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By Gerald George Mannikarote, MBBS MBA

It always seems to be a challenge if you have to eat out while you are at work.  Whether you are travelling or in an office, you may have to purchase your food from a restaurant or a fast food situation.  So what do you do if you are trying to stay healthy?

This has been one of the biggest challenges for me as a professional. I often have to travel for work.  Meetings often take place during meal times.  Meetings also often have tasty snacks.  I’ve noticed that these things would cause my clothes to shrink… or is it that my waistline expands?

Anyway, I’ve worked on this for many years.  I’ve read many books and articles.  I’ve talked to experts in this field.  I’ve looked into my own medical knowledge.  And I’ve even tested different ideas on myself.  From this, I’ve learned a few things that have helped me stay healthy when I have to eat out while I am working.

1. Understand your body’s needs

You must understand your body and what it needs in order to make the right choices when it comes to ordering food.  If you are diabetic, for example, you will need to order foods that comply with your specific condition.  If you are looking to lose weight, you must then consider fat content and calorie content of the food you are ordering.  If you are maintaining your weight, you must consider other aspects of the food.

2. Portion control

Ask up front, while ordering, what the size of the entree is.  And then based on that, ask for a reduced portion size of the food.  Many restaurants offer ‘lunch portions’ but even those portions are very generous in size.  You can reduce portion sizes by asking to cut out the side dishes, bread, etc provided along with the meal.

3. Reduce the fats consumed

Ask that your main portion, whether it is a portion of meat or vegetable, be grilled or steamed.  Ask that it not be cooked in any fats- butter or oil.  Yes, we all know that some fat is good for you. But let’s be honest, most of us are getting more fats in our diets than we truly need.  Having the food cooked in a healthier manner will provide for a better opportunity to stay healthy.

4. Reduce the starches you consume

People say carbs are the enemy, but that is not necessarily the case.  We all need good, healthy starches to function properly. However, most of us often overdo it when eating out.  We often start the meal with either bread or chips.  Then we may have a large portion of potatoes or rice or some other starch along with the rest of the meal.  This is generally way too much.  A simple way to reduce this excess of various starches is to ask that the chips or bread at the beginning of the meal not be brought to the table. Once again, you can ask that the starches be eliminated all together on your plate when you order your meal.

5. Ask for double the portion of vegetable

Ask for your vegetables to be steamed.  And ask for a double portion of them. This can often satisfy the craving you may have when you eliminate the starches from your plate.  It can also help you feel fuller during the meal.

So, these 5 points show you some tips to ordering food while working to stay healthy.  What are some other ways you can stay healthy while at work?  Please leave your thoughts in the comments.  You can also contact me at jerrydmann@dmanntraining.com