This document provides tips and strategies for making healthier choices when eating out at restaurants. It summarizes the results of a study that analyzed the nutritional profiles of meals from chain sit-down restaurants, finding the average meal contained over 1000 calories and exceeded daily recommendations for sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol. It then offers recommendations for planning ahead, being aware of preparation methods and ingredients on menus, choosing appetizers or sides instead of entree items, and modifying orders by asking for sauces and dressings on the side or substituting ingredients.

1. Cristin Stokes, RD, LN
MUS Wellness Program

2. • University of Toronto study (2013)
• Analyzed nutritional profile of meals from 19 chain sit-
down restaurants
• Averages per meal:
• 1128 calories
• 151% daily sodium recommendation
• 83% daily saturated fat recommendation
• 60% daily cholesterol recommendation
• Worst meal?
• Breakfast
JAMA Intern Med 2013

3. Recommended Daily Intake
Calories: 2,000 calories
Fat: Less than 65 grams
Blooming Onion
Calories: 1950 calories
Fat: 160 grams

4. • 1. Plan ahead
• 2. Be a menu detective
• 3. Use smart restaurant strategies

5. • Do your research – menu & nutrition facts
• Online
• Calorie King book
• Consider deciding what you’ll order before
going to the restaurant
• Helps avoid impulse decisions

6. • Keep hunger in check
• No lower than a 3 on the 1-10 Hunger Scale
• Set yourself up to make a good eating decision
• Eat an apple, drink a glass of water beforehand

7. • Look for:
•Steamed
•Baked
•Broiled
•Grilled
•Roasted
•Broth
•Seared

8. • Choose less often:
• Fried
• Deep fried
• Creamy
• Cheesy
• Battered
• Breaded
• Country-style
• Crispy

9. • Choose less often:
• Bechamel or white sauce
• Au gratin
• Smothered
• Stuffed
• Tempura
• Loaded
• Basket
• Bearnaise, Thermidor, Newburg
• Sodium signals: pickled, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce,
soup

10. • ABCD
• Appetizer
• Bread
• Cocktail
• Dessert
• Choose ONE (not four!)

12. • Start with a salad or a broth based soup
• Order an appetizer as a meal
• Order first
• Split a meal

13. • Split dessert
• Order decaf coffee instead of dessert
• Drink water
• Ask how a dish is prepared if unclear on the menu

14. • Substitutions
• Make your meal colorful!
• Side salad or steamed vegetables in place of
French fries
• Double/triple veggies in place of starch or other
sides
• Ask for items to be grilled instead of fried
• Lemon juice and olive oil in place of butter or
creamy salad dressings
• High calorie items left off – i.e. wonton strips,
bacon, cheese

15. • Be assertive:
• Remember that a restaurant is there to serve
you as a customer
• Ask for half your meal in a doggie bag before
your meal is brought out
• Ask for dressings, sauces on the side

16. Local Restaurant Review

17. Murphy’s Pub

18. • Pick it:
• Food:
• Regular hamburger,
cheeseburger, or hotdog
• Chicken wrap
• Iron Grilled Turkey or Grilled
Cheese sandwich
• Side salad
• Treats:
• Dilly Bar
• DQ Sandwich
• Small cone/dipped cone
• Fruit Sundae
• Skip it:
• Food
• Crispy Chicken
• Basket
• Flamethrower
• Treats
• Milkshakes/malts
• Turtle waffle bowl sundae
• Oreo brownie Earthquake

19. Pick it:
• A la carte items
• Salad - sans tortilla bowl
• Chicken enchilada
• Beef taco
• Fajitas (heavy on veggies,
easy on tortillas)
• Pico de gallo/salsa
• Sub salad in place of rice
& beans
Skip it:
• Supremas (or split with
your dining companions)
• Cheese enchilada
• Super macho burrito
• Sour cream, cheese
• Margarita AND chips

20. • Bring snacks
• Examples: Bananas, apples, nuts, snack bars (Lara, Kind, Luna)
• Buys you time to find healthy options
• Set a goal of 3+ veggies, 2+ fruits each day when
traveling
• Plan out your eating day
• Scout the options

21. • Whole grain cereal cups
• Milk
• Energy bars
• Low fat yogurt
• Trail mix
• Fruit cups
• Fresh fruit (bnaans, apples)
• String cheese
• Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin)
• Jerky
• Fig Newtons

22. Fooducate
yumPower
MyFitnessPal
HealthyOut

23. Questions?

24. • www.wellness.mus.edu @montanameals
(Twitter)
• www.muswell.limeade.com
• montanamovesandmeals.com
• www.facebook.com/MUSWellness