Tips on eating out

Three in five Americans say they eat dinner out at least once a week, and as you’ve probably noticed, restaurant portions have gotten a lot bigger. Unless you have a plan in place, that can be a recipe for regular overeating.

While you can’t directly control how the food is prepared or the calories in each dish, you can plan ahead, ask questions, and order food that both tastes good and good for you. With practice, it’ll get easier to separate the healthier choices from the not-so-healthy and keep portions under control.

Some tips for you:

• Decide what you’re going to order before you go so you don’t feel rushed or tempted by less healthy choices.

• Ask how the food is prepared before you order: instead of going for fried, sauteed, or breaded food, choose something boiled, steamed, grilled, or baked.

• Drink a big glass of water as soon as you sit down. It will help you avoid overeating.

• Ask for sauces and dressings on the side.

• Skip the chips and salsa or bread that comes to your table before you order. Better yet, ask your server to remove them.

• Ask for veggies instead of fries or other high-calorie side dishes.

• Enjoy the occasional sweet treat (minus the guilt) by cutting back on carbs during your meal, and get a dessert to share with the table. You won’t miss out—the first few bites are usually the tastiest.