How to Decide the Best Restaurant Nutrition Options

You probably wouldn’t believe that good nutrition and dining out go together. Restaurant eating can be bad for your diet or fitness program unless you make good nutrition choices when eating out. You can make good restaurant nutrition choices, you just need to educate yourself on what a good food choice is. Sitting in a restaurant environment, all of the menu choices can be extremely tempting. It’s so difficult to resist when staring at fattening cheeseburgers, fries, and other favorite foods. However, if you know what to look for and what choices to make, staying on your diet can be done even when eating out at restaurants.

Obtain Nutrition Information

Many restaurants will provide you with a card or a piece of paper with the restaurant nutrition information on it if you request it. This will give you the information you need to make a smart ordering decision. Almost all restaurants, whether sit down or take out, have this information available now that more people are asking for it. If you understand basic nutrition guidelines you can still make good nutrition decisions when the restaurant nutrition facts are not available.

The Good VS. The Bad

If an item comes smothered in cheese or butter ask for these items on the side and stay away from items that are fried or that come with a lot of condiments and sauces already put on. These types of foods are very fattening, they can be very high in cholesterol and they can pack many calories into one meal. In fact, many of these types of foods will provide you with all the calories you are required for one full day. And that’s all in one meal.

Some natural ingredient options for restaurant nutrition include salads (dressing on side), grilled chicken breast over the salad or on brown rice, and stir fry with brown rice. Sometimes you will find a special section on the menu for healthier options such as these. A lot of times these sections will be called something like “Heart Healthy.”

Most items on the menu at your favorite places will not have great restaurant nutrition, but you can stay on track with your program by educating yourself beforehand.