Restaurant nutrition facts...how's it cooked, what's it topped with and how much is there?

When it comes to restaurant nutrition facts, and the nutritional value of food served, it depends on the restaurant. Below are some general rules to guide you when you're eating out and losing weight.

Restaurant nutrition facts - good quality food...or not?

Most restaurants seem to be gravitating towards fresh and local produce. This is good for you in terms of the nutritional value of food you're getting, but in terms of losing weight and maintaining it, there are still things to be wary of.

Fast food restaurants, and places that pre-prepare food may not be as nutritionally healthy, and again when you're losing weight the suggestions below still apply.

Restaurant nutrition facts - tips on ordering when you're out and losing weight

• What fats are they cooking in - plant derived fats are better, so are they using olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil. While they are still fats they are better for you than animal fats, so think twice before ordering dishes cooked in butter, or served with buttery and creamy sauces
• Vegetables - what vegetables does the meal come with, and how are they prepared? The same tip as above applies here. Watch vegetables prepared in butter and cream, and if you're really focused on losing weight, then skip the vegies with any fat at all.
• Meal size - even restaurant meals have got larger over the years. This is one of the restaurant nutrition facts that you need to be careful of...bigger is not always better. Check out the size of the meals, especially the meats, often restaurant size steak is two or more meals of red meat.

• Ordering less - there are two ways of ordering less, order one course at a time, that way you can reassess how hungry you are after each course, and ordering less course. Decide whether you really need three or four courses, maybe you've found an entree and a dessert that you like...just order those, you can always order more if you really need to. Just give each course time to settle first.
• Ask for what you want - as long as your polite, most restaurants will do their best to cater to your needs. Ask if they can do a main menu item in an entree size. Ask if they can replace the creamy cheese potatoes with steamed vegetables instead. Ask, the worst that happens is they say no and you choose something else. Do please remember though that the chef has put these meals together for great taste...so maybe have them as they are...just eat less of them.

The nutritional value of food in most restaurants is good, but do check with the staff, ask questions, you're paying for this meal, so you should know what you're paying for.

And last of all, ...enjoy, have fun, relax a little. Don't agonise over what to eat to the extent that it sucks the enjoyment out of your food. You can always make adjustments.

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