Most of us eat at restaurants for a variety of reasons; time and convenience are the most common motives. Below is a prepared list of quick tips for eating out of your home.
A reasonable portion of healthy food is the wise man’s shortcut to healthy eating for an entire lifetime.
Do not neglect the spacing out factor when planning your meals. Water should be a part of every meal.
After you eat, your stomach should be half full, or less, with food. Portion your meals in such a way – two parts food, one part water. You also need to make space for air in your stomach – leave it at one quarter or more.
Wait five to ten minutes in between courses, and eat no more than half a portion at a restaurant. Restaurant portions are commonly two to four meals on a single or double plate.
We’re talking two to four meals, which is a significant amount of food to eat in a course of a meal – when the time comes for you to drink water, chances are you would have had more than enough.
In the Providence, RI area, there are some restaurants where the single portions could feed a family of four. Now you know why 200 pounds is thought of as underweight for males over six feet tall. Remember, your name is not Homer Simpson, it is whatever your parents named you – unless that is your given name on your birth certificate. Eat to live and enjoy your food, but do not use someone else’s over indulgence as an excuse for your own.
Establish control over your appetite. Most of us feel guilty if we don’t finish a plate. Ah, the memories of childhood and Mom at the dinner table. Move on, my friends and have the rest of your food to go if you can’t finish it all.
Breakfast is the one single meal you cannot skip. When you skip breakfast, you will over-consume for it, later in the day.
Eat slowly and thoroughly chew your food.
Eat a light yet hearty and healthy meal before hitting the sack. Everybody seems to be going veggie these days, so some great ideas include vegetable salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste, light popcorn (make sure it is light) or a simple bowl of cereal with fruit. But most of you may be meat-eaters, so you can concentrate on fish or white meat for your last meals of the day.
In the later part of your day, skip desserts, sugary cereals, bread, and second portions.
If you absolutely must have sugar: Eat fruit, strawberries with yogurt or low fat cottage cheese, fruit with rice, or almonds with yogurt.
Significantly reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake if you drink coffee and/or alcoholic beverages. Not only are they generally unhealthy, but they dehydrate the body and require you to drink extra water. Wine is much better than hard alcohol, but one or two glasses a day is the limit.
Author bio: Paul Woods publishes a collection of dinner recipes. The epicurious site is categorized, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.
