15            
                       
    From the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
    Human Nutrition Information Service
    Home and Garden Bulletin   232-41
    
    Eating Out
    
    ---> press F8; press return and enter file name of 'guide' to
         review Dietary Guidelines.
    
    The principles for eating in the Dietary Guidelines style are 
    basically the same regardless of where food is eaten.  It's true you
    may have less control over how foods are prepared and what ingredients
    are used when you eat out, but you can control which foods you choose
    and the amount.  Keep in mind that it's your total diet that counts
    and that the principles of variety, moderation, and balance work
    best when practiced regularly over a period of time.  Occasional 
    splurges can be worked into a long-range eating plan. 
    
    You can easily balance lack of variety in one meal with the food
    selections you make the rest of the day.  For example, if your lunch
    is short on vegetables, add an extra vegetable or salad to your
    evening meal.
    
    ---> you use the checklists in 'menu' Pantry file to help the balancing
         of foods among food groups.

    ...
    
    Full service restaurants usually provide the greatest variety and
    flexibility in types of foods and preparation methods.  Items are
    often prepared to order, so you can ask that foods be prepared 
    differently than the menu specifies.  
    
    ...
    
    Fast food restaurants offer an expanding but still rather limiting
    menu.  Many items are deep-fat fried, including chicken and fish items,
    french fries, onion rings, and fruit pies.  However smaller servings
    are available for some sandwiches and side orders, and you can 
    request foods be prepared without sauces or other condiments.
    
    ...
    
    
    Terms that signal higher fat include: buttered, buttery, fried,
    french fried, deep fried, batter fried, pan fried, breaded,
    creamed, creamy, in cream sauce, in its own gravy, with gravy,
    pan gravy, hollandaise, au gratin, in cheese sauce, scalloped,
    escalloped, rich pastry.
    
    Terms that signal higher sodium include: smoked, pickled, barbecued,
    in broth, in cocktail sauce, in a tomato base, with soy sauce,
    teriyaki, creole sauce, mustard sauce, marinated, Parmesan.    
    
    Some terms signal lower fat. Foods that are grilled or broiled, for
    example, are likely to be lower in fat than those that are deep-fat
    fried - providing that only small amounts of fat are used during 
    preparation and that fat is drained.  Other terms that usually mean
    lower fat include "stirfried," "roasted," "poached," or "steamed."
    Few terms guarantee lower sodium.  Even "fresh" or "homemade" foods
    can be fairly high in sodium, depending on the types and amounts
    of ingredients used to prepare them.
    
    ...
    
    If you are served more than you want to eat, ask for a take-home bag.
    
    ...
    
    Ask about serving sizes -- Are "petite" servings or half-portions
    available?  Some ways to cut down on portion sizes: choose an
    appetizer as your main dish; order a la carte; share food with a
    friend.
    
    Ask how menu selections are prepared and what ingredients are used.
    Are the meats, chicken, or fish broiled with butter or other fat?
    Served with sauces?  Are vegetables buttered or creamed?  Fresh or
    canned?
    
    See if you special requests can be accommodated.  Order fish, chicken,
    or meat broiled without added fat.  Ask if chicken can be prepared
    without the skin.  Request that food be served with dressings and
    sauces on the side.  See if salt or other ingredients can be omitted
    when your food is prepared.
    
    Ask about availability of food items not listed on the menu-
    lowfat or skim milk, fresh fruit, and so forth.
    
    ...