Dining Out (Part III): Deciphering the Menu (General Tips)

Where you eat and what you order can set the table for an increased risk of heart disease. But it doesn’t have to be that way! You can eat out and eat healthy, too. Many restaurants offer delicious meals that are low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol, or they’ll prepare your food to order. Ensure that the meals you eat away from home are part of a healthy diet. ~ The American Heart Association

Deciphering the Menu

It’s important to understand what's on the menu when you eat out. The good news: You can eat heart-healthy if you know what to look for. Many restaurants offer delicious meals that are low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol, or will prepare your food to order. With a little bit of effort, you can ensure that the meals you eat away from home are part of a healthy diet.

Keep these tips in mind when deciphering the menu:

• Remember that foods served fried, au gratin, crispy, scalloped, pan-fried, sautéed, buttered, creamed or stuffed are high in fat and calories. Instead, look for steamed, broiled, baked, grilled, poached or roasted foods.

• If you’re not sure based on the menu description how a meal is prepared or what ingredients it contains, ask your server. A chef can often prepare food using less oil, no butter, or no added salt. If there is sauce, salad dressing, or gravy, get it on the side. Then you can dip -- or skip -- and use less.

• Choose entrees that feature seafood, chicken or lean meat, and avoid fatty meats. If you order meat, remove all visible fat and ask the chef to remove the skin from the chicken.

• Check the menu for items marked “healthy,” or ask the server what the healthiest choices on the menu are.

• Restaurant foods can be very high in sodium, or salt. If you’re on a low sodium diet, watch for:
•  Foods that are pickled, smoked, in broth or au jus
•  Cocktail sauce, soy or teriyaki sauce
• MSG - (Look for low-sodium soy sauce. And ask that your food be prepared without added salt or MSG.) 

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  Concerned about high cholesterol, blood glucose, or losing weight? Read menus carefully
• Thumbs Down:
• Fried, au gratin, braised, buttered, creamed, escalloped
• Hollandaise, cheese or cream sauce 
•  In gravy, pan-fried or -roasted, rich, in butter sauce.

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   Ask your server about healthy substitutions:
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  vegetable or fruit instead of French fries
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  Low-fat milk for your coffee, instead of cream

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  Restaurants serve huge portions. If you're counting calories -- or monitoring blood glucose -- don't eat it all yourself. Try this instead:
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  Restrain yourself, and take a box home.
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  Share with others at your table.
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  Ask your server to box up half before bringing the meal out.

Information and photograph was taken from The American Heart Association