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Eating out

Look for and choose:

• Salads with dressing on the side
• Vegetable side dishes
• Foods that are broiled, grilled, steamed, poached, roasted, or baked
• Chicken, turkey, seafood, or lean meats

Treat yourself only once in a while to:

• Anything creamy, fried, crispy, breaded, battered, or cheesy
• Sauces or soups with lots of butter, cream, or cheese
• Thick or creamy salad dressings
• Most casserole dishes

A few easy tips to keep the calorie count down include:

• If you were serving yourself a healthy meal at home, half of your plate would be covered in non-starchy vegetables; if your entrée does not come with a vegetable, order one on the side so you can still make a healthy plate.
• Avoid mindlessly eating foods such as chips, rolls, and bread just because they are on the table. You can ask the server to take these foods off the table.
• Split a meal with someone, or ask for a take-out box and take half of your meal home.
• Order the "lunch size" of any food rather than the "dinner size."
• Order healthy appetizers rather than an entree.
• Start with a small salad or broth-based soup as an appetizer.
• Order the dressing for your salad on the side so you can control how much of it you use.
• Drink water, unsweetened tea, diet drinks, or low-fat milk. Limit fluids that have empty calories, such as sodas.
• Limit how much alcohol you have with meals. Wine is lower in calories than frozen drinks or mixed cocktails that have juice in them.
• Skip your dessert or share it with another person.

Try these tips to limit calories when eating in fast food restaurants:

• Choose a place that broils or grills hamburgers, fish, and chicken for their sandwiches.
• Order your sandwich without cheese, mayo or "special sauce."
• Order only a sandwich. Avoid ordering the value or combo meal unless the restaurant offers healthy sides such as apple slices or a side salad.
• Whether it is a sandwich, milkshake, or french fries, stay away from large sizes.
• Order a salad instead of french fries.
• Limit ketchup, barbeque sauce, and other condiments, as they often contain hidden sugars.
  
• Pizza is OK but limit yourself to only one or two slices. Choose vegetable toppings such as peppers or spinach instead of sausage or pepperoni. Add a salad to your meal.

Sandwich restaurants or deli counters allow you to better manage what you eat:

• Choose low- fat turkey, chicken, or ham. Most cold cuts are high in sodium.
• Be mindful of tuna and chicken salads which are often made with lots of high calorie mayonnaise.
• Replace extra meat and cheese with vegetables, such as peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach.
• Ask for an open-faced sandwich. Ask for whole-grain bread rather than white bread.
• Replace high calorie condiments like mayonnaise or creamy salad dressings with mustard or a small amount of olive oil and vinegar. Ask that your bread be grilled or toasted without added butter.

Chinese restaurants offer healthy choices:

• Most deep fried options are high in calories. Instead, choose dishes that are steamed without added oil or sugar.
• Limit dishes made with sweet and sour, hoisin, gravy, or other heavy sauces, which are often high in calories.
• Choose low-fat dishes that are lightly stir-fried, such as brown rice and Chinese vegetables with seafood, chicken, or bean curd (tofu).
• Order a side of steamed vegetables to pair with your noodle or rice dish.
• Some healthy choices include wonton soup, chicken skewer, and moo goo gai pan.

Indian restaurants:

• Select foods that have chickpeas or lentils, vegetables, lean protein, and sauces made from yogurt.
• Good choices include mulligatawny soup, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, kebabs, whole-wheat naan bread, and lassi.
• Limit fried foods, creamy curry sauces, cream sauces such as Korma or Makhani, and foods made with coconut milk or a clarified butter call ghee.

Italian restaurants:

• Pasta dishes with a red or marinara sauce are lower in calories and saturated fat than sauces made with cream, butter, cheese, or pesto.
• Look for the word primavera, which means that the menu item contains vegetables and will not include creamy sauce. Order dishes with seafood, grilled meat, fish, chicken, or vegetables.
• Limit lasagna, antipasto, alfredo sauce, and garlic bread.
• Limit fried or breaded dishes like chicken and eggplant parmesan or parmigiana.
• Watch out for large servings of pasta. Pair your pasta with a side salad so your meal is more balanced.

Mexican or Southwestern restaurants:

• Choose foods that are not fried and have only a small amount of cheese.
• Guacamole is a healthier choice than sour cream, but be careful to not eat too large of a portion.
• Good choices include gazpacho, chicken with brown rice, rice and black beans, and items that are baked or grilled.
• Limit nachos, chips, and quesadillas.

Family restaurants and pub food:

• Stick with grilled chicken and meats, or a pot roast or meatloaf.
• Limit foods, even vegetables, that are fried, breaded, au gratin (cheesy), or creamy. Order a small or medium-sized baked potato with a touch of butter or low-fat sour cream rather than french fries or mashed potatoes.
• Salads are a great idea, but avoid creamy dressings, along with toppings such as cheese or bacon. Ask for your dressing on the side so you can control how much you eat.
• Clear broth soups are most often lower in calories. Avoid thicker soups with cream or cheese in them.
• Review the tips above in the section about sandwich restaurants and deli counters.
• Watch out for larger portion sizes.

American Heart Association website. Dining out doesn't mean ditch your diet. heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/dining-out-doesnt-mean-ditch-your-diet. Updated January 10, 2017. Accessed July 28, 2022.

Maratos-Filer E. Obesity. In Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 40.

US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th ed. www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf. Updated December 2020. Accessed July 28, 2022.

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