Healthy Tips for Eating Out

It takes effort and commitment to fully change your eating lifestyle. One of the more difficult obstacles is eating out. However, with the right mindset, and a little planning ahead, a trip to a restaurant does not have to de-rail your eating plan. Below are some suggestions that should help take some of the guesswork out of ordering at a restaurant.

General Tips

• Substitute fried foods for steamed, grilled, baked, or broiled.
• Order side dishes that are free of butter and cream sauces. Be especially careful when ordering vegetables. Most restaurants will serve them drenched in butter unless otherwise noted.
• Ask for butter, sour cream, salad dressings, and any other unhealthy toppings to be served on the side. This way, you can control how much you put on.
• Ask the server what healthy choices he/she may suggest.
• Rather than ordering an appetizer, order a broth based soup. The reality is, there are very few healthy choices as an appetizer.
• Remove any skin or visible fat from meat.

Suggestions

• Chinese- Aim for steamed or stir-fried dishes. This includes the rice on the side. Also, egg drop soup, and hot and sour soup are good starters. Avoid the sweet and sour dishes, cashew chicken, and most egg rolls.
• Italian- Choose marinara sauces over white, cream sauces. Choose baked or grilled chicken and veal dishes. Try broiled calamari instead of fried. Avoid sausage, meatballs, most lasagnas, and buttery garlic bread.
• Mexican- Look for different salsas, ceviche, and picante, but avoid too much sour cream and cheese. Try corn tortillas over flour tortillas. Try fish tacos, and chicken fajitas. Avoid enchiladas and quesadillas that are loaded with cheese and refried beans.
• Sushi- Edamame is a great appetizer to start your meal with. Vegetable and tofu rolls are very healthy. Most fresh fish sushi and sashimi choices are healthy. Stay away from tempura, or rolls with cream cheese. Also, eel and spicy tuna are generally the fattiest fish available in a sushi restaurant. Therefore, order sparingly. A sushi rolls average 200-300 calories, while most sashimi orders average about 150-200 calories. Be careful how much you eat. Most people can overdo it at a sushi restaurant.
• Continental- Look for grilled chicken, fish and pork entrees. Try turkey (or veggie) burgers as well as turkey chili instead of the regular burgers and chili. Avoid spare ribs, buffalo wings, and other fried appetizers. Instead, look for salads and soups to start with.

For more specific suggestions, or if you simply have a question about your exercise or nutritional lifestyle, feel free to call me at (609) 304-7598.

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• Tip of the Month

  January 2012

  Smart Starbucks and Steakhouse Choices

  Starbucks Choices
  • Peppermint Choc Mocha- 520cals, 20g fat
  • Pumpkin Frappuccino- 420cals, 13g fat
  • Flavored Latte- 360clas, 16g fat
  • Latte- 220cals, 15g fat
  • Coffee w/cream and sugar 180 calories
  • Cappuccino- 120cals, 4g fat
  • Coffee w/sugar 90 calories
  • Coffee w/cream 90 calories
  • Coffee w/whole milk 60 calories
  • Coffee w/skim milk 30-50 calories

  Order a coffee with cream and sugar every work day?  Add 900 calories per week to your diet.  That is over 13 pounds in one year.

  Enjoy a cappuccino every day instead, and you save 300 calories per week, and cut 4 pounds per year from the above diet.

  Go to coffee with skim milk and Splenda?  Now you are only adding 250 calories per week, and under 4 pounds per year in coffee weight.

  Enjoy a flavored frappucino or latte once per week?  That could add up to 26,000 calories, and another 7.5 pounds per year.

  Just your coffee could account for 20 pounds of caloric intake annually!

  Steakhouse Choices
  • Caesars Salad- 800cals
  • Chopped Salad, 320cals
  • Spinach Salad, 170cals click here for more »

  click here to read past tips

• Recipe of the Month

  January 2012

  Drink alcohol a little more wisely!

  Drink Choices
  • Eggnog, 350cals
  • White Russian, 260cals
  • Riesling, 160-200cals
  • Shot of liquor, 70-125cals
  • Tonic or Soda, 100cals
  • Winter Beer, 150-200cals
  • Beer, 150cals
  • Bloody Mary, 130cals
  • Wine, 120cals
  • Light Beer, 55-85cals
  • Champagne, 85cals
  Enjoy a small glass of eggnog and two gin and tonics, and you have drank 750 worthless calories.
  Or, start with some champagne, and enjoy two glasses of wine and you only have drank 330 calories, less than half of your first choices.