It’s Wednesday afternoon and you’re feeling great about your food choices so far this week when you get a text from your friend, “Meet for dinner after work?” Anxiety starts creeping in as you think “How will I make healthy choices?”, “I won’t be able to control myself.”, “Why am I even trying in the first place, I’ll just give in and order my usual.”, “I don’t want to choose a salad, but I also want to show my friends I am healthy.” If any of this sounds familiar, there is hope! 

Here are 7 tips to help you navigate your next eating out experience to make it an enjoyable one where you leave with good food and good conversation for your soul.

1) Game plan ahead

Most restaurants post their menus online, some even include the nutrition information, so before you go, make a plan! Think about how you are feeling and what you want to do. Do you want to order your usual and treat yourself? Do you want to keep it simple and healthy? Ask yourself what you want to do and make a choice before going into the food situation and hold your ground sticking with the choice you make ahead of time. This will ensure you avoid feeling guilty or pressured into something you don’t want to do or that you will feel bad doing afterward.

2) Take a break 

When your food arrives, divide it in half on your plate. This does not mean you only have to eat half, but it gives yourself a stopping point. When eating out, we tend to lose focus on what and how much we are eating while we chat and enjoy our company, however, this will give you a purposeful breakpoint to stop, listen to your body, and assess if you want to keep eating or you are satisfied to stop. 

3) Don’t go starving

While you may get the idea to “save” your calories for this meal… don’t! By starving yourself, you will reach “hangry” proportions meaning you will lose self-control and may make poor food choices, overeat, and leave feeling disappointed. Instead, have a snack before heading to the restaurant. Something with protein and a healthy fat like a handful of nuts and string cheese, or some fruit with your favorite nut butter. This way, when you arrive at the restaurant, you will start to feel hungry but you will be able to make sound choices and avoid a full-on binge!

4) Ask for swaps and substitutions

With food allergies on the rise, many restaurants offer swaps and substitutions. If you don’t see it on the menu, do not be afraid to ask. For example, if the meal you choose comes with French fries, you can ask if they substitute roasted vegetables instead. Take that even further, and you can ask that the vegetables be steamed with no butter. If the chicken dish comes with a cream sauce, you can ask to have it on the side and use it as a dipping sauce instead of consuming the slathered chicken. You can even ask for your meal to be prepared without the cooking oil to avoid saturated fats or ask what type of cooking oil they use and if there is a healthier swap like olive oil. Go ahead and ask!  Don’t settle for the salad, but instead think of ways to take the entrée you desire and ask for healthy swaps. It’s a win-win - you get the meal you want and feel good about it too!

5) Stick with water if you can

Another great way to take pause points throughout the meal is to stop and drink water. This is a way to touch base with your body and check and see how you are doing. Are you enjoying the meal? Is it so-so but you find yourself mindlessly munching? If you stop and say “I’m done”, then call the server over and ask for a to-go box so that the meal is packed away and does not distract you from enjoying the rest of your time out. 

6) Take it all in - enjoy the company

It may be hard to practice mindful eating in a social setting, but try and focus on the moment. Maybe your friend is sharing great news and it’s a celebration or maybe it’s something more serious. Try to be present and focus on how you are feeling, actively listening and sharing with your friends. Instead of making it all about the food and barely hearing what your friend is saying, make it about the people and enjoying quality time. Food will always be there, but relationships are so precious and so take in the sweet moment and savor it!

7) It’s all about balance

Maybe tonight you chose to go “all-in” and have the appetizer, entrée, and dessert of your dreams. Please do not leave and say “well there goes all of my hard work down the drain, guess I’ll throw in the towel on this healthy living thing and go back to my old ways.” Nooo!! Stop and think about your diet as a whole, and how this one dining experience fits into the balance of it all. There are days when we indulge and days when we don’t and that is part of what a healthy diet looks like. It does not mean you are a failure if you have one indulgent dinner, it means you are on your way to having a healthy relationship with food and that tomorrow is a new day with new healthy choices ahead. You can do this!

What’s your favorite restaurant to dine-out with friends and family? I want to know.