We understand when away from home, your eating style will change. And that’s okay.
Eating out can be tricky as we often have less control over the food on offer. But, its important to balance this against the enjoyable and sociable nature of eating at restaurants and friends houses.
We absolutely don't want you to avoid these situations. Although, if this is something you do often, then it can be helpful to have some tips on how to enjoy eating out, while still nourishing your body.
Here are some of our top tips:
Add plants to your plate whenever you can. Perhaps a side of vegetables or a salad to start. This will ensure you’re consuming a wide range of health-promoting nutrients and gut-loving polyphenols. Opt for steamed or roasted veggies, rather than fried, to manage your fat intake.
Be mindful of sauces. These can be high in sugar and salt, so you may like to ask for them on the side.
Experiment with new foods. This can help increase your dietary diversity.
Tune into your hunger and fullness cues. Eat when you're truly hungry and stop once you're full. Eat slowly to improve nutrient absorption, blood sugar responses and food enjoyment.
Make carb swaps where you can. For example, swapping a simple carb like fries for a more complex wholegrain like quinoa.
Plan ahead. It can help to see what the menu offers ahead of time to plan what to eat.
Eat well the rest of the day. Pick high-scoring foods when you can to help balance out any lower-scoring foods.
Consider your food order. Eat fat and protein before carbs to help support your blood sugar response.
Choose a balanced meal. Try to have a source of fibre-rich carbs, plenty of colourful veggies, a portion of lean protein and some healthy fats to stay full and support your nutritional needs.
Simply snap a photo of your meal in the app to celebrate how you're fueling your body. If you'd rather not use your phone there and then, we’d encourage you to focus more on enjoying your meal. Just take a normal picture and upload it to the app later on.
It's our long-term habits that determine our health. And so if you have slightly lower scores when out and about, this is not something to worry about. No one has perfect scores all the time.