The Restaurant Experience

The Restaurant Experience

Eating out should be a fun, enjoyable and pleasurable experience. However for people who are trying to lose weight or wanting to eat 'healthier' it can be highly stressful.. 'what do I choose?', 'is that portion size too big?', 'how is it cooked?', 'what's in that?!' .. these thoughts can cause some people to avoid the 'eating out' experience altogether.

 

'is that 500 or 1500 calories?'

 

Common tactics often used by 'slimmers' are 'asking for more vegetables than potatoes', 'ordering the salad on the side', 'having baby potatoes instead of chips' and 'sharing a dessert' ... but what about the butter on the potatoes and vegetables, and what do you do with the dressing on the side?! Pour it all over?! And what if you want a WHOLE dessert to your self?! Eating out can really be a tricky business when it comes to calorie counting.. and only the chef really knows what is in the dish!

 

 

So, does it really matter? The answer is yes. A typical evening or larger lunch meal for someone trying to lose weight should be around 500 calories .. however some dishes can be over double this. Take, for example, the humble Chinese prawn balls.. 10 in batter, and a sweet and sour sauce can be ~1200 calories, where as a Chinese lemon chicken might be only 300 calories (portion size dependent) - and don't forget about the rice and prawn crackers too!

 

Some restaurants are already jumping on the 'healthy' bandwagon by either highlighting 'healthier' food choices such as those dishes that are less than 5% fat, or even labelling the calorie contents of their meals online. Others have chosen to develop a 'lighter' range of their meals with all meals shown equal to or less than 500 calories.

So what can be done? In my opinion, restaurants have a few different options.. which one they choose (if at all) will depend upon the restaurant and client type. Here are my suggestions (taking into account what has been done already too!):

1) Having smaller portion sizes of all main meals available

2) Labelling dishes that are less than 5% fat or 500 calorie with a symbol
e.g. 'h' for healthy range

3) Having a separate section of the menu dedicated to lower calorie dishes

4) Showing the calorie contents of meals online or in an in-house pamphlet

5) Having fat-free dressings, sweeteners, fruit, yoghurts and salads always available

Supermarkets are now legally required to make nutritional information of foods easier to read, so what about restaurants and other eateries? Restaurants should endeavour to make every diner's eating experiences as positive as possible.. so if this means offering healthy dishes for those who are watching their weight or simply wanting a lighter meal then why not?

As more and more restaurants are realising the potential of displaying if meals are '500 or 1500 calories' we are seeing new ways in which healthy eating can be achieved - in truly delicious ways! It is however down to the individual ordering as to what they choose.. and if eating out isn't a regular event then who cares about calories. High calorie foods can be eaten as part of a healthy diet.. it's just how often that these foods are eaten that matters.

The decision is always ours.. but all I am asking for is a little information to help us make informed decisions about the meals that we are paying to eat.

If the calorie information is online/on the menu then take a look.. and if not then check-out my slimmer's guide to eating out for a helpful guide!


You can also check out my You Tube video to hear the public's thoughts on the nutritional information currently being displayed in shops and fast-food outlets here (3 minutes onwards):

 

 

Thanks for watching and happy (healthy) eating out to you all!

Nic