When you’re on vacation, it’s fun to sample the fare from the local restaurants, especially if you have no way of cooking for yourself. However, if you’ve made an effort to slim down for your trip, you don’t want to waste your efforts by making bad choices. Here’s how you can eat healthily at restaurants while on vacation.

Mind the Portion Sizes

Portion control is a critical aspect of maintaining a healthy weight. When dining out, ask your waiter what the approximate portion size is of the meal you’re considering. If it’s too large, order a half-portion instead. This helps you consume far fewer calories while being easier on your wallet.

Also, reading reviews and looking at menus before hand is vital in finding a healthy restaurant. it’s important to know that you can find a healthy meal even if you are staying in a Las Vegas hotel, the buffet capital of the world. It’s also important to stop eating once you feel satisfied, even if there is still food on your plate. Although wastefulness is never a good thing, neither is overeating simply because you can. You’ll make yourself feel bloated and sluggish, it’ll take longer to digest your food and you may take in hundreds of extra calories in the process. If you really want to avoid wasting your leftover food, ask for a take-home container.

Colorful Choices

As a general rule, the more colorful a food is, the better it is for you. Fruits and vegetables fall under this category. By contrast, foods that are loaded with calories, sugars and fattening carbohydrates are usually brown, white, cream or tan in color. Focus on filling your plate with as many colorful foods as possible.

The sides served with restaurant meals can make or break your waistline. Whenever you have the choice, select steamed, boiled, baked or roasted vegetables over the more fattening options. This is one way you can significantly reduce your caloric intake.

Beware the Beverage

A lot of people fail to consider the impact that their drink choices can have on their diet. It’s important to avoid beverages that are loaded with sugar like sodas, sweetened teas, fruit juices and daiquiris. It’s recommended to avoid diet sodas, too, since artificial sweeteners have been shown to cause weight gain on their own. Instead, choose healthy drinks like unsweetened tea, milk, vegetable juice or water.

Count Calories

Keeping track of your calories is an important part of maintaining your weight, but it can be a challenge when you’re eating out. When possible, try to eat at restaurants that provide caloric data for their menu items. More and more places are starting to do this, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a few good eateries.