Valentine’s Day might mean that there is a chance you’ll be eating out. However, eating out usually means that we have little control over how the food is prepared or how large the portion is. Unlike packaged food, foods bought from cafes, restaurants etc. don’t have to carry nutritional information and so opting for the healthiest option might not always be easy. However, with these helpful tips eating out on Valentine’s Day can be both enjoyable and healthy!

General tips

• Never arrive at a restaurant hungry!
• Think ahead, if you know you’re eating out later, choose wisely earlier in the day to keep calories, fat, sugar and salt intakes under control.
• Leave a little time for your food to digest before you order a dessert. Give your stomach time to send signals to your brain you are full (approx 20 minutes). If you still want a dessert, consider splitting it with one of your friends. Opt for sorbets, or fruit dishes to balance out a heavy main course.
• Speak up about how you’d like a dish prepared e.g. ask for no mayonnaise.
• You’re more likely to overeat at an ‘all you can eat’ style buffet.
• Choose side orders of salad or vegetables to fill up on.
• Cut off any visible fat from meat to keep saturated fat intake down.
• Look out for smaller portions i.e. a main meal option as a starter size.
• Opt for dishes which are grilled, baked, steamed, poached rather than fried.
• Check the menu for dressings on salads and ask for it to be on the side. An otherwise healthy and nutritious salad could be drowned in a high fat sauce, bumping up its calorie content.
• Avoid cheese, cream or butter-based sauces