Eating out, takeaways and alcohol

Eating out can be difficult when you are trying to lose weight as meals are often higher in calories, fat and salt in addition to portion sizes being larger than those you would have at home. The following information should support you to make healthier choices when eating out or having a takeaway. Chain restaurants and cafes are now legally required to provide nutritional information including calorie content on their menus.

General tips

• View online menus prior to visiting restaurants / cafés; decide what you will eat before going and have 1 to 2 backup options in case your first choice is unavailable
• Choose soup, a salad or melon for starters and skip the bread basket
• Avoid doubling up on carbs in your main meal such as pasta and garlic bread or rice and naan
• Choose tomato or vegetable-based sauces instead of creamy ones such as arrabiata pasta sauce instead of carbonara or salsa instead of sour cream
• Check how food is cooked and prepared. Don’t be afraid to request a small or kid’s portion or ask for adjustments to be made to your meal, such as salad or vegetables instead of chips
• Order jacket, boiled, mashed or new potatoes rather than chips, wedges or fries and ask for no butter to be added
• If choosing chips, have thick-cut chips as skinny / French fries absorb more fat
• Ask for salad dressings, sauces and gravy to be served on the side
• Use high fat accompaniments like mayonnaise, salad cream, butter and tartar sauce sparingly
• Choose fruit-based puddings instead of stodgy pastry-based ones or gateau and have sorbet instead of ice cream. A coffee can make a good alternative to a dessert
• Consider sharing more indulgent starters and desserts with a partner or friend
• Always choose diet fizzy drinks or water rather than regular drinks, juices and milkshakes. Tips for managing alcohol are provided at the end of this document
• Eat slowly, putting your knife and fork down between bites to savour your food. This will prevent overeating and help you recognise when you are full. Try to leave food on your plate and listen to your stomach when it tells you it is full

Italian

• Say “no” to extra parmesan
• Choose thin crust pizzas instead of deep pan and avoid cheese-filled crusts
• Try to pick pizzas topped with more vegetables and fish rather than extra-cheese, salami or meats. Ask for half the cheese on your pizza
• Order a side salad with your pizza and reduce the number of slices you have

Indian

• Choose madras sauce with chicken, prawns or vegetables, instead of lamb or duck
• Go for lentil based dishes such as dahl or dry dishes like tandoori rather than creamy and coconut-based ones like korma, massala and passanda
• Choose plain boiled rice rather than pilau or coconut rice
• Watch out for fried foods like bhajis and samosas. Poppadoms can be grilled or microwaved upon request
• Plain chapattis and naan are a better choice than the other breads like peshwari, parantha and puri’s that often have added fat in the form of ghee, coconut, oil or butter
• If ordering a takeaway, why not make your own boiled rice and raita with low fat plain yoghurt and save money

Chinese

• Choose dishes with more chicken, fish or prawns over those with red meat or duck as the latter tend to be higher in fat
• Avoid battered and deep-fried versions of dishes e.g. crispy beef, sweet and sour, dim sum. Szechwan style dishes are a better alternative
• Dry dishes are generally lower in fat than ones with lots of sauce eg chicken chop suey
• Choose boiled rice rather than egg fried rice
• Choose stir-fried vegetable dishes where possible and avoid ones with lots of nuts eg chicken with cashew nuts
• Try not to overindulge in prawn crackers as these are deep fried

Mexican

• Choose grilled meat dishes like cajun chicken or chicken fajitas as these tend to be the lowest in fat
• Avoid enchiladas which tend to be smothered in cheese or made with fried mince
• Avoid too many nachos which are often covered in cheese and sour cream

Japanese

Japanese food, including sushi, is an excellent choice as the cuisine is based on boiled rice, vegetables and fresh fish like salmon, tuna and prawns.

Thai

• Drier dishes like stir-fries and steamed dishes will be lower in fat. Look for specials like steamed fish in banana leaf
• Choose tofu, fish, seafood, vegetables or poultry rather than red meat
• Beware of the crushed peanuts on dishes such as pad thai, these are an easily avoidable source of calories

Pub meals

• Avoid pastry dishes or leave the pastry crust
• If having a stew / casserole, try to leave the dumplings as these are high in fat / calories
• Fresh fish is low in fat. Try to choose grilled versions and avoid creamy sauces
• At a carvery, trim off visible fat from meat and resist the sausages. Fill half of your plate with vegetables and choose boiled or jacket potato instead of roast potatoes or mash
• A good and filling lunch time choice is a jacket potato with beans or tuna (avoid mayonnaise based sauces such as prawn mayo and coleslaw and butter) and ask for extra salad

Weddings, buffets and parties

• If you are attending a party, why not offer to bring something for the buffet like fruit salad or vegetable sticks and salsa. This will ensure there is something healthy for you to enjoy so you don’t miss out and the host will benefit too!
• Why not try eating a healthy meal before you attend a party or evening wedding reception to reduce the likelihood of snacking or overindulging at the buffet
• Try to limit yourself to one visit to the buffet and fill your plate with healthier foods like salads, rice and pasta first. Stand on the opposite side of the room to the buffet to reduce your chance of grazing, even when you aren’t hungry
• Avoid high-fat snacks like Bombay mix, nuts and crisps or those covered in pastry like vol-au-vents and sausage rolls
• When choosing dips, opt for vegetable sticks instead or crisps and choose salsa-style dips over creamy ones
• Try to have pudding or wedding cake but not both

Fish and chips

• Remove the batter from fish as this contains a lot of fat
• Avoid adding salt to chips

Fast food and kebabs

• Choose grilled burgers made from lean meat, chicken or fish rather than ones coated in breadcrumbs and fried. Avoid adding cheese, bacon or mayonnaise to these.
• Go for shish kebabs served with pitta and salad and resist the dressings rather than donner kebabs to cut calories

Alcohol

Alcohol is calorific and can stimulate your appetite, increasing the risk of overeating

• Enjoy alcohol in moderation and alternate alcoholic drinks with water or low-calorie soft drinks
• Always ask for a jug of tap water with your meal
• Choose diet-mixers with spirits
• Make white wine into a spritzer with soda or diet lemonade
• Shandy contains less calories than a standard pint of lager or bitter. If available, ask for diet lemonade
• Beware of alcopops as these contain a lot of hidden sugar
• Never go out drinking on an empty stomach, this will undoubtedly lead to you snacking on unhealthy bar food, a takeaway on the way home or a fry-up the morning after!

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the obesity team on 01223 348124.