Eating healthy when eating out after bariatric surgery

Following bariatric surgery, the changes to diet can be quite challenging for a lot of people. Weight loss surgery is designed to change the way you consume food and some procedures even permanently alter the way your body processes food. So what you choose to eat following surgery is just as important as the actual procedure itself. 

One of the challenges that our patients face is trying to eat healthily when they are eating out. Eating out is a big part of our culture here in Australia, whether it be family gatherings, date nights or catching up with friends, sometimes it’s unavoidable (or can’t be avoided forever!). Today our Dietitian Tania Chaanine is going to give some advice on how to eat nutritiously and mindfully when eating out. 

Getting prepared…

Thanks to a quick Google search, most restaurants have a version of their menu available to view online. Take advantage of this and have a look at the menu ahead of time, gain a better idea of what types of food are available and make a plan. You can usually find a meal that will help meet your goals with most types of cuisines.

Tania’s Top Tips

1. Now you have your plan in place, be the first one to order your meal choice, to avoid temptation from others. 
2. Choose the right balance of lean protein, healthy fats and fibre from vegetables, salads or whole grains. This approach to eating will help you feel more satiated and more satisfied with your meal. 
3. Remember, you don’t have to order a main meal if there are healthy options on the entrees. Instead, you could opt to choose one or two entree options to make your own small, healthy meal. 
4. If you are ordering a main meal, be open to sharing with others, or taking leftovers home with you, as the portions in a restaurant will always be larger than a bariatric portion. 
5. Although you should be carefully considering the portion size, avoid the children’s menu. Although the portions may be appropriate, the choices are rarely appropriate with the meals being more carbohydrate-dense or fried. 
6. And finally, don’t drink your calories. Avoid juices, regular soft drinks, milkshakes or alcohol. 

Suggestions for healthy options when eating out

Here are some popular cuisine types and some ideas to help you avoid the food that is high in calories but low in nutritional value, and focus instead on ideas that will work for your post-bariatric surgery diet.

Chinese cuisine

Like Thai, avoid battered and deep-fried options. Some healthier alternatives to opt for would be chicken and corn soup, beef and broccoli, San Choy bow or steamed dumplings.

Thai cuisine

Avoid deep-fried entrees, for example, chicken skewers rather than fried chicken wings. Try to avoid large portions of rice or noodles that are often fried and high in carbohydrates. A better option would be a Thai beef salad or a stir fry with protein such as chicken, pork or prawns. 

Japanese cuisine

Avoid sushi rolls and Udon soups as these are very dense in carbohydrates (rice or noodles), with minimal or no vegetables with only a small amount of protein. A better choice would be a salad with avocado and salmon, sashimi with seaweed salad or edamame beans, seared tuna and miso soup.

Mexican cuisine

Avoid any added sour cream and go light on the cheese (try adding guacamole instead) and skip the tortilla chips. Choose a salad with the dressing on the side, and add a lean protein like fish, chicken or beans. Choose beans over rice if you can, or if you dislike beans, choose brown rice over white as this has more fibre and soft tortillas over crunchy (as they’ve been fried to achieve that crunchy texture!). 

Hopefully being able to follow some of these steps should help you to make healthier choices next time you are eating out. It’s still important to enjoy these social occasions that include food, but be conscious that you can still stick to your new healthier lifestyle while you’re doing it.