Eating clean at home is one thing because you are preparing your meals and know exactly what goes into them. Attempting to eat clean in restaurants is a whole other story. It is, in my opinion, much more challenging and way more tempting. Chances are you are not going to be dining alone so you have the peer pressure from your friends to “take one bite” or you may justify eating poorly because you hardly ever eat that way anymore. One bite can lead to disaster if you have been doing well with your eating. Your motivation levels may plummet and many people use it as an excuse to continue to eat poorly since they’ve already gave in.

Dining out does not have to be a make-it or break-it deal. If you go into the restaurant with the best intentions, a positive attitude, and a strong will, you can make the right decisions and pick the right food choices. You have to really know what you want for yourself in order to fight the temptation of what everyone else is eating. For example, today I am invited to a casino buffet (gasp!) with my family. I don’t want to say no because I love my family and spending time with them trumps anything I do in my life. I’ve decided that I can take this buffet on and I will not let it beat me! lol

Picking and choosing in a restaurant or buffet is really all about common sense. Use the same methods you use when shopping for your foods during the week. Here is how I plan to tackle this buffet today.

1. Load up on quality foods - let’s face it, a buffet typically means pigging out. Why else do most people go to an all you can eat buffet? This means I plan on doing my pigging out on quality foods like loading my plate full of greens, fruit, and vegetables.

2. Protein - just like I would stick to lean proteins during the week, I will do my best to find lean proteins at this buffet. It is possible to do so and if all else fails, most buffets do prepare some type of baked or steamed fish.

3. Say no to sauces - dressings and sauces will be a no-no for me. My salads will either be dry or I’ll use a light vinaigrette if available.

4. Fountain drinks - I am not a soda drinker so this isn’t a big deal. However, there are other beverages offered that are still full of sugar. I am sticking to water or tea.

5. Desserts - this is where it gets really tough. Buffets specialize in a huge assortment of desserts. You will find ice cream, pastries, and all sorts of stuff. If you pay attention, these buffets also serve up a huge variety of fresh fruits - and guess what, the line for fresh fruits is always short. So I plan on satisfying my sweet tooth with fruits instead.

If you make the right decisions when dining out, believe me, you will feel soooooo good about yourself after you have left the restaurant. You will have proven to yourself that you can do this, that you are the one in charge of your life, and your motivation will stay high.

Remember, eating clean is a lifestyle. Once you really get into it, it will become second nature and the fear of dining out will be a thing of the past.

You may have already come across this, but if not, you definitely need to check this out. It is a list put together by MensHealth.com called “The Top 20 Worst Foods in America.” The list outlines many of the foods served by restaurants that we may all visit on occasion.

Although, the entire list wouldn’t dare be considered part of a clean eating diet, it’s still good to be aware of. Next time you are tempted to eat any of this junk, or see a friend chomping down on them, you can let them know about the damage they are about to do to their bodies!