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When it comes to eating at home, you can exercise a great deal of control over what you eat and how your meals are prepared. However, when it comes out eating out at restaurants, you do not really have a lot of control over what you eat, what size your portion is, or even how your food is prepared. Luckily, you have more alternatives than simply not eating, or not going. There is no reason that you should not be able to go out to enjoy a meal with your friends, as eating can be quite the social activity. But the principle that you need to keep in mind when eating out is that the only way that you are going to survive is if you make intelligent decisions and choose smart selections when ordering from the menu. Here are some tips which will make eating out healthier and more enjoyable.

- Avoid Soft drinks - Drinking tea or water is a much healthier alternative than resorting to sugar-laden sodas and juices that are offered by most restaurants. You can save hundreds of calories simply by avoiding these unnecessary sweets.

- Choose the Salad - You are generally given a choice between soup and salad with dinner entrees. The salad is obviously going to be the healthier choice, but only if you request it with the dressing on the side. This is because restaurants tend to ruin perfectly healthy salads by drenching them in high-fat dressings.

- Go light on the oil - Restaurants have a tendency to cook their meals in butter or oil, which may make the food taste better but it also has a negative impact on your health. Find out if your meal can be grilled without the fats and oils instead, and you will enjoy your food without having to worry about the packed in calories.

- Don’t Finish - There is two ways that you can go about this. The first is simply to stop eating as soon as you are full, and bring the rest home. The second is to request a doggie bag or box right away, cut your meal in half and immediately put one half away. This will prevent you from eating too much, because it encourages good portion control.

Eating healthfully in a restaurant is completely possible, and does not mean you cannot thoroughly enjoy your food in the process. Dieting does not mean that you have to deprive yourself of good food, because a diet is not meant to be a punishment.