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Grab a Bite?
Eating Heart-healthy When Dining Out
By Kelly Burgess
Once you're at the restaurant, stay focused on planning for the meal. Ask for water right away and drink a glass while reading the menu. If weight's not an issue, sipping a glass of wine has been shown to have some benefits for the heart, as long as it's not overdone. When the breadbasket comes, choose a whole-grain product and go very, very lightly on the butter or olive oil.
Look at the menu critically. Look for items that are grilled or steamed and without sauces. While some sauces, such as marinara, are fine, others, such as cream sauces, cheese sauces and garlic or butter sauces are high in saturated fat. Never be afraid to ask the waiter exactly what is in a sauce. If he can't answer to your satisfaction, ask him to hold the sauce. Salad dressings should always be ordered on the side.
Now that you've made your healthy meal decision, Laboranti says, go ahead and be the first one to order. "Being the first one to order is a great strategy because then you're not influenced by what others choose to eat who may not have your health concerns," says Laboranti. "Sometimes if you hear others ordering high-fat entr褳 it may sway you from your good intentions to order the grilled salmon."
Unfortunately, grilled salmon isn't always on the menu, and there's not always time to sit back and peruse the menu. In other words: fast food. As much as we may decry the fatty offerings of the fast food restaurant, with today's busy lifestyles it's not going anywhere soon. And we have to admit that being able to drive through – or walk up to a counter – and be able to feed a family in a few minutes with no clean up can be a life saver.
Again, planning ahead can make all the difference. After all, if you're like most women, you live, work and shop in the same neighborhood day after day. In between that, you're eating at the same restaurants, probably McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King and a taco and/or pizza joint. Go online and check out their fat ratios and calorie counts. Keep a card in your wallet or glove compartment with the information.
