Staying Balanced at a Restaurant
October 13, 2026
Dining out is a classic way to socialize with family and friends. It can also be fun to try a new trendy restaurant or revisit a longtime favorite. Especially with the holidays around the corner a lot of loved ones may reconnect over a nice restaurant meal. However, eating outside of the house may not always lead to the most balanced choices. Here are some tips to make conscious choices on your next night out:
Look at the menu ahead of time.
When you get to the restaurant there might be a lot of distractions, such as greeting a friend or a crowd cheering on a sports game. Before you know it, the waiter comes by to take your order before you have even looked at the menu. You glance down and order the first thing you see that looks good. Looking at the menu before you get to the restaurant can help you think through what the best choice for that spot might be.
Find fruits or vegetables.
My recommendation when navigating the menu is to first pick out what genuinely looks satisfying to you and then see how you can add fruits or vegetables to it. For example, if you are at an American restaurant and you have been craving a burger, then order the burger. See if you can swap out the side of fries with a side salad. If someone else in your party is getting fries, ask if you can snag a few so you can have a small taste of the fries while still having a full portion of vegetables. The fiber from the salad will help you feel more full and satisfied than the fries will. If a restaurant does not have any fruit or vegetables available, that is okay, at least you can say you looked for them. Make a mental note to add some color to a snack later in the day.
Check in with hunger and fullness cues.
On your way to the restaurant, have a mental check in of how hungry you are. This can help you navigate what to order to reach the point of satisfaction. Check in again halfway through the meal, are you starting to get full and need a to-go box or are you still feeling empty and need to finish the meal? Then do a fullness check when you are finished, did you stop at a satisfied spot or are you leaving the restaurant feeling stuffed? Bringing more awareness to your hunger and fullness cues can help prevent that overly full feeling.
Dining out is supposed to be a fun, exciting experience. Hopefully these tips will help you feel more in-control next time you go out to eat. As a reminder, your body will adapt to the way you normally eat so eating out once in a while will not make as significant of an impact as the day-to-day choices will.
