Surviving the Long Lunch

 Whether it's a business lunch or a weekend social lunch, here are a few tips that might just get you through a guilt-free long lunch.

Choose Wisely - if you have the privilege of choosing the lunch location of the lunch, you are already on your way to keeping your healthy eating plan in check when it comes to the long lunch. Choosing a location where you can make wise food choices and; a better range of fresh, healthier choices affords you the peace of mind that survival will be a little easier for you. Choosing a cuisine that tends to have fresher options and include plenty of vegetables helps increase the nutrient density of the dishes. While reducing the calories, you still need to exercise caution when choosing a dish, but these cuisines make it easier.

Choosing wisely isn't just about the location; more importantly, it is what you select from the menu. At most restaurants and cafes, a description of what a dish consists of is often written on the menu, but if it is not, it is worth asking the staff to give you a summary. One thing especially important to watch is whether the dish comes with vegetables or salad included. It is easy to miss out on your vegetables at lunch if you assume they come included in your dish and then find when the meal arrives that they are not. If there aren't vegetables included in the dish, most establishments will have some vegetables available as side dishes, and these can often be shared amongst several people.

Be cautious of cream or butter-based sauces as these add a large number of calories to your meal without adding very many other nutrients. Watch out for bread at the beginning of the meal, as it is easy to overeat these before your meal arrives at the table because you're hungry.

Pace yourself, and plan what you'll eat for the rest of the meal so that you don't peak early and eat lots of the starter and then still try to fit in dessert at the end. If you look at the menu and know you would like a dessert, skip the starter, or if you prefer the starter choose that and skip the dessert. Don't rely on your instinct when you're hungry; if you can get the menu ahead of time and even pre-order, it not only makes the long lunch more time efficient, it stops you from ordering too much food when you're hungry and overeating unnecessarily.