It’s one of the most social activities we have. When you want to catch up with friends, go out for a fun night or even go on a date, it all involves going out to … you guessed, eat.
But how can you be social and still fit into your jeans? You just need to learn how to be ordering-savvy. Below is a list of things not to eat compiled from restaurants around the area.
Skip anything that comes in an edible bowl (such as a taco salad) or that includes the words stacked, stuffed, double, triple, slammed or dunked. A taco salad with the shell from Taco Bell has about 790 calories. … Ouch! That’s the equivalent to walking 80 minutes on the treadmill. No thanks. How much is the taco salad without the shell? So glad you asked. It is 420 calories. Decent, and much better than the first.
Dressing and sauces are among the major calorie culprits of restaurants. They are loaded with fat, sodium and empty calories. Ask for all sauces on the side, and try replacing cream-based dressings with mustard, ketchup or oil and vinegar, suggests New York City-based nutritionist Sharon Richter, MS, RD. Other good alternatives include using lemon and grated cheese (25 calories per tablespoon). Big Chef Salad from Jason’s Deli is 550 calories. Removing the dressing cuts out 300 calories. Need to add some flavor? Spice it up by adding one-fourth cup salsa. It is less calorie-dense and salsa is also loaded with vitamins.
Split it up! One reason people start gaining weight while eating out is the portion sizes are generally huge at restaurants. Lets take a classic example … Cheesecake Factory. One order of their Tomato Basil Pasta is probably enough to feed a small African tribe, and also weighs in with 1660 calories and 135 carbs. That’s an average sized women’s total daily calorie expenditure. Ouch. If you do want to splurge and order this entrée, split it with a friend or two, and order a house salad with no dressing to start. If this whole salad with no dressing concept is turning you astray, order a small cup of broth-based soup, such as chicken noodle, minestrone or lentil.
