DO YOU WANT TO GO OUT FOR DINNER, BUT ARE YOU AFRAID FOR THE COSTUME FITTING? FOLLOW THE NUTRITIONIST'S ADVICE - IN SHAPE

Dinner out? Here is what to choose to not go overboard if you are on a diet

In order not to give up an invitation to dinner out, the nutritionist Patrizia Cusano recommends starting with the right choice of restaurant: play it safe with one you already know or, if you decide to try a new one, first check the menu on her website.

Try not to go to the restaurant on an empty stomach: two snacks a day will help you arrive less hungry for the evening meal. When you read the menu, discard the dishes that, from the name, suggest a high fat content: words like fried, crunchy, creamy, spreadable, buttered, casserole do not really go along with your diet!

If your dinner is a buffet, use the picnic plate technique: fill it half with fruit and vegetables, ¼ of light protein foods and the last quarter of carbohydrates.

Here are some suggestions on choosing the menu.

First dishes

The best first courses when you have lunch / dinner outside the home are those that contain a lot of vegetables. A rice or pasta salad or a plate of cous cous dressed with vegetables are an excellent solution. First courses based on fatty condiments such as cream, butter, bechamel are to be avoided.

Second courses

Among the main courses, lean meats such as roasted chicken or turkey or grilled fish are preferred. A good second course can also be represented by lean cured meats such as turkey breast or bresaola with rocket and parmesan shavings, while more fatty cured meats such as mortadella, salami, cooked and raw ham are to be avoided.

Salads

Salads can also be used as a single dish: with lots of vegetables and tomatoes and with a source of protein of your choice from tuna, boiled egg, bresaola, roasted chicken or turkey breast.

Side Dishes

Among the side dishes it is always good to choose grilled or baked vegetables to be seasoned at the moment.

Fruit

Seasonal fruit if consumed naturally. Fruit salads should be avoided because they usually contain added sugars.

Sweets

You can indulge in a fruit-based ice cream such as strawberry and lemon which contain fewer calories, or you can choose a citrus sorbet. But which restaurant to choose?

But which restaurant to choose?

Here are some tips based on the type of place where you choose to go out to eat.

Japanese restaurant

Japanese cuisine is mostly based on raw fish and rice and therefore in itself low-calorie. Sushi and sashimi bring very few calories, instead we must avoid tempura, that is fish and vegetables wrapped in batter and fried, and where possible soy sauce for its high sodium content.

Chinese restaurant

Choose steamed or boiled preparations, vegetable-based dishes and limit the consumption of pasta and rice.

Fast food

It is also possible in these places, to choose low-calorie dishes, such as salads to which chicken or meat is added, as long as they are grilled. All the other dishes proposed should be avoided because they are rich in fat and salt.It is advisable to check the nutritional tables that accompany the dishes.

Bar

If equipped with gastronomy it is good to choose a second course, a single dish or rice salad. If you choose to eat a sandwich, opt for mozzarella and tomato or vegetables and bresaola or with cold cuts and low-fat cheeses of your choice.