Valentine’s
day is looming and with it comes the prospect of being wined and dined by your
loved one… But what and where should you eat if you don’t want to destroy your
diet in the process?
Here are some
top tips for enjoying a healthy Valentine’s meal out that won’t sabotage your
weight loss goal in the process.
1. Before
you go out. Have a healthy snack before getting to the restaurant. This way,
you won’t be ravenous when you arrive making you want to devour everything on
the menu. Not a good look!
2. Avoid
the bread basket. If you fancy something to start your meal with, opt for
olives instead. Bread will cause a spike in your blood sugar levels promoting
cravings and hunger pangs later on.
3. Alcohol.
If you’re planning to drink alcohol with your meal, don’t drink on an empty
stomach. Having some food first will slow the absorption of alcohol into your
system and limit the negative effects alcohol has on your blood sugar level.
The great news is that Champagne is among the lowest calorie and lowest carb
option – we’ll drink to that!
4.
Ordering. When ordering, remember you can ask for something different to what’s
on the menu. For example, ask for the chips to be replaced with some seasonal
vegetables or a fresh salad. Cream based sauces can be switched for healthier
tomato options.
5. Avoid
carbohydrate based meals like pasta, rice and noodle dishes. Go for a meal
based on protein such as seafood, fish, lean meat, or vegetarian proteins such
as beans and lentils (Indian restaurants usually offer a variety) or tofu
(commonly available at oriental restaurants).
6. Get
out of bad habits. It’s easy to quickly rack up the calorie content of
your meal out through bad habits. Think twice before automatically ordering a
side dish of doughballs /chips or starting your meal with poppadums / prawn
crackers.
7. Eat
slowly. Enjoy your meal and recognise when you are full. Eating out doesn’t
have to mean over eating.
8. Sip
water throughout your meal. We often confuse thirst for hunger causing us to
over eat. Sipping water will also slow down your eating and drinking of
alcohol.
9. Where
to eat? Choose restaurants whose nationalities have the healthiest populations.
For example, oriental restaurants such as Japanese, Thai or Vietnamese provide
much healthier choices than an American burger bar! (nb. If your other
half tries to take you for a burger on Valentines, it may be time to consider
the future of your relationship!)
10.
Desserts. If you fancy something sweet at the end of your meal, why not share a
dessert (and half the calories!) with your loved one instead of having one all
to yourself? Or you could be truly virtuous and ask for a bowl of fruit such as
raspberries and strawberries.
Follow
these simple tips and ensure that this Valentine’s day, you’ll begin fall in
love with your gorgeous new figure as well as the man in your life!
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