If you have started eating healthy food at home, then you need to extend it while dining out, since a single high-fat or high-calorie meal can undo your entire week’s hard work. A little research and a little care while dining out will result in eating food that not only tastes good, but is also light in calories.

Narrow down restaurants that do not serve greasy or oily food or those that at least offers a healthier version of their regular food. You should inquire if the restaurant is willing to provide grilled or lightly sautéed dishes, instead of just frying them. Restaurants that serve different cuisines such as Italian, Mexican, American, Chinese, and Indian require different approaches.

But, as a general rule of thumb, ensure that your intake of fresh vegetables in the form of salads or other side dishes is quite high. This ensures that you do not wolf down only on meat or pizzas topped with double cheese.

The key to dining out is:

to savor the fine taste of various dishes. Instead of concentrating on only one item, try to eat smaller servings of various dishes. This will please your palette, while ensuring that you do not concentrate on a single high-calorie dish. Order a salad sprinkled with lime, salt and pepper instead of one doused with mayonnaise.

Even while trying sauce-based dishes, eat those that have a tomato base instead of a cream base. Avoid drinking sweetened carbonated sodas, and instead drink tea or coffee sweetened with sugar substitutes, or better still drink fresh fruit juices or water.

Avoid soups that have a lot of cream content and instead stick to clear soup or tomato soup. A soup will dull your appetite and so, you will not eat too much. Try not to finish the entire dish at one go, but instead get some of it packed to re-heat the next day. If at a fast-food restaurant, order a single-patty burger that has only dry salad instead of cheese and mayonnaise.

Even pizzas should be thin crust or whole wheat based with less cheese and high vegetable toppings, instead of a thick crust double cheese pizza with red meat topping. In short, substitute any dish that is dripping with molten cheese or butter with one that only has a little cheese or butter spread thinly over it.

By cutting down on high-fat and high-calorie dishes, you will still enjoy your meal without piling on the unwanted calories to your body. Order one dessert and share it with your partner; this is a good way to control your calorie intake.

You can thus keep a watch on the quality of food you eat, when you dine out and a little care and research goes a long way to make your dining experience memorable and filling, without having a negative effect on your health.