Greetings!,

How often do you go out to eat in a week or in a month?

This is an area my wife Karen and I pay casual attention to, but as empty nesters sometimes it is just easy to go pick up dinner rather than cook at home. Not an everyday or even every week thing, but we know it happens often.

However, with my recent health concerns and the classes I have to take for my cardiac rehab, I was mildly shocked by some of the facts concerning dining out and not being careful. Maybe not a well kept secret, but according to the center for Food As Medicine, restaurant food can be considered unhealthy for the following reasons:

• Portion size - meals can contain 200 or more calories per serving than at home servings.
• Nutritional Quality - Many restaurant meals, especially from fast-food locations, are low in essential nutrients. Researchers have found that as much at 70% of the meals from these locations are of poor dietary quality.
• High levels of unhealthy ingredients - These can include higher than recommended levels of sugar and sodium. While these enhance flavor they also contribute to diabetes, heart-disease and obesity.
• Lack of Control Over Ingredients - Cooking from home can allow you to control what goes in to your meals. Restaurant food may have hidden ingredients that are not disclosed making informed choices difficult.

Keep this in mind however, many of the factors above can be minimized. Simple things such as asking your server for help on what is in the items on the menu, or asking for the food to be prepared in a way of your choosing can help. Even things such as having your meal split and a portion pre-boxed may help you from eating too much.

Also, dining out can be a sneaky way to bust your budget. According to Statistica.com, the average U.S. household increased spending from $2,505 annually in 2010 to $3,933 in 2023. While it feels like inflation has ravaged all costs, this jump is more than a 37% increase.

Keep in mind, I am not telling you NOT to go out for a nice dinner. I can still remember the frustration of COVID and how nice it was to finally be able to sit in a restaurant. Just having seen so much from a cardiac standpoint, I just feel we all have to be more aware of the food we put in our bodies. Smart choices can become a better way to dine out.

As always, thanks for reading.



Bernie & Chad