Who doesn’t love to go out to dinner? But if you’re trying to watch your calories or just trying to eat healthy, eating out can be a weighty ordeal. Giant portion sizes, oil-drenched vegetables, and bottomless bread baskets, dining out and healthy eating don’t always go hand-in-hand.

Now there is a handy new online tool created by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) with partial funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  HealthyDiningFinder.com provides you with nutritional information on restaurants that, in many cases, is not available anywhere else. The website is also meant to encourage chefs and cooks all around the country to create healthy meals that emphasize fresh vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.
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It is very obvious that we are a society of convenience and many of us have developed the habit of eating out on a regular basis.  Whether it is grabbing lunch at the nearest fast food joint or taking the family out to eat after a long day of work, we eat out a lot.  It may not be realistic to think you can completely avoid dining out all together, but I do recommend minimizing the number of times you eat out during the week.  Since it is unrealistic to think you will completely do a 180 with dining out, I would like to provide you with a few tips to doing it in a healthier manner.

- Avoid fried food. Order baked, broiled, or grilled items, in doing so you will cut calories and help protect you from disease.

- Choose fresh over fried. Pick a lettuce side salad or fruit over French fries.

- Ask your server questions. Ordering veggies is highly recommended, but it can be tricky because restaurants like to cook in a lot of butter.  Ask the server what the vegetables are cooked in and how they are prepared (see if you can get them grilled or steamed).
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