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With hectic lifestyles, long working hours and social functions, eating out can become a treadmill of rich foods, indigestion and sleepless nights from over-consumption. In general, eating out can be a health hazard that becomes impossible to avoid.

Many men ask me how to choose from a menu when eating out to ensure good nutrition (and maintain vitality) without sacrificing taste. Following the simple principles below can help you to survive the restaurant scene and still enjoy the social benefits.

If you are not eating until late, try to eat a snack before you go out, preferably a protein snack such as some tuna on a slice of bread, soup, or even a milkshake with added protein in the form of whey powder. This will prevent you eating lots of bread when you arrive or eating fat-filled canapes. It will also help you to avoid drinking too much wine or beer before eating, which will heighten your cravings for food before the evening has even begun. This process is particularly important to follow before a cocktail party after work, for example.

Pace your drinking by ordering gin and tonic or campari and soda or vodka and tonic before you go onto wine. There is less sugar in these drinks and your weight will be controlled more without the refined sugars of wine and beer.

Always drink water with your wine and ask for some lemon to squeeze into the water. This helps digestion.

Choose an entree that has some form of protein, as you do not know how long the main dish may take to serve. There will be a temptation to eat lots of bread and drink more wine in between courses if you are very hungry. Minestrone soup, or a fish, chicken or duck entree are ideal and will take longer to digest while you are waiting for your main course. Try and choose an entree that is not filled with fat or fried.

A raw salad with a protein is always useful at the beginning of a meal to get the digestive juices working well. This follows the same principle as a bitter drink: traditionally, a bitter drink such as campari and soda is taken before a meal to stimulate the digestive organs to better assimilate the meal to follow.

If you are watching your weight do not eat bread. If you must, eat a bowl of steamed vegetables with your entree instead of bread. Keep the olive oil dips and butter away from the table. They are too tempting, especially if there is a delicious crusty loaf sitting there as well!

When choosing a main dish, lean towards a protein: fish, chicken, red meat (only twice a week) or legumes with added vegetables. Choose one carbohydrate like potatoes or rice and make sure you have both cooked and raw vegetables to both maintain health and satisfy hunger. I notice that if men just order a protein and salad without any carbohydrate or vegetables, they often then fill up on dessert as they are still hungry. The body is then overloaded with refined sugar that will not only cause weight gain but often disrupts sleeping.

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