6 Restaurant Tips for Healthy Eating! Don't Get Caught in their Traps!

We all do it.  We go to a restaurant and "try"  to stick to healthy eating habits or worse, we consider it to be our "splurge" day.  Be careful!  Restaurant foods are not only high in calories but also high in sodium.  Here are a few tips to avoid the restaurant traps!

Don’t sidetrack from your usual eating habits: You know what you eat to maintain your healthy eating habits. Don’t let your eyes convince you to have that sandwich or a pasta dish.  Make sure you stay with foods that you know and that you would normally eat.

Be aware of foods that sound healthier than they are. Sandwiches can be healthy (with whole grains and lean meats) but keep in mind that adding cheese and mayonnaise can make that healthy meal go bad fast with those added calories. Healthy-sounding salads can be a trap too.  Any salad with crunchy fried toppings or heavy dressing can kill your calorie count for 2 days in one sitting!  Ask for your dressing on the side. Dip your fork in the dressing and then dress your salad.  I find that by doing this, I use less than half of the serving they give you.  If your salad is drenched in dressing and all you taste is dressing, you are defeating the purpose of a healthy meal.
Daily specials are not that special. Often flavored in heavy sauces and high calorie toppings, daily specials are there to tempt you.  Ask the waiter if you are able to make substitutions and/or omissions from the special.  Some places allow you to change the daily special and other places do not.  If they do not allow you to take the heavier whipping cream gravy off the steak, then have meal option 2 from the regular menu ready so that will be healthier for your diet needs. 

Supersizing nightmare. You do not need more than what comes with your normal meal.  These up charges are not only bad for your wallet but bad for your belly.  That extra plate of fries for $2.50 more could potentially be an extra 600 calories to you waist line, thighs, arms...where ever it is that you gain weight.  I am horrible at this because I am all about the "value".  For me, I will order and then pass the food on to my husband but even if I took 2 fries from that extra/side plate I ordered for $2.50 more, that ends up being  60-100 calories and 10 extra fat grams that I really did not need.  Be careful!

Read calories on menus carefully. A recent study showed that the calories you eat might be nearly 20% higher than what the menu says. The calorie counts usually list the items individually, not as a meal.  While you’re noting the calories for the main course, don’t forget to add in the calories for the sides.

Restaurant portions can be huge.  I am a huge advocate of splitting a meal.  When I am out with the girls, having brunch or dinner, splitting the meal with another is not only good on calories but also good on budget! 

Going through the Change of Life? Here is what you can do to stay healthy!

If you were to ask most women when they’d be most likely to gain weight in their lives, they’d probably pinpoint two life-changing events – pregnancy and menopause. And while weight gain during pregnancy is expected and necessary, the same doesn’t hold true for menopause. Yes, the body undergoes changes that may make weight maintenance a bit of a challenge, but weight gain during the change of life isn’t inevitable.

As menopause approaches, hormone levels begin to fluctuate and women notice changes in the body. Hair may be come thinner, the skin may feel dry or dull, and many women experience hot flashes. But it’s the threat of weight gain and changes in body shape that many women have difficulty adjusting to.

Estrogen is a hormone that promotes fatty deposits in the lower body – stockpiling calories in the hips and thighs ensures enough energy will be available to support pregnancy and breastfeeding. 
As menopause approaches, though, these lower body fat deposits are no longer needed, since the reproductive years are waning. But in an attempt to maintain hormonal balance, the body tries to hang on to whatever fat it can, since body fat produces estrogen and releases it into the bloodstream.
So weight gain during menopause, when it occurs, becomes noticeable in the midsection – women find that their youthful “pear” shapes are starting to look more like “apples”. One menopausal patient of mine had a unique way of adjusting to her changing shape – as she lost the fat her hips and behind (and got rounder in front) she found that her pants fit better when she wore them backwards.

But a thicker waistline isn’t simply a cosmetic problem. The body fat that accumulates around the middle isn’t just the stuff you can pinch on the surface. Fat can also accumulate below the surface, surrounding internal organs and dumping hormones and other compounds into the system that can raise blood pressure, wreak havoc with cholesterol levels, and interfere with the body’s ability to process carbohydrates – all of which can raise the risk of some of the most common chronic diseases associated with obesity, such as heart disease and diabetes.

The good news is that just because a woman is going through menopause, weight gain doesn’t have to follow. The same strategies for achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight still apply. Nutrient-dense, low calorie foods – in other words, plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and nonfat dairy products – provide what the body needs. Fruits and vegetables supply fiber and phytonutrients, protein helps keep hunger at bay, and calcium-rich dairy products support bone health at a time when declining estrogen levels can lead to accelerated bone loss.

Exercise is important, too, and one of the best things women can do is strength training. Not only does lifting weights help to keep bones healthy, it builds lean body mass, which in turn increases the body’s daily calorie burn. And regular exercise can also help women feel healthy and strong while they are adjusting to all the changes their bodies are going through. I like to tell my patients to think of those hot flashes as “power surges” – and to use that energy to “muscle their way” through menopause.
http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/index.php/2011/10/menopause-change-of-life-change-of-lifestyle/#more-1036
Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.