What does a dietitian order when eating out?

Because we all love to indulge

• In this article:

• The biggest menu mistakes you're probably making

• Restaurant meals that are full of hidden calories

• What a dietitian would order

Just because you're not eating a meal you've prepared yourself, doesn't mean you need to settle for high-calorie, ultra processed options. Here's how to order a health-conscious (and delicious) spread, according to a dietitian.

Eating out is a completely normal part of life. Whilst expensive, busy lives mean that up to two-thirds of our food spend is on foods we enjoy away from the home, and even as a dietitian this is no different. 

In saying that, there is certainly a range of menu items that are much better choices nutritionally than others, and there are certain foods I would never order when the menu choices are my own. 

So, here is the way that I order when enjoying a meal out, the foods I am happy to spend my calories on, and the ones I tend to avoid.

An entrée is a meal

There are always plenty of temping morsels on a starter menu, but there are usually also plenty of deep-fried, high-calorie options such as salt and pepper squid, different types of bread and dip and foods based on pastry that can contain more calories than a meal. 

For this reason, if I do order an entrée, I will try and share it and seek out options that include fresh seafood or salads such as beetroot, feta and walnut salad, prawns or scallops or steamed dumplings, rice paper rolls or edamame.

Load up with vegetables

Very few restaurant meals come with the two to three cups of salad or vegetables we ideally need in a nutritionally balanced meal. 

For this reason, if you ever eat with a dietitian, you will likely notice that they go hard on the vegetable sides, even if they are not the cheapest option on the menu. 

Think of any greens on offer, mixed salad, tomato-based salads or even an entire vegetable dish to share, to help increase your vegetable intake at any restaurant meal.

Always order vegetable sides or salads to balance out the meal. Image: Pexels

Make the meals go further

There tend to be two scenarios in the case of portions when eating out – minuscule fine dining options where you are often left hungry despite paying a fortune for dinner, or extra-large serves as is the case with pub-type meals. 

Keep your portions under control by knowing that in many cases, large serves of protein including meat and fish are ultimately enough to feed two people, and take the leftovers home to enjoy the next day. Avoid deep-fried, high-fat options like pork belly, tempura and wagyu steak and look for leaner proteins including chicken breast, fillet steak and prawns as your main. 

My go-to tends to be fish (like barramundi), prawn or chicken and vegetable stir-fries, or if eating Italian, a couple of thin slices of pizza with loads of salad.

Restaurant desserts are often packed with enough calories to feed a table. Image: Pexels

Taste don’t eat dessert

In most cases, dessert is a meal in itself which is why you may find yourself feeling sick after eating it. If there is something particularly tempting on the menu like sticky date pudding or a molten chocolate cake, I may be tempted to share, but in general, if I feel like dessert, I would opt for an affogato or a biscotti with a tea or coffee.

What about the pasta?

One of the trickiest cuisines to navigate when you are trying to keep your calories under control is Italian, and yes at times, when at a good Italian restaurant, I will order pasta if I feel like it, but always with a side of vegetables or salad to complete the meal, and in many cases, after a few mouthfuls it is enough to satisfy, and I will take the rest home to enjoy again the next day.

Originally published as What does a dietitian order when eating out?