Envision Wellness: Eating at Restaurants

By: Lexy Kimber, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dietetic Intern

Reviewed by: Allison Edwards, MS, RDN, LDN, CLC and Carrie Snyder MPH, RDN, CSOWM, LDN, CDCES 

Dining out can be a fun way to socialize, try new foods or cuisines, and to take the stress of cooking dinner off your shoulders. When dining out it can often be challenging to find nutrient dense options that keep our body feeling energized. Many times, we can leave feeling overfull and tired. Here are some tips for choosing and eating portions of nutrient dense foods to keep us energized and ready to take on the day.

Tips for Choosing & Ordering Foods:

• Watching your portion sizes of energy dense foods – Watching portions of breads, fried foods, dressings, and sauces can be a great way to cut down the amount of carbohydrates and fats that you are consuming.

• Ordering a side of fruits and vegetables –Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals that are essential for our body such vitamin C and fiber. They often can be lower in calories as well while helping us feel full.

• Adding extra lean protein – Lean protein is going to help satisfy your hunger and typically provides vitamin B and iron. Adding extra protein to many entrees is an option such as salads, pastas, sandwiches, and omelets.

• Look at the menu in advance – Many restaurants have large menus that can be overwhelming. Looking at the menu in advance can give you time to adequately look over the menu and decide what option will best suit you and your goals.

• Choosing healthier preparations methods – Choosing grilled, sauteed, steamed, roasted, or baked options for protein, fruit, and vegetable sources. Avoid deep frying and pan frying when possible.

• Ask for modifications – Many restaurants will provide modifications for a meal. This could include leaving sauces or gravies on the side, cooking without butter or oil, no salt added, or no bun/roll.

• Managing extreme hunger before going – Eating scheduled meals and snacks throughout the day can make it less likely to overeat at the next meal. This also goes for dining in restaurants, if you are extremely hungry you are more likely to overeat.

• Sharing an entrée – This can be a great option when eating with friends and/or family. Sharing makes it less likely that we overeat on a large entrée.

• Drinking water, sparkling water, or unsweetened iced tea – These are all great alternatives to drinking sugar sweetened beverages like sodas, lemonades, milkshakes, smoothies, and cocktails. Diet soda is sometimes thought to be a good option as well but can cause abdominal discomfort.

• Limit all-you-can-eat options – While these all-you-can-eat options seem cost effective this is only true if you eat a very large amount, which can encourage overeating. Avoiding these environments can help us avoid large portion sizes from being able to overfill or get multiple plates.

• Ask questions – Asking questions about the contents in a dish or preparation methods used is a great way to aid your decision making at restaurants. Restaurant staff are equipped and ready to answer your questions about the food served.

When eating out there are typically many distractions with the hustle and bustle of the restaurant, communication between family and friends, music in the background, and sports games on the television. This distracting environment can overwhelm us or make us forget to be mindful of what we are eating and the cues our body is giving us. Here are some tips for continuing to be mindful even when eating out.

Tips for Being Mindful When Eating Out:

• Try to eat slowly – Slowing down and enjoying your food can allow your fullness cues to catch up. Setting your eating utensil down between bites can be extra helpful in slowing down.

• Listen to your hunger and fullness cues – Try to be mindful so you can recognize when your body tells you it is full. Halfway through your meal try to pause and think for a second on how full you are at that moment. Then listen to your body and remember you can always take food home with you.

• Taking some to-go – When eating out at restaurants typically there is a lot of food that comes on the plate. Immediately asking for a to-go box and putting some of the meal inside can help us be mindful of how hungry we are rather than just cleaning our plate.