Eating Out Without Blowing Your (Calorie) Budget

Within the last year, reports began to show a resurgence in Americans eating out.
- 57% report eating out at least once a week. (Rasmussen Reports)
- In 2015, Americans were spending more on dining out than at grocery stores. (Bloomberg Markets)
- Zagat reported their survey participants eat out an average of 4.5 times per week!

Eating out used to be an occasional treat. So, splurging wasn't nearly as devastating to our waistlines. Portion sizes were also much smaller. (Want to see how much??? Check out the National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute's Portion Distortion Quizzes).

When we don't cook at home, we have less control over what is in our food & how it's prepared. Nutritious choices are becoming more plentiful. However, prepared foods still tend to have more calories, fat, sugar, & salt than we would make at home. They also tend to have less fruits, veggies, & low-fat dairy. If the eating out trend continues to flourish, making healthy choices will become increasingly more important.

Here are suggestions to help eat healthily while out:
- Prevention's How Nutritionists Eat Fast Food
- WebMD's 10 Best Fast Food Meals 
- HelpGuide.org's Healthy Fast Food
- Buzzfeed's 26 Fast-Food Lunches that are Actually Healthy