Eat at restaurants without sacrificing diet

Dining in a restaurant should be a pleasure, but when you're also trying to eat healthily, the experience can be fraught with worry about overindulging. This is particularly true in the UAE, where going out for lunch or dinner is a frequent, perhaps even daily, occurrence, meaning that deciding to splurge and make up for it the next day isn't really an option. Sarah Queen is the consultant director of Nutrition Matters Arabia, an Abu Dhabi-based company offering private consultations and corporate healthy-eating workshops. She says that one of the causes of overeating when dining out is not eating properly during the day, in anticipation of the meal. "This leads to people being too hungry by the time it comes to eat, so they often choose large portions, extra side dishes and more courses," she said. Queen says that even when you're planning to go out for dinner, you should still eat sensibly beforehand. If the meal isn't until quite late, she advises snacking on a mixture of fruit and low fat yogurt or a small handful of unsalted nuts a couple of hours prior, to prevent hunger pangs that can influence menu choices. Carole Holditch, a nutritionist and the founder of Good Habits, which provides Dubai-based slimming club/lifestyle guidance, also stresses that portion control is important: "The simplest tip, but not always the easiest to follow, is to remember that you don't need to clear your plate. Try to eat slowly and stop when you're full." Menus filled with synonyms, hyperbole and embellishments certainly don't help the would-be healthy eater on their way, and the lack of transparency can serve as another hurdle, says Queen. "Eating out is a concern when people are attempting to eat well because a food may sound healthy on the menu, but when it is delivered it can be laden with fat from butter, oils and creamy sauces," she says. This makes sense. Most of us are aware that fried foods, rich sauces and sugary desserts aren't good for us; it's the salad that is served covered in a mayonnaise-based dressing, or the vegetables warmed through in a buttery emulsion, that cause problems. So what can be done? Not being afraid to ask for your meals to be given a personal twist is one tactic. It is not unreasonable to inquire exactly how a dish is cooked, request that sauces and dressings be served on the side, opt for a starter as a main course or swap fries or mashed options for a side order of vegetables. Being aware of menu lingo also helps. As a general rule, anything that is described as "crispy" is likely to be well acquainted with a deep-fat fryer, as will many battered, breaded and tempura items. Spinach might be considered a superfood, but once it has been creamed, it will also be high in saturated fat and calories.The same goes for asparagus served under a blanket of hollandaise sauce and vegetables smothered with cheese. Confit, meanwhile, means cooked and cooled in its own fat. It is also worth noting that restaurant meals tend to come with an assortment of other, usually empty, calories that diners fail to account for: the bowl of crisps or nuts presented at the start, the bread basket you nibble away at while perusing the menu and the petit fours served at the end all add up. Of course, each cuisine has its own dishes that should be avoided entirely or on the other hand, devoured without guilt. A primer: Chinese restaurant Chopsticks are your friend. Unless you're particularly well-practised, using them will force you to eat more slowly, thus giving the brain time to register when it is full. Holditch advises forgoing fried starters (prawn crackers, spring rolls, wontons) and beginning the meal with a soup or broth instead. She also suggests choosing steamed or plain rice over egg-fried versions. It's worth remembering that at many Chinese restaurants, dishes served in sauces - be it sesame, lemon or sweet and sour - are likely to contain high levels of sugar and corn syrup and offer little nutritional value. Opt for vegetable-based dishes and those described as being steamed, poached or grilled instead.