Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Spring Cleaning Food Tip #3: Eat In!

Eat at home more often. While there definitely are smart options you can order at restaurants, and the availability of nutritional info is helpful, you never really know how many calories and fat grams are in your meal. An extra tablespoon of cooking oil alone adds over a hundred calories and double-digit fat grams - and if it isn't olive, grapeseed or coconut oil, you aren't reaping the Omega-3s and benefits from the oil!

If you want to kick-start your spring lifestyle diet plan, dining out less often can really help. You can not only be more confident of what goes into the preparation of your food, you can prepare double recipes and put the second batch in the freezer for a quick meal a few weeks later.  Another challenge when eating out is the temptation to "clean your plate" even when you are full so that food isn't thrown away or the money you are spending isn't wasted.  At home you can have "planned overs" - pack up any remaining food and put it in the fridge to be used for lunch the next day. It's also a lot more economical to eat in than eat out.

Of course, there will be times when you do eat out so when that is the case, keep it simple: salads without fatty toppings (light dressing on the side; dip, don't pour!), plain lean protein (like steamed seafood, grilled lean beef or chicken breast), and steamed veggies. If you don't see what you're looking for on the menu, just ask! Even if the menu lists sautéed spinach as a side, they might be more than happy to steam it for you.

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