Calorie Check: Pre-Dinner Freebies

We are all familiar with the scene: you sit down to a dinner out, and before you have even decided on your entree, the server brings out a warm, fluffy basket of bread.

Depending on the cuisine, the bread can be accompanied by butter, or sometimes oil and vinegar for dipping.  Mmm…the oil and vinegar is my favorite.

Here’s the problem: with the average bread slice clocking in around 120 calories, and a chewy breadstick at 150 calories, two or three pieces + butter or oil, and you can easily rack up 500 calories before you even have dinner.

Don’t even get me started on the tortilla chip bowl.

A 5-ounce “side” of tortilla chips will run you nearly 750 calories.  Sure, stick to a one-ounce serving and you’re in good shape…but that’s less than 10 chips.

With most bread baskets and chip bowls being bottomless, it’s easy to fill up on the freebies before your meal, and continue munching throughout the evening.

So what is the solution?  Many of you on Twitter have said that you avoid these freebies entirely.  Some said that you will indulge if the food is really “worth it.”  Personally, I am somewhere in between: splurge a little, and then put it away.  A few tips on finding that balance:

• Delay. Ask your server to bring out the offering with your meal.  This will not only save you from spoiling your dinner, but likely save you many calories.  Tortilla chips on their own are a lot easier to resist when they’re served alongside a plate of sizzling shrimp fajitas.
• Use your side plate.  Hand to basket, hand to mouth is asking for trouble.  Put a small serving on your side plate and never eat directly from the basket.
• Pass it around. Mindless munching is only possible if you have continual access to the basket in question.  Make your kindergarten teacher proud and demonstrate your skills in sharing.
• No refills.  A basket of chips shared between five people is not going to rack up too many extra calories.  It’s when the basket never gets empty that one serving each turns into 10.

Delicious, comforting restaurant appetizers can be hard to resist when you are hungry, especially when they’re complimentary.  Indulge mindfully,  savor every bite, and remember to save room for dessert!