low-fat cottage cheese topped with apple sauce and walnuts
natural sugar-free wholegrain muffins
freshly made unsalted popcorn
rice cakes topped with nut butter
watermelon, fresh fruit or frozen fruit popsicles
unsweetened low-fat yogurt topped with granola/muesli or nuts and fresh fruit
Eating Out
Healthy eating doesn’t mean that you can’t eat out anymore. You just need to pay a little more attention to what you are ordering. Here are some helpful tips:
Stay away from the bread basket.
Drink water or fruit juice instead of fizzy, sugar-loaded drinks.
Try vegetable soup for starters.
Ask for vegetables instead of chips/fries.
Have a side salad with your main course.
Go for tomato- or wine-based sauces rather than cheesy, buttery sauces.
Ask for salad dressings (olive oil, vinegar) on the side so you can dress it yourself.
Have a fruit-based dessert.
Don’t be afraid to ask for food not on the menu, such as fruit salad.
At Chinese or Indian restaurants, choose plain, boiled rice rather than fried. Healthier Indian food comes from the tandoor oven which cooks chicken tandoori, tikka and sekh kebab dishes. Look out for ghee and butter in sauces.
Choose clear soups rather than thickened or ‘cream of’ ones.
Charcoal-grilled or roasted fish and kebabs are better than fried.
Look for salads and simple stuffed vegetable dishes if you enjoy Mediterranean food. Fresh fish dishes are also a good bet.
At Mexican restaurants, bypass the tortilla chips and cheese and stick to the salsa, fresh and steamed vegetables and grilled meats.
Don’t be afraid to ask for an ingredient to be left out of a dish – for example freshly-made pizza without the cheese, tortilla chips without sour cream, salad without the dressing.
If you are eating out later than usual, eat a balanced snack when you would normally have eaten dinner. You won’t be as hungry when you arrive at the restaurant. If your plate arrives very full, eat only half and ask the waiter to put the rest in a doggy bag and have it for lunch the next day.
