Eat Out and Eat Healthy

Do you find yourself eating out often and ordering the same things—hamburgers, french fries, and chicken nuggets?

Calories and Fast Food: Let’s Review

Calories

• Calories come from the food we eat and are used up by our body as energy.
• When we don’t use up all the calories we take in, they are stored in the body as fat.

Using Calories

• Take in more calories than you use: Gain Weight.
• Take in fewer calories than you use: Lose Weight.
• Use the calories you take in and no more: Balance.

Remember, a child of 3 only needs 1,000-1,400 calories a day and an adult only needs 2,400-2,800 calories a day, depending on their activity level.

Let’s look at how we can eat out and make healthy food choices.

Plan in Advance

Planning what you will purchase when you eat out before you arrive at the restaurant will save time, tears, and frustration, and calories! Many restaurants post their nutrition information online. Review this before you go so you know which menu items are healthy choices.

Make Small Changes

You can make sure that your calories come from healthy foods by making one or two changes a week in what you order. For example, a small hot fudge sundae at a leading fast-food restaurant has 330 calories and 9 grams of fat while a fruit and yogurt parfait has only 150 calories and 2 grams of fat and provides more nutrients. Both are sweet and creamy, but choosing the parfait as a dessert can be a great savings in fat and calories!

Drink Water

Giving up one soda a day would provide a savings of 140 calories each day or 980 calories in a week! Drinking a glass of water before you order can help curb your cravings.

Making simple changes such as these can contribute to a healthier, happier family!

Tips for Eating Out:

• Give children 2-3 healthy choices.
• Ask for dressing on the side.
• Decide what foods to order ahead of time.
• Find the nutrition information menu online and have your children look at it and choose healthy foods.
• Buy the meal toys separately.
• Ask for mustard, salsa, or honey mustard instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches.
• Keep the children’s meal packages and put home-cooked food and snacks in them to serve your child.
• Require that kid meal choices be healthy ones.
• Choose the small hamburger with no mayo.
• Choose grilled chicken not fried.
• Order beans without cheese and save calories and fat.
• Choose baked or steamed flour or soft corn tortilla instead of fried.
• Have a glass of water before you go for fast food.
• Choose a baked potato with salsa (no butter) instead of french fries.
• Order a thin crust pizza with vegetables and lean meats such as ham or Canadian bacon.
• Choose apple slices or bananas instead of french fries or cookies.
• Order yogurt with fruit instead of ice cream.

IN-HOME ACTIVITY

Healthy Alternatives Matching Game

1. Print two copies the Healthy Alternatives Matching Game.
2. Cut out the squares and place them randomly, face down on the table.
3. The first player turns over two cards. If they match, the player keeps the cards and the game continues to the player on the left. If they do not match, the player replaces the cards and the game continues to the player on the left.
4. The game is over once all of the cards have been matched.
5. The player with the most matching sets of cards is the winner.

Download Activity PDF

Don’t forget to journal!

What will your family change about your fast-food choices this week to make them healthier?