| Eating out ? |
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| If you’re watching your weight: |
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 | Get rid of the bread basket from the table and have some water while you peruse the menu. |
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| Choose a fruit or salad based starter. |
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| When your main course is served, divide your dinner plate mentally into quarters. One quarter for your lean protein (fish and seafood, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, venison etc), another quarter for your carbohydrates (a couple of tablespoons of pasta, cous cous, polenta or rice, or 2 small potatoes) and the other 2 quarters for your vegetables / salad. |
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| Eat slowly and don’t be tempted to polish off everything on your plate. |
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| Be discerning. If it doesn’t taste really good, don’t eat it. |
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| Avoid dessert if you’ve had a starter. Alternatively think damage limitation (try a spoon of someone else’s!) or an indulgent cappuccino instead. |
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| What to ask for: |
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| Always ask how dishes are prepared. Are they baked? Are they grilled? Are they prepared with butter or oil? Ask what’s in the sauce; what’s in the soup; what’s in the dressing. |
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| Always ask for butter, gravy, sauces and salad dressings on the side. This allows you to control how much fat you eat. Ask for yoghurt to be used in any dips and salad dressings instead of higher fat mayonnaise or sour cream. |
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| Order clear soups, broths or tomato-based soups instead of creamy soups. |
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| Avoid deep fat fried starters and high fat cheese starters. Choose seasonal vegetables/salads and lean meats rather than pates. |
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| If none of the main courses seem appropriate, order two starters you like instead. |
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| When ordering meat or fish, choose grilled rather than fried dishes. |
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| Choose fish and meats en papillote (in paper or foil packets). The natural flavours and juices of the ingredients are sealed inside the parchment paper packet. |
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| Ask for salsa as a condiment to enhance grilled foods or sandwiches. Fruit salsas are a delicious and fat-free topping for grilled fish, poultry or meat. |
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| Find opportunities for increasing your vegetable intake wherever you can, such as asking for extra servings or salads. |
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| When ordering vegetables, ask for steamed veg, which have the highest nutritional value and are lowest in calories. Send them back if they are smothered in butter or oil. |
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| Choose tomato-based sauces like tomato and basil instead of carbonara, or rogan josh instead of creamy curries such as kormas. |
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| Sharing dishes is a great way of introducing variety, having a little taste of everything and controlling your portions. This works particularly well in Asian restaurants. |
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| Choose plain boiled rice over fried rice. |
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| Choose oven-baked breads instead of deep-fried ones such as puri. Watch the fat content in breads like naan and foccacia. |
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| Go easy on toppings such as mayonnaise, ketchup or sour cream and particularly oil-based ones like chutneys and lime pickle. |
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| ‘Vegetarian’ does not necessarily mean low fat. A lot of vegetarian meals can be really high in butter or oil. They may use the best type of oil (monounsaturated olive or rapeseed oil exclusively), but remember, all culinary oils are high in calories if you are slimming. |
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| Don’t be afraid to change the menu to suit your needs. For example ask for salsa or tuna with your baked potato instead of sour cream or butter. |
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