by Judith Schnee (Judith Lynn Schnee)

Created on: August 26, 2008   Last Updated: August 19, 2010

I don't think restaurants should be responsible to list calories and fat grams. However, I do think they should serve smaller, healthier sized portions. It is up to us to be aware of calories and fat grams. There are so many television programs and magazine articles on this topic.

Being aware and following through can be two different things. Speaking for myself, I do more "mindless eating" at a restaurant when I am deep in conversation with family members or friends. To combat my worst inclinations, I often push one-third to one-half of my meal aside, and ask for a box at the end of the meal. The perk to this is having a tasty lunch or dinner the following day. Of course, sometimes these left-over food boxes end up at the back of our refrigerators, and are forgotten. A la Erma Bombeck, we wait until they are indistinguishable to toss them. At least, we have not stuffed ourselves the night before.

We are fortunate to be better educated today about the foods that are good for us. I find it easy to cook healthy meals when I am home, but can be tempted in a restaurant to even "share" a dessert. You know how that goes. There is always one party whose meaning of sharing is three quarters for him or her, and the rest for you. Of course, the easiest way to eat healthy is to avoid all buffets, breakfast or otherwise, and to avoid all rich and fried foods. But, do we always listen to our conscience?

We like to eat at health food and vegan restaurants. Their menus make controlling calories and the size of the portions easy. We also enjoy eating at Thai and Chinese restaurants. It is so easy to find vegetarian dishes, and many of the restaurants offer a choice of brown or white rice with your meal.

Eating in these restaurants has also influenced me in the choices I make when I cook. Yes, I have always made well balanced meals, but I have often put too much food on our plates. I also have stopped buying snack food, and substituted yogurt, melon and fruit.

Some restaurants do list calorie counts and fat grams, but the majority of them do not. I don't find this to be a problem, since I think it is up to me to control my eating habits.

To me, the most important ways to control weight when eating at a restaurant are:

1. Educating ourselves about calories and fat grams
2. Being aware of portion control
3. Staying away from buffets.
4. Choosing from the menu wisely

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