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Food… it’s an art, whether you love American, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese or Italian. It brings families and friends together not just over holidays but after long workdays or short weekends. Dining out creates memories, provides entertainment and pleasure.
Because we spend so much time dining out, let’s make sure we don’t overkill our hearts! Literally.
We want to eat healthy. But how can we do it when portion sizes are huge and our salads are really soups when the dressing drips down from our forks as we take a bite. Do we really care that the pasta was tossed in butter when it tastes so good? Don’t answer that!
Knowing heart-healthy food choices is a start. Foregoing the extra bread is a no brainer. So, do it! Asking questions about the menu and standing firm behind your healthier choices is a must.
Everyone’s food needs are different. Some need to worry about salt intake, some sugar and others need to worry about calories. Regardless of who you are, avoiding certain dangerous foods may help your heart stay healthy.
Here are take-out suggestions before you dine-out :
Chinese
“Chinese food can be a hidden salt mine,” said Sari Greaves, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association . Ask for sauce on the side (this could apply to salad dressings too). Try steamed chicken, seafood or tofu with veggies. Stir-fried dishes are fine since they are cooked quickly. Bur crispy, deep-fried or double-sautéed is a no-no.
Italian
Try bread with olive oil not butter. A shrimp cocktail might be a better alternative than salami and cheese anti-pasta. If you absolutely have to have cheese, sprinkle it on top of a dish. Avoid deep-fried or butter cooked meats or seafood. Grilled, broiled or poached seafood with a small order of pasta and garlic sounds delicious. Adding tomato sauce or oil is fine instead of cream or cheese.
Japanese
Sushi means raw. It’s simple simplicity! Try salmon, tuna, mackerel or halibut and avoid tempura-style rolls. They contain mayonnaise. Dip in low salt soy sauce only, if you must.
Mexican
Seafood and chicken is much better than a cheese-filled burrito or taco. A vegetable fajita and black beans will give you fiber and protein. Skip the sour cream and try pico de gallo or salsa. It contains avocadoes, tomatoes, and onions. Rice may be heavily salted so limit your intake.
From reading this small summary of suggestions you probably found that there are a few common points: decreasing salt, cheese, meats, deep fried foods, salad dressings, even limiting intake of good carbohydrates. Let me add that eating slowly and chewing properly may take a bit longer but you will feel full faster. Thus, you will eat less amount of food.
We cannot physically see our hearts or arteries, so it is hard to realize the long term affects of dangerous foods. Imagine the worst case scenario: grease flowing in your veins/arteries , taking at least 10 medications later in life, having a heart attack at a younger age and leaving your kids behind.
Helpful websites:
Tips for eating out- (American Heart Association) - Covers suggestions and substitutions for most kinds of restaurant foods
Your guide to eating out - (American Diabetes Association) - many useful tips to help you eat healthier when dining out
Restaurant eating tips - (American Cancer Society) - Enjoy the foods you love without a calorie overload
Dining out and losing weight -(Weight Watchers) - With these do’s and don’ts, there’s no need to fear a meal out. Links to a wide range of articles
*** Think ahead and remember to take, “Baby steps!” as Richard Dreyfuss encouraged Bill Murray to do in the movie What About Bob?
Add a Comment2 Comments
I have always been a big eater, (high metabolism), but even I am astounded at the proportions served in restaurants. And beneath the size of the meals, is the amount of fats, salt, and sure number of calories. This article points to how careful we should be with ordering. Especially considering what a large percent of the population eats out multiple times a week. I appreciate someone addressing the issue.
October 5, 2009 - 10:13amThis Comment
I think it's very hard to not see eating out as something "special." If you are someone who eats out at almost every meal, that's different. But for many, going out to dinner at a restaurant is a treat, and when we are in that "treat" mode in our brain, it's easy to want to partake of the bread and butter, the pasta, the enchiladas in cheese and tomatillo sauce, the dessert. It's like, if I wanted a chicken breast without the skin and steamed vegetables, I could eat at home!!
I personally am working to lose weight right now and am using the Weight Watchers plan. One of the things I like about it is that during the course of the week, there is enough latitude to fit just about anything into my eating without going off track. There is a daily allowance for "points" eaten, which for most people totals between 18-25 points. But over and beyond that, there are 35 extra weekly points that can go anywhere -- 5 extra per day, or all 35 on Saturday night, if that's what you want. The result? You learn a way of eating that says "usually, I eat this way, but when I want to splurge, I do it in moderation." So you can have the bread, but you stop at one piece. You can have the pasta, but you have half of it boxed up ahead of time to take home for another meal. You can fit in the glass of wine or the piece of chocolate without then feeling that you are "bad."
Restaurants don't help by serving us mammoth portions. Somewhere along the way we got the idea that "supersized" means "value," and we lost our perspective!!
October 5, 2009 - 8:10amThis Comment