by In a world of fast food and global cuisines, eating out is such a delectable delight that almost everyone enjoys. Many a great moments have been had over a table of food and conversation. A gastronomic experience can be very fulfilling to the tummy and to the soul, except for one minor detail: it can be agonizing when a person needs to constantly watch out for his or her diet.
Fast food and restaurants all have the same goal: to make you eat their scrumptious meals, whether it be healthy or not. They have designed tactics to facilitate this goal. The hungry eater is easily lured by these tactics, and his or her diet is the one that consequently suffers. For instance, menu pictures often portray the most mouth watering dishes. Seldom do these dishes actually measure up to the image.
Names of menu items can be quite deceitful as well. With the right adjectives, a mediocre burger can become the juiciest patty in town.
Keeping our attention to the menu description rather than the name can help us choose better options.
Another trick that menus often have is to place unhealthy dishes beside healthy ones to mask the former’s true nature. When paralleled this way, diners often resort to ordering the unhealthy dish as this has been a psychological trait common to most people. Beware, therefore, of this human inclination.
Vegetables are rich in fiber and nutrients. A daily serving of vegetables is essential for our bodies. Even fast foods which are notorious for serving junk now have salad bars. Undoubtedly, vegetables are good for you; sometimes the sauces, cheeses and croutons that we place on them might not entirely be.
Unless eaten steamed or sauteed, vegetables therefore, may not completely be healthy.
Sampler platters are another red flag when it comes to eating in restaurants. Their small servings can pile up the calories and fat unknowingly to the eater.
