An enchanting Holiday evening at an elegant Restaurant with friends or family can be both exciting and devastating at the same time for those of us who are calorie and nutritious conscientious. I find myself trying to be politically correct, while attempting to avoid over eating and striving to make wise menu selections.  Same as you, we have worked hard throughout the year making life style changes and now successfully managing our weight and intake to blow it all in just one sitting.  I would like to equip you with a few restaurant tips you can use to avoid slipping back into some of those old habits during this festive season.

• Plan A Head: Choose or suggest a restaurant you’ve gone to before of which you know offers healthy choices.  If not an option, look up the new restaurant’s menu on the Web beforehand and choose your meal selection.
• Take the edge off your Appetite: Eat a small snack or fruit before you go, this way you will not be so hungry and not order everything on the menu.
• By pass the Bread Basket: Skip the bread and butter or do a tradeoff, have the Bread/butter and Skip the dessert or vice versa.
• Order Salad or Soup (avoid cream based) for an Appetizer: Leave out extra crouton, cheese or fried noodle strips on your salad:  choose to have your dressings on the side look for vignette or low calorie dressings.
• Request items on Side: I always ask to have sauces, dressings, butter, sour cream on the side so I can control these high calories treats and limit the amount I apply to my food.
• Choose Lean or Vegetarian Entrees: Seafood, poultry, or lean meats are great however look for choices that are roasted, grilled, poached, steamed or broiled.  Skip the deep fried, pan fried, and sautéed in butter where extra oil is used.
• Practice Mindful Eating: Eat slowly, savor and enjoy the meal and conversation, let your body tell you when you are full, remember it takes 20 minutes before the brain recognizes when you are full.  Do not be embarrassed to take food home that you could not eat.
• Drink Water:  Avoid high calorie sugar-sweetened beverages, order unsweetened beverages, I sometimes take my own artificial sweetener with me just in case. Be careful with the Alcohol which is very high in calories.

Let’s Enjoy the Holiday Season Eating Out is always a joyful treat.