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EATING OUT AND KEEPING HEALTHY

  1. Leave the bread in the basket. White flour offers extra calories. Looks too good to pass? Scoop out the dough and eat the crust.
  2. If your meal comes with a choice of soup or salad, choose the salad. The salad has less sodium and more potassium-rich veggies.
  3. If you struggle with high blood pressure, ask the waiter to make your meal “low salt.”
  4. At Italian restaurants, choose the tomato-based pasta sauces (marinara, pomodoro, arrabbiata, or diavolo) rather than alfredo, cream, pesto, or butter. You’ll save a good 300 calories.
  5. At Chinese restaurants, toss the order of a meal like Chicken Chow Mein with an order of steamed broccoli, and lower the calories and sodium per bite.
  6. At Mexican restaurants, avoid the tortilla chips. To cut more calories, get the black beans instead of refried beans. Lose the flour tortilla. Ask for a bowl with the burrito ingredients over brown rice.
  7. At a burger joint, ask for your burger without the bun. Some places will wrap the burger in fresh lettuce. Not ready to go “bun-less?” Ask for whole-grain bun.
  8. For lower sodium and fewer calories and saturated fat, grab the lunch-size portion at dinner or split an ordinary main course. Think of a buffet as an invitation to overeat; fill up at least half your plate with non-starchy veggies.
  9. For a side, choose veggies over potatoes, pasta, or rice.
  10. When eating breakfast, skip the pancakes and waffles and savor the veggie omelet. You’ll save big on calories, carbs and sugar!
  11. Be good to yourself and lighten your pizza by ordering thin crust instead of deep-dish, pan or hand-tossed. Top with veggies, chicken or seafood instead of sausage, beef, bacon, salami or pepperoni.
  12. Crazy for Latte? Switch from 2% milk to nonfat to save calories and saturated fat. Skip the whipped cream on your coffee drinks and you’ll save up to 100 calories.