by: Cori Sachais Swidorsky

Many of us feel that when we are trying to lose weight or just trying to keep up a healthy eating style, that we need to cut dining out of our lives. Not true! We can enjoy dining out just as much as we did before as long as we know how to do it.

When going to a restaurant, either call ahead to ask some of these questions or ask your server if they

• Serve margarine instead of butter

• Provide fat free (skim) milk instead of whole milk or creamer

• Serve salad dressing on the side

• Cut off any visible fat from meat or poultry

• Grant special requests

Make your meal selection based on how the food is prepared. Here are some healthy choices:

• Steamed

• Broiled

• Baked

• Poached

• Roasted

• Garden Fresh

Try to avoid ordering any appetizers and try not to grab for bread. You can even ask your server to not bother bringing bread to the table. Going out to dinner is usually a treat to ourselves, so if you want to splurge a little, have a half a piece of bread or order half of an appetizer to split with the others you are dining with. Same with desserts, share a dessert and only have one or two tastes.

Don't skip those going out to dinner plans, just make healthier choices.

For more articles on healthy eating to go : http://www.informingwomen.com/Healthy_Eating.html