How to eat in a restaurant and still keep your hormones in optimal balance
Someone else cooks, serves you and to top it all does the dishes! What is not to love about restaurants? Well… A lot. Huge portions, most foods served are not organic, industrial oils, meats from concentrated animal feeding operations, ugh…
Still I come bearing good news, there are ways around eating out in a way without getting fat and accelerating aging. The key: mindful eating.
Being mindful will allow for planning. Planning will cancel all you eat on impulse.
Plan for the meal during the day. Make your meals more rich in vegetables so that you get plenty of fiber and your blood sugar is stable. Never skip meals, which may lead to low blood sugar and overeating.
Great Planning Tips
Go online!
Find the menu for the restaurant online, so that you can read the menu carefully and prequalify what you can eat.
Split
Splitting meals is always a great idea, portions in our restaurants are usually good to feed an army
Slow your horses
Ordering is not the time for people pleasing by being fast.Take your time, ask all the necessary questions to order according to plan. Don’t feel like a nag when you clarify what’s in the salad dressing, how they cook the fish, and what ingredients are used on the vegetables
Enjoy, enjoy and enjoy some more
When the food arrives, savor each bite paying attention to the aroma, texture, and taste. This practice has been shown to increase enjoyment and satiety with smaller portion sizes.
Fill up on veggies
Order steamed vegetables. I’ve never been to a restaurant or hotel that doesn’t serve steamed vegetables. I like to fill up
Salad dressing patrol
Control the amount of salad dressing and sauces by requesting it on the side. I find that salads at restaurant use double the dressing that I use at home. So I toss my own salad with 2 tablespoons (approximately 1 ounce) of dressing – and I make sure the dressing does not have sugar, gluten, or dairy in it – all are addictive
Just breathe
Take two deep breaths when your food arrives. We know that people eat 40% more when dining with friends. We get distracted. Turn your attention back to the food by taking a deep inhale of the steaming food for a 4 count, hold your breath for 7 count, and exhale for an 8 count. It only takes two breaths to switch your nervous system back to “rest and digest.” When you’re calm and present, you’re more aware of hunger, stomach fullness, and avoidance of food triggers.
Be fully present to the pleasure of eating. Savor it. Learn a new way to eat out!
To your Ohealth,
Dr. T