What and How Much Should I Eat? Tips on Portion Sizes.

Okay, so you're planning on eating that meal I recommended at noon when your friend calls and says, "I have some really important news I have to share with you right away. Meet me at the restaurant in an hour for lunch." Of course you can't say no unless you want to risk your relationship, and bringing your prepared lunch in a brown paper sack would be, well, a bit awkward. Let's face it, life happens when you make other plans. Is it even possible to go out to the restaurant with your friend and not blow your healthy eating plan? I say yes, you can avoid becoming a social pariah (declining those important lunch invitations) and almost always find something to eat without killing your diet.

There are a few secrets that will help you make good food choices and stay on track. I'm going to mention a two here.

1. Use technology. Almost everyone has a smart phone these days. If you have one you can go online to livestrong.com. Go to the Daily Plate drop down menu and then to My Plate. You can easily type in a menu item under "What Did You Eat?" and instantly see the calories and a pie chart of proteins, carbs and fats (have to scroll down). Remember you want to generally stay at around 50% carbs, 20-25% protein, 25-30% fat. If you know you have 400 calories budgeted for that lunch meal, you can quickly determine what you can eat. Sites like livestrong.com andsparkpeople.com have very robust search engines. They have nutrition facts for most major restaurant menu items and a few for some local restaurants. If you don't have a smart phone with internet, you can look up the restaurant on your computer before meeting your friend.

2. Use Portion Estimation.