Eating Out Frequently? Skip The Menu!

For some people, eating out is simply a way of life. Perhaps work responsibilities, such as entertaining clients, necessitates that you eat out frequently. Maybe it's traveling out of town often, leaving you at the mercy of hotel coffee shops, fast food restaurants and gourmet "heavy-on-the-butter" restaurants. And for others, a lack of time simply makes it difficult to stoke the hearth fires and spin together home-cooked meals.

Whatever your reason, you know by now that eating out frequently wreaks havoc with calorie control -- even for the most disciplined and well-intentioned health-conscious person.

Why is it so difficult to eat away from home and to eat healthfully?

There are gazillions of hidden calories -- and that's after the tempting ones have been set before you when you are hungriest. Here are just a few of the many examples:

• The bread basket and herb butter crock: most people down the equivalent of 2 to 4 slices of bread -- before dinner even arrives -- along with 2 to 4 tablespoons of butter.
• Oil & Cheese. What about the so-called healthy plate of olive oil and Parmesan cheese for dipping French bread? Without batting an eye, you can inhale 200 calories of bread and another 300 in olive oil and Parmesan cheese combined.
• Buttered hamburger buns. Did you ever wonder why your grilled chicken sandwich or veggie burger was so incredibly moist? Yes, it's because they buttered the inner sides of the bun -- and probably generously so.
• Super-sized portions. Even if you didn't order that 24-ounce steak on the menu, you're still likely to get one that is 8 to 10 ounces in size.
• Fish that swim. Did you even wonder why the grilled fish you get at the restaurant is so moist? Guess no longer! It's all the butter swimming on top.
• Salad swimming. Something else swims during your restaurant dining besides the fish. You can almost count on your salad swimming in dressing. Most salad dressing portions are upwards of 1/4th cup, or 4 tablespoons. For regular dressing, that's some 235 calories and 22 grams of fat.
• Soup that has lost its innocence. From broth-based soups to bisques and chowders, you can count on only one thing: they were probably made with cream and butter, catapulting the calories out of anyone's healthy reach.
• In your cup. We forgot one other swimmer: those calories swimming in your beverage cup: whether you order beer, wine, lemonade or soda pop, these liquid calories add up exceptionally fast, especially because we tend to drink more of these things in the presence of others.
• Menu madness: Have you ever noticed that a restaurant can make an ordinary item sound deliciously irresistible? Well, menus are meant to tempt and to sell. The menu is one of your worst enemies.

What do we recommend? Skip the menu if you dine out frequently.

Seriously.

To be sure, the rare restaurant splurge -- for a birthday or an anniversary -- of ordering whatever suits your fancy is absolutely fine, and even normal. But eating out regularly can make it difficult to stay in control of your calorie and fat intake.

That's why we're telling you to skip the menu. Restaurants are ready for the health conscious diner -- you that is, although they don't make it terribly well known. The kitchen staff is ready to prepare items to your specifications. All you have to do is make a habit of ordering this way.

Let's run through a few examples of what you can order in each category. Print this out and take it with you when you dine out. It's okay to have a good guide to keep you on track. After all, you use a map when you're traveling in unknown territory, right? Consider this your map from keeping you from losing your way to good health.

Appetizers:
Ask for a fresh fruit plate and a fresh vegetable tray. When you order, ask them to just bring lime and lemon wedges and freshly ground black pepper and to leave the dip behind. Ever tried papaya wedges with a spritz of fresh lime? To die for!

Soups

Soups are tough -- even things like Consomme and vegetable soup. If you really have a taste for something special, split a cup (not a bowl) of it with someone else. In this case, portion control may be the only saving grace.

Sandwiches
Think thick and moist -- with that thickness and moisture provided by all the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and cucumber slices you can stuff between the slices. Ask for 2 to 3 ounces of lean turkey, lean ham, lean corned beef, or a single slice of cheese (it's difficult to find low-fat cheese when dining out). Remember, delis sell things by the pound, so they can do this for you. If you're in a sub sandwich place, just ask them to double the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, etc., and put half the amount of meat and cheese on. To lather up any sandwich skip the mayo and oil "spritz", and the butter. Instead, go for the gold -- mustard, that is.

Chicken

While you're definitely looking for chicken without the skin and a version that is not fried, this doesn't mean you're stuck with a dried hockey puck -- or a dry, broiled chicken breast. Here are some options to request -- and please be as specific with your server as we are here:

• Grilled skinless chicken breast, covered with a layer of lime wedges during the grilling process (yes, on both sides). Ask them to please skip the oil they generally coat it with before cooking
• Cajun grilled chicken breast, without the skin. Again, ask for the spices (as hot as you like it), but request that they not grease it up before cooking.
• Chicken and veggies stir-sizzle. Be specific and tell them you'd like strips of skinless chicken breast stir-sizzled with lots of fresh veggies such as sliced carrots, broccoli florets, onion wedges, roasted red peppers, green pepper slices, etc. What is stir-sizzling? They'll probably ask you! Explain this is like stir frying, but instead of oil they should use broth. Be explicit; tell them you cannot have any oil at all in that pan, as you have a health condition (we all do: we're trying to prevent taking in excess calories).

Fish

Ordering fish is not a 100% safe maneuver. Ask for your fish baked, broiled, grilled or poached without any oil at all. Be specific! Also tell them not to melt butter on it after it's been cooked.

Beef

If it's beef you want, order a small tenderloin or filet mignon. Ask for the petite portion, and order it no less than medium. Ask them not to melt butter on the top during or after the cooking process. Be creative with the spices. For example, maybe you could have them dredge it in cracked peppercorns. But again, ask them not to dredge it in oil or butter first.

For veal, pork or lamb, order a lean chop and ask them to grill it with lots of garlic and black pepper, and to serve it with a crock of Dijon mustard on the side.

So you have a hankering for a hamburger? Go for it, with these tips in mind. Ask them if they have a child's portion hamburger. Next, ask that they not butter your bun. Order lots of tomato and onion slices. Even order some cucumber slices to pack between the buns. Skip the cheese, the sauce and the mayo, adding mustard, ketchup or barbecue sauce instead

Potatoes

Did you know that you can generally get baked sweet potatoes at most restaurants? (That's in addition to a baked potato, which is almost universally available.) For the baked sweet potato, ask for a small container of brown sugar, and add a teaspoon or two to the potato. When you order a plain baked potato, add chopped chives, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, freshly ground black pepper, mustard -- or some combination of these wonderful flavor enhancers.

Pasta

We're not here to soft pedal this issue: eating pasta out is difficult, if only for the reason that portion sizes are HUGE and then some. If there is a particular item you have a hankering for, then ask to split an order with someone. If you can't do that, ask them to bring you 1/4th or 1/2 of it (you know how big it is) and keep the rest for themselves.

Dessert

Healthy dessert out can be a most wonderful experience, especially if you skip the menu. Order fresh berries with a scoop of sorbet or gelato (Italian ice cream).

Drinks

Frequent diners-out are best advised to make a rule with themselves: drink no calories. Choose from seltzer or other "fizzy" water, with or without lime or lemon wedges; ice water, with or without lime or lemon wedges; coffee, tea, or herbal tea, or any of these iced. Remember that fruit juices are loaded with calories, even the freshly squeezed ones.

Fast Food

Grilled chicken sandwiches without the mayo and with extra tomatoes, lettuce and onions; or single hamburger or single cheeseburger with a side salad and low-fat dressing are good choices. What about that little voice in your head that keeps saying, "French fries just one more time; tomorrow I'll 'start being good.'" First, TODAY is tomorrow. Next, eating isn't about being "good" or "bad," but about treating yourself to good health. Today is the day to start doing that, not tomorrow.