato skins, breaded mushrooms or cheese
- Scalloped potatoes
- Pasta in cream or Alfredo sauce
- Breaded/battered, fried or sauteed meat, fish or poultry
- "Au gratin" or with cheese
- Ready made salads with a lot of dressing
- Fried rice
- French fries
- Creamy fillings like egg salad or tuna salad
Desserts
- Choose these foods more often
- Angel food cake topped with fresh fruit or fruit sauce
- Meringues
- Sorbet, gelato or fruit ices, reduced fat ice creams
- Fruit crisp
- Fruit salad or fresh fruit
- Yogurt
- Limit these foods
- Cheesecake
- Pastries
- Regular or premium ice cream
- Fruit pie
Watch the beverages
Fact: A large caffe latte at coffee shops can have almost 14 g of fat and 260 calories. Instead, ask for a caffe latte made with non-fat milk, which has 0 g of fat and only 160 calories.
Alcohol is also a source of calories, especially when mixed with high sugar beverages. Remember to account for your alcohol when considering the calories in a meal, and drink in moderation.
- Choose these foods more often
- Water
- Low fat milk or soy beverages
- Limit these foods
- Pop
- Alcoholic beverages
Choose the healthier food
Use the nutrition information to choose the food that is:
- Lower in fat ( 5 grams of fat = 1 pat of butter)
- Lower in sugar and sodium
- Higher in fibre
Circle the food that is the better fast food choice.
6 chicken nuggets 1 regular hamburger
Fat 19 g 7 g
Sugar 0 g 7 g
Sodium 620 mg 520 mg
Fibre 0 g 2 g
If you picked the regular hamburger, you are right!
General food information
Are you making good food and activity choices? Use the Dietitians of Canada website to:
- get nutrition information on the foods you are eating daily
- track what you are eating
- get ideas on how to eat better
Go to: www.dietitians.ca/eatracker
Dining around the world and at home (PDF)
Disclaimer
Reviewed by Alberta clinical experts. Brought to you by HealthLink Alberta. Copyright.
This material is designed for information purposes only. It should not be used in place of medical advice, instruction and/or treatment. For more health advice call Capital Health Link at 780-408-LINK (5465) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In Alberta, call Toll-free: 1-866-408-LINK (5465)
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