The verdict
Ultimately, going out will always be more indulgent than eating at home. Hope is right to point out that if we’re doing it frequently, it’s worth paying attention.
“If you think about it objectively, a three course meal is a lot of food and way more than you would eat if you were having dinner at home; in addition portion sizes are much bigger at restaurants than at home,” Hope says. “Share what you can and ask if you need all three courses every time. Skip the bread basket because you’re pretty much eating lunch before your starter even arrives.”
There’s a psychological trap. If we’re paying for food we feel it’s vital to keep eating, even after we’re full, to get our money’s worth. To escape that mindset, Hope recommends taking care to appreciate your surroundings and servers. “Think about how your payment is going to the staff, the décor, the building, and not just the food,” she advises. “That might help you feel better about leaving something on your plate when you’re full.”
Beyond that, it behoves all of us to be aware of what we’re eating and drinking, even if the menu doesn’t make it explicit. For example, if a drink has even a tiny amount of alcohol in it it doesn’t have to share any calorie information at all, even if it has just as many or more calories than a soft drink. But just because you can’t see them easily, those calories are still there; alcohol is full of sugar.
“It’s impossible to say for certain whether calorie labels on menus are entirely accurate,” admits Hope. “Chefs will use different amounts of oil and seasoning, the pieces of meat or fish vary in size, some will add more sauce than others. Equally, 500kcal of fruit is better than 500kcal of processed sugar. But I think if we’re trying to encourage people to make healthier choices, something is better than nothing. Use what you can and try to make sensible decisions.”
Like many diners, I’ve always viewed a meal out as a treat, and consequently not paid too much attention to my menu choices. Having conducted this experiment I’ve taken stock of not only how often I eat out but what I eat when I do.
While eating out is fun and shouldn’t always be about counting calories, the more we do it, the more attention we need to pay when we do.