Eating Out Makes You Fat and Unhealthy

Rich Risotto 

"More die in the United States of too much food than too little." - 

John Kenneth Galbraith

Whenever you indulge in a restaurant meal or take-out/delivery, you should have a great time - enjoy the company that you're with, savor your food, and relish the convenience. However, eating out should be a treat - not a regular occurrence. Unless you are getting your food at a health food restaurant.

Restaurant food makes you fat and unhealthy. (Sorry sweetie, we hate to break the bad news to you.) In case you were wondering, the vast majority of restaurants have a goal of making money. Their goal is not to provide you with healthy food that lowers your cholesterol and makes you thin. They want you to come back regularly, so the food is loaded with things that taste good - fat. Often in the forms of oil, butter, lard and cream. You wouldn't (shouldn't!) cook like this at home. Even salads are chock-a-block full of calories.

 

Again, the goal is to make money, so most restaurants are not serving high-quality food. They are trying to make a profit to pay all the servers and cooks, so you are not going to find naturally-fed heirloom meats, wild-caught fish or organic vegetables. You will end up eating industrially bred and raised food (lots of hormones, antibiotics and pesticides). If a restaurant does serve high-quality food, they will make it very clear on the menu, and you should patronize that restaurant (though it will still make you fat).

Here's a little sampling of healthy-sounding restaurant meals and their calories, fat and sodium levels:

• Capellini Pomodoro, 840 calories, 17g fat, 1250mg sodium (Olive Garden) 
• Avocado Turkey Burger, 1037 calories, 63g fat (Ruby Tuesday)
• Salt and Pepper Prawns, 844 calories, 50g fat (P.F. Chang's) 
• Kung Pao Chicken, 1228 calories, 79g fat (P.F. Chang's) 
• Quarter Pounder, 410 calories, 19g fat, 730mg sodium (McDonald's) 
• Santa Fe Salad, 415 calories, 17g fat, 806 mg sodium (Arby's) 

And that's before any of the extras are added - like drinks, bread, fries, rice, dessert, etc. Yikes, that's a gazillion calories! Everytime you go out, you are loading up on calories and bad stuff. Go out for every meal, and you are going to be a fat, rolling cholesterol ball.

So please - don't make eating out a regular, everyday habit. MindfulEats knows that you will eat out (it's fun to relax over a meal with friends, we do it to), we just ask that you are moderate in the habit and what you order. We know that when we eat out several times in a week, we start to feel bloated, heavy and tired. We don't want you to feel that way too!

What to do - Eating Out 

1. Plan your meals ahead so you know when you will be eating out. Prepare your meals the rest of the time.
2. Try to choose a healthier restaurant that serves high-quality food (it's worth paying extra, especially since it's a treat!)
3. Research the menu beforehand so you can pick out healthier options. Go to the menu if there's one online, and check websites like this one for nutrition facts for similar meals. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the Restaurant Nutrition application. It's a great way to check out menu items while you're there.
4. Read this post for tips on celebration eating.
5. Don't go out starving. Snack on some fruit or Mindful Mix beforehand.
6. Order mindfully. Be moderate. Sometimes restaurant menus have nutrition facts. If the restaurant you are going to/ordering out from posts their facts, use them to help you order.
7. Don't order your own dessert. Have coffee, or share one with others.
8. You don't need to finish your meal! If you're full, take the rest home and savor it later. 
9. Have fun and enjoy the experience.
10. Since you are saving money by eating out less, try entertaining your friends with a healthy home-cooked meal next time. 

What I ate: 1 banana, 2 oz. Mindful Mix, pureed spinach, 2 poached eggs, 2 potato pancakes, 1 tangerine, 2 lattes, Ethiopian meal: lentils, beans, collard greens, potato + beets, green beans + carrots, 2.5 cups injera bread, 45 oz. water

Exercise: 45 minutes running, 30 minutes weight-lifting