Eating away from home is fun and may be a necessity for many people. Eating out certainly is convenient even though it usually costs more than eating at home.

Planning restaurant meals that fit dietary guidelines can be tricky. You are often faced with foods that don't quite fit your idea of a healthful diet. What can you do to get what you want?

Take a Tip from the Menu
As you look at the menu for your favorite restaurant, read the food descriptions carefully. Even if the menu describes the foods to be served, you will learn it is a good idea to ask a few questions. One of the key questions is, "How is it prepared?"

As you eat out you probably are looking for foods that are tasty. Part of the reason for eating out is to enjoy delicious foods that might be special or different from what is prepared at home.

Eat a variety of foods. This is an easy guideline when you eat at restaurants that offer plenty of food choices. Once in a while you may enter a restaurant that has a limited menu. In that case try these two steps:

Identify the foods that would give you the most variety and order them. Consider the rest of your day and what foods have been or will be eaten. Plan foods for the rest of the day that will give more variety. Balance the foods you eat with physical activity to maintain or improve your weight. This is the heart of the matter for many people. What can be selected to help keep weight under control? There seem to be so many rich desserts, sauces, dressings, and gravies to contend with--not to mention the volumes of butter and sour cream mounded on baked potatoes!

As you eat, here are added tips:
Eat slowly. Use conversation freely if you are dining with someone. Ask for your plate to be removed immediately after you are finished. Fold up your napkin and place it on the table. You will be surprised how this simple act reminds you that you are finished with your meal. (If you have a paper napkin, you could place it over the food left on your plate. This may not be proper etiquette but "out of sight, out of mind.") Keep your water glass filled and sip freely from it, especially after you are finished eating.

Caution:
When spreads, sauces, gravies, or salad dressings are added to pasta, rice, potatoes, or salads, the product may change from lean and light to calorie- and fat-laden. Ask how foods are prepared. Be ready to choose wisely by thinking through the menu before you arrive at the order counter. Otherwise you may be swayed off course as you make a last minute decision.