When you are sincerely following your diet and exercise routine, you want nothing to mess with it. But when close friends or family invite you for a meal out, it becomes difficult to refuse. You are left in a fix and wondering how to maintain your healthy diet when eating out! But smart little adjustments in your choices can save you from breaking the commitment you made to yourself. Read to find out how.
1. Grab a fruit before you leave
A secret to avoid piling on those unwanted calories while dining out is to grab a fruit just before you are ready to step out. High fibre fruits like apples, guavas, etc. help to curb hunger quite effectively. Remember, hungry people make the most disastrous decisions while ordering food!
2. Replace fizzy drinks with water
Let water be your favourite beverage whenever you eat out. You can ask for lime water for some added flavour. Ordering for fizzy or alcoholic drinks means sipping on unnecessary calories and sugar. Also, these drinks tend to make you feel like munching on snacks. If you wish to, you can even ask for green tea, which would be a flavourful and healthy option.
3. Savour your food
Enjoy your food slowly, one bite at a time. Chewing on a small quantity of your favourite food protects you from feeling deprived and keeps your diet determination on track. Enjoy the conversation instead of stuffing yourself, put down your spoon in between bites, and do not resume till you finish swallowing your last bite.
4. Check your salad dressing
It is well-known that salads are a good and healthy way to keep your calories in check while dining out. However, if you are not careful with the kind of dressings you choose, no salad will work. If you have a choice, prefer a vinaigrette dressing, or plain salt and pepper for seasoning on your salads. In case there are other dressing choices, go for an oil-based one instead of a cream-based. Also, stay away from pasta salads to avoid extra calories. Choose only fresh vegetable salads.
5. Ignore complimentary snacks
Things like complimentary chips, basket of bread rolls with butter and cheese, etc. make you end up piling on calories even before the meal has begun! You can either ask for a bowl of salad first, or simply ask the server to take away this cause of temptation from your table.
6. Change your “extras”
Forget the calorie-laden fries or fried papads, extra cream or cheese, if you want your diet to be successful. Opt for low-fat options like roasted papads, steamed vegetables, fresh fruits, etc. instead. You can also choose boiled, baked or roasted potatoes minus the cheese, cream and butter. Relish them with some salsa dip, or chives or pepper for seasoning.
7. Skip dessert
As tempting as it may be, try resisting it. Say that difficult “No” to the alluring dessert. You can order for fruits instead. It will be a difficult choice, we are sure, but the satisfaction that it promises will be worth it!Sticking to your healthy diet routine might be difficult while eating out, but definitely not impossible. All it takes is a little self-control and making some smart choices.
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