Trying to stay healthy doesn’t mean cancelling dinner plans or becoming the person at the table picking at a lonely bowl of lettuce. Experts say a few smarter choices can make all the difference.

For many Australians over 55, one of life’s great pleasures is heading out for a meal, whether it’s a favourite local restaurant, a long lunch with old friends, or a Sunday family catch-up where someone else cooks… and hopefully where someone else does the dishes.

But if you’re also trying to lose a few kilos, maintain calorie intake, improve your health or simply avoid that creeping middle-age weight gain, the menu can sometimes feel like a test you didn’t study for.

Health and nutrition publication EatingWell recently explored advice from dietitians about how to order at restaurants while supporting weight-loss goals, and the advice wasn’t about giving up everything you love.

In fact, the message was surprisingly refreshing: a meal you enjoy and a meal that supports your health can be the same thing.

Choose smarter, not smaller

One of the biggest traps when eating out is assuming the “healthiest” option is automatically the smallest.

A better approach is to look for balance.

Meals with good-quality protein, plenty of vegetables and foods that leave you satisfied are often easier to maintain long-term than constantly trying to restrict yourself. That’s particularly important as we get older, when maintaining muscle and energy becomes a bigger part of staying well.

Beware the sad salad

Most of us have been there: everyone else orders something they’re excited about and you choose the plain salad because it feels like the “right” thing to do.

Then you get home and suddenly the biscuit tin starts looking real good.

If you really feel like seafood, steak, a beautiful curry or your favourite pasta dish, enjoying it mindfully may actually be the better choice.

Slow down, enjoy the conversation and remember eating out is supposed to be one of life’s pleasures.

Try the halfway check-in

Restaurant portions can be generous, and many of us were raised with the idea that leaving food behind was almost a crime.

A simple trick is to pause halfway through, have a drink of water, enjoy the company and give your body a chance to tell you whether you’re still hungry.

Check out ‘Healthy’ Foods We Buy That May Not Be As Good For You As You Think

Don’t turn up ravenous

Skipping meals all day because you’re going out for dinner can often have the opposite effect because by the time the menu arrives, hunger is in charge.

Having a sensible breakfast or lunch earlier in the day can make it easier to choose what you actually want; rather than what your appetite demands.

After 55, staying healthy is just about enjoying the good stuff a little more wisely.

And one final tip…

Don’t underestimate the little choices that add up. Ask for sauces and dressings on the side, start with water before ordering another drink, share dessert if you feel like something sweet, and don’t be afraid to take leftovers home. Eating well as we get older doesn’t mean saying no to the things you love – it’s about enjoying them in a way that lets you feel good tomorrow as well as tonight.