Why Eating at Restaurants Is Linked to Poor Nutrition

If you are like most people, then you probably enjoy eating at restaurants throughout your week. We tend to think of this as a matter of everything in moderation. Though this principle may be true, you will also find that it can act as an enabling mechanism, too, and therefore you want to know all of your facts. You may have a job that asks you to go out to eat often, or you may patronize restaurants frequently due to convenience. Though there are many reasons why people go out to eat often, you just need to know what you are getting yourself into, nutritionally speaking. Restaurant dining can become true diet sabotage, so beware before you eat out.
When you are eating at restaurants, you need to know that the portions are one of the biggest problems overall. We’ll get into the reasons why the foods themselves are problematic, but it all starts with portions at the forefront. Think of what you get when you dine out and recognize that, in most cases, you are eating enough for at least two people. You are getting far too much food, and along with that you are getting an excessive amount of fat and calories. So as you dine out, you want to consider that you may be adding to your weight problems and actually hurting your health. Too much food and too many of the things that you don’t need—yet we eat it because it’s right there in front of us. This is a huge problem!
Order It How You Want It
Another consideration when eating at restaurants is that you don’t really know what you are getting. Take a look at the nutritional information at most restaurants, and it’s quite apparent that you are getting far too much of the wrong things. In addition to fat and calories, you are also taking in too much sodium as well as additives and preservatives. You will find, too, that a lot of restaurants use too much butter and other fatty ingredients to make the food taste better. Simply ordering a salad can give you more fat and sodium than you need in one week—and you had no idea!
When eating at restaurants, you want to be sure to order things the way you want them. Get the dressing and sauces on the side, opt for healthy cooking methods such as grilling or broiling, and get rid of the obvious fatty elements. Though you may think that a salad is a salad, be aware of what goes into it and how it is prepared. Ask questions if you aren’t sure and always try to look for nutritional information before you dine. If you can keep all of this in mind, then you can ensure that dining out doesn’t equal diet sabotage. If you are an informed consumer, you will be just fine when you do have to dine out.