Bride to Be Tip: How to dine out smarter and guilt-free

Food is a part of our social interaction. You can stick to your diet all you want- but when you get an invite to have dinner out with friends, or out to a special date night with your sweetie, you should be able to accept and not freak out about what the scale might say the next day. Here are some tips to help you dine out smarter and guilt-free.

1. Prepare before you go. If possible check out the restaurant menu online (if possible) and choose what you will eat ahead of time. 
2. Don't skip breakfast and/or lunch. You don't want to be ravenously starving and dive head first into the bread basket. If you are really hungry, eat a small snack before you leave the house (example: small handful of almonds, a few baby carrots, or a small box of raisins). 
3. Ask how the food is seasoned or prepared. Fish may sound like a healthy idea on the menu, (and it usually is) but if it is blackened- then it's got a layer of grease and salt getting in the way and you are losing the benefits of eating fish in the first place. 
4. Splurge if you must. But pick only 1 item to splurge on. If you really want a glass of wine- got for it. Or if you really want cake for dessert- have it. Just don't have the alcohol, and the bread basket, and the fries, and the cake, and.... (get the point?)
5. Eat half of your meal. Portion sizes are HUGE these days! Split the meal with someone, or eat half and have the other half boxed up. If you have trouble leaving food on the plate, ask the server the bring the box out with the meal and box up half right away. Then you won't be tempted to overindulge.
6. Eat Consciously and Intuitively. Stop eating when you are 80% full. If you overdo it, because "it just tastes SO good!" Box the rest up and you can always eat it later and it will still taste great.

Look for these key words when choosing off the menu:

• steamed
• broiled
• baked
• grilled
• poached 
• roasted

Stay away from menu items that are:

• fried
• crispy
• au gratin
• blackened