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Dining Out and Healthy Meals on the Go

By: Abby Patterson, KSC Dietetic Intern

+Today

Provide you with quick and easy meal and snack ideas

Discuss ways to set aside time during the week to make healthy meal preparation a priority

Identify strategies that will allow you to make healthy choices when dining out

+Do you know?

Let’s start with an activity!

+ 20% of American meals are eaten in the car

At least 1 in 4 people eat some type of fast food every day

A study done in 2012 showed that 52% of those polled believed that doing their taxes was easier than figuring out how to eat healthy

+1960 Now

17.5%

5.2%

9.9%

16%

+Dining Out is a Growing Trend

+Why do we dine out?

Busy

No time to cook

Tired

Don’t like cooking or don’t know what to cook

Social reasons

Some just enjoy eating out

+Challenges when dining out

Large portions

Calorie dense foods

Too many options

Nutrition information is not readily available

Buffets

Deals/discounts/coupons

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+Benefits to eating at home

You know exactly what’s in your food, and how much

It’s cheaper

Saves time!

You know the conditions of the food prep area

+Quick and easy meals

Make a large amount of grains at the beginning of the week (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, barley)

Keep fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables on hand

Add protein such as nuts, seeds, beans, tofu, turkey, or chicken

For any homemade foods such as breads, muffins, soups- make extra and freeze one portion every time you cook! If you do this, you’ll have your own ‘frozen’ meals available to you at all times

+Quick and easy snacks

Hard boiled eggs Fruits and vegetables with peanut butter or hummus Nuts Cheese stick Rice cakes and peanut butter Granola bars Crackers and cheese/hummus/peanut butter Homemade trail mix- add nuts, chocolate chips, raisins,

chex Popcorn

+Tips for healthy choices if you’re stuck in a bind

Check out the menu before you leave home Ask your waiter to add more vegetables Ask how the food was prepared- don’t go by the menu Split your entrée Order a salad before ordering anything else on the menu-

watch the add-ons! Dressing on the side Skip the bread basket/chips and salsa Order fish Drink water Special occasion Skip the dessert!

+Activity!

Let’s look at menus from restaurants in this area

+Words of Wisdom

If it comes from a plant, eat it; If it was made in a plant, don’t

It’s not food if it arrived through the window of a car

Avoid foods that are advertised on television

It’s not food if it’s called by the same name in every language (Cheetos, Big Mac, Pringles)

+Questions?!