What Nutritionists Order When Eating Out

A new study has found that only 1 out of 6 diners pay attention to posted nutrition information on menus -- and while some is better than none, the reality is that the each meal eaten outside of the home tacks on an average of 134 calories to your day.

What's worse is that even for those who are conscious of calorie counts at restaurants, another recent report analyzing foods from 42 restaurants found that nearly 1 in 5 of those numbers may actually be incorrect.

So with conflicting messages, what is a health conscious dieter to do? To help you navigate your next menu, we asked four nutritionists to tell us how they order at various types of restaurants, from a pizza place to an ice cream parlor to a burger joint.

The experts we spoke to include registered dietitians Julie Upton and Katherine Brooking, founders of AppForHealth.com, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Toby Smithson and registered dietitian and resident nutritionist for "The Biggest Loser," Cheryl Forberg.

Here's their guide to maximizing nutrients, cutting back on calories, taking healthy shortcuts and yes, even indulging in moderation.

1 of 9

Burger Joint

1 of 10

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

What Our Experts Choose: -I look for a veggie burger and order it without mayo. I won't eat at a burger place if they do not offer a veggie burger or a salad with cheese (I eat cheese on my salad so that I can get protein at that meal). Watch out for any extra add-ons that will increase the fat and saturated fat of the meal, like mayonnaise or special cream sauces. Also watch the high-fat sides like french fries. Ordering a salad with the dressing on the side as a side dish helps you meet the recommendations of filling half of your plate with vegetables! -- Toby Smithson, RD -I usually get a burger -- but protein-style, without fries but with lots of veggies! Luckily I love mustard, which unlike ketchup, has no sugar. Occasionally I'll have cheese or avocado on my burger as well. To drink, opt for water or iced tea. --Cheryl Forberg, RD

Flu Prevention Mistakes

10 Best Yoga Poses For Anxiety

Sleep Mistakes

Natural Ways To Quit Smoking

28 Quotes About Stress From The Third Metric

What Probiotics Can Do

What Our Experts Choose:

-I look for a veggie burger and order it without mayo. I won't eat at a burger place if they do not offer a veggie burger or a salad with cheese (I eat cheese on my salad so that I can get protein at that meal).

Watch out for any extra add-ons that will increase the fat and saturated fat of the meal, like mayonnaise or special cream sauces. Also watch the high-fat sides like french fries. Ordering a salad with the dressing on the side as a side dish helps you meet the recommendations of filling half of your plate with vegetables!
-- Toby Smithson, RD

-I usually get a burger -- but protein-style, without fries but with lots of veggies! Luckily I love mustard, which unlike ketchup, has no sugar. Occasionally I'll have cheese or avocado on my burger as well.

To drink, opt for water or iced tea.
--Cheryl Forberg, RD

comments(149)

Total comments: 149 | Post a Comment

1 of 10

This Suggestion

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

I'll skip this one. Mm, mm, good!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 5 Suggestions

loading...

Top 5 Suggestions

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[macnmomorsels]

01:48 PM on 08/24/2011

Thanks for these tips!!!

[akerchen]

08:12 PM on 08/12/2011

Ben Greenfield has some good informatio­n on healthy eating and "diet" foods: http://naturalvitalitysports.com/2011/03/healthy-eating-fitness-do-diet-foods-lower-your-fitness/

[babbs0128]

11:07 AM on 08/06/2011

Fried egg, wilted baby spinach, sliced tomato on toasted high fiber thin bread keeps me satisfied from 6 am to afternoon. I fry the egg & spinach in pat of butter so I don't need any spread on bread. My husband likes a light sprinkle of cheese but I usually have mine without.

[achickfromla]

12:08 AM on 08/05/2011

HAHAHA!: "I'll usually just take a few tastes with the tasting spoons that they usually have."
What did you have for dinner, 12 frozen peas?

[HerrMonk]

11:35 AM on 08/02/2011

Without a picture and relevant health numbers, why should I care what these registered dieticians say, or what they order for themselves?

[sophie M]

01:30 PM on 08/01/2011

i have worked in restaurants, on and off since 16 years old.
because of that, i am very leary of restaurant food..
i could tell you stories, that would make your toes curl.

[sabelmouse]

12:00 PM on 08/10/2011

me too.

[MaryBrighton]

11:35 AM on 08/01/2011

I am an American RD who lives in France. We spend summers in the states and eat at various types of restaurants here in NJ. View from the "outside?" (We) Americans eat out too much. The portions served are too big, especially for the kids meals. We don't cook enough at home.
Restaurants should be a time to indulge a bit, not to restrict eating desires unless there is a strict medical reason.
Tips to eat out at a restaurant?

1. Listen to your full cues. Stop just before you are full and take the rest of the meal home. In many countries you are not allowed to take a doggy bag home.
2. Drink water or sparkling water. Or glass of wine. Avoid soda, diet drinks.
3. Order the main meal only. Who can finish an appetizer, main meal and dessert in a typical American restaurant? Too much food!
4. Order salad dressings on the side.
5. Suggest to the wait staff that you do not want to be rushed thru your meal. Eating slowly is a great way to feel satiated.
6. Take a walk after meal.
7. Finish the meal with a coffee or tea instead of dessert.
8. Stay away from bread. It fills you up with empty calories.
9. Don't starve yourself before going out to eat, you will over order your meal.
Restaurant eating should be a pleasurable outlet. Cook more at home. Order less. Take leftovers home.

Just my two cents :)

[encomia]

02:32 PM on 07/31/2011

I'll bet the ice cream parlor employees love it when someone comes in, takes free tastes of several flavors and then buys nothing. Classy.

[taotto]

11:26 AM on 07/31/2011

Only one of the dieticians mentioned sodium. Most of their choices had high sodium content -- not healthy at all.

[HerrMonk]

11:36 AM on 08/02/2011

Says who?

[William Anderson LMHC]

10:29 AM on 07/31/2011

After 25 years of failing at diets and exercise schemes, I finally discovered the solution, lost 140 lbs., and have kept it off for over 25 years.

Regarding restaurants, here's my strategy:

1) Eat at places that don't post calorie counts no more than one meal a week.

2) Stay out of restaurants as much as possible. No matter how determined I am to eat right, once I'm in front of a tempting menu, I'm very vulnerable.

3) Pack a lunch or keep the fixings in the kitchen at work. Keeping lunch calories low is one of the easiest things to do to lose weight.

4) Develop a "repertoire" of 10 dinner meals you can fix at home that are always in stock and quick and easy to prepare. This is the best defense against the urge to say "to heck with it" when you're tired and hungry and finished with work.

To lose weight and keep it off, we need to change the attitude where eating is in the same category as going on rides at amusement parks. Eating is to be enjoyed, and can be enjoyed immensely, but only when life and health come first.

William Anderson, LMHC
Author of 'The Anderson Method - Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss'
Blog: http://theandersonmethodblog.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/how-do-you-kill-a-craving/

[Stephanie Elise]

01:02 AM on 07/31/2011

Gross, I can't believe they are uninformed enough to eat margarine.

[HerrMonk]

11:37 AM on 08/02/2011

Mmmmm petroleum-by-product.

[Stephanie Elise]

08:27 PM on 08/02/2011

'Bon appetit'

[mountain ramblings]

12:52 AM on 07/31/2011

ugh... lost me at veggie burger.. processed with hexane loaded with soy and canola- i'll take a nice organic grass fed burger over that anyday! watch out for the so called nutritional experts. or better yet check out which corporations fund these nutritional college degree programs... ConAgra anyone??

[HerrMonk]

11:37 AM on 08/02/2011

Same. Once I saw that, it was over.

[pthompson13]

04:13 PM on 07/30/2011

At the salad bar I am pretty good about adding all the healthy veggie's including olives but I get to the dressing and it all falls apart. I just love my blue cheese dressing :) What's a girl to do?

[Chuck Bluestein]

03:09 PM on 07/30/2011

There is a huge difference between brown rice and rice (white rice). The brown rice has a lot more nutrition, fiber and anti-oxidants. The Indian restaurants around UPenn in Philadelphia all serve brown basmati rice. You put that saucy stuff in the pictures on the rice. A Japanese/Chinese restaurant in Philadelphia serves brown rice. I thanked them for serving brown rice and they said that 50% of their customers request brown rice.

There is a Mexican place that serves brown rice and vegan fake meat and fake cheese. There is also a pizza place that makes pizza with vegan fake cheese. Then there is a steak sandwich place that serves 'steak' sandwiches made with tofu or seitan instead of meat. Seitan is made of wheat gluten and has twice the protein of meat. http://bit.ly/9APMvm But Americans eat way too much protein due to the meat and dairy propaganda. They sued Oprah Winfrey and lost.

This excess protein contributes to heart attacks, strokes, cancer, osteoporosis and 40% of Americans over age 40 having high blood pressure. Meat and dairy that is not organic contains the bovine growth hormone to fatten cows and help them give more milk. This makes you heavier like with a pregnant cow. The meat industry disagrees with this opinion but all the other developed nations like European Union (27 countries), Canada, Australia and Japan have made this hormone illegal to use.

[SW84]

01:04 PM on 08/01/2011

"This excess protein contribute­s to heart attacks, strokes, cancer, osteoporos­is and 40% of Americans over age 40 having high blood pressure. "

? too much protein contributes to heart attacks, strokes, cancer, osteoporos­is and high blood pressure? care to back that up?

and on brown rice vs white rice, it's not always the better choice and if you're relying on brown rice for fiber you're not eating enough fruits and veggies

Miyoshi, H. et al (1986) J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol., 32, 581-589

"we concluded that brown rice reduced protein digestibility and nitrogen balance."

[HerrMonk]

11:40 AM on 08/02/2011

Your rice information is wrong.

Brown rice has no more nutrition, in fact it contains many more anti-nutrients and other nasties.

Brown rice is slower digesting, so is causes less of a sugar spike than white.

In it's natural state rice is not edible. Brown rice is made barely edible through minimal processing. White rice is more processed, and what you're left with is a fairly simple carbohydrate, but at least most of the anti-nutrients are gone.

...but then I kept reading your post and realized you're probably intentionally keeping yourself misinformed...

[dropacat]

04:46 AM on 07/30/2011

Everything in moderation.