Week Seven
Dining Out
Even the most health-conscious lifestyle must be able to incorporate special occasions every now and then. Having lunch or dinner in a nice restaurant should be a pleasurable experience, unspoiled by guilt or regrets.
True, you have less control over the chef’s cooking techniques and styles when you eat out. But with a little knowledge, you can identify the better choices everywhere you go. In most places, it is perfectly acceptable to ask for certain modifications when you place your order, such as lighter salad dressings or certain dishes to be omitted or served on the side. Overall, however, you should feel confident that a little straying from your dietary routine will be graciously tolerated by your body. (We are talking about special occasions, right?)
The ABCs of “menu literacy”
Understanding restaurant menus is not as simple as you may think. You read the words, but their true meaning is not always clear. Successful restaurant owners constantly try new ways to enhance your dining experience with carefully crafted menu lingo. The primary purpose of handing out menus is not to provide you with detailed information about the food that is being offered, but rather to make (literally) your mouth water – in other words, to heighten your anticipation and increase your appetite.
That is why professionally trained wait staff can seduce you into spending so much more than you had planned beforehand. Let’s face it, you would not care to empty your wallet for mundane items, such as soups, dips, meats, potatoes or pudding. But you are perfectly willing to spend a bundle on “luscious hors d’oeuvres,” “sumptuous entrées” and “glorious endings.” Don’t be fooled! The folks who type up the menu on expensive parchment paper are probably not the ones who cook your meal. So, arm yourself with a little insider knowledge. Here are a few tips for getting around the most common pitfalls:
Red flags should go up when you see words like these: Alfredo, au gratin, batter fried, battered, breaded, buttery, coconut milk, cream, creamed, creamy, crème, crispy, crusted, deep fried, escalloped, French fried, fried, fritter, ghee, in hollandaise sauce, in cheese sauce, in cream sauce, in gravy, with mayonnaise, refried, sautéed, scampi style, sizzling, stir-fried, super-sized, tempura and value-sized (or added value and extra value).
By contrast, you are probably safe when you read descriptions such as these: Baked, braised, broiled, fresh, grilled, poached, roasted, steamed and stewed.
Of course, this is by no means a complete guide and you may add many more caveats based on your own culinary expertise.
Regardless of the precautionary measures you may take, you can’t always assume that you get what you think you ordered. Heavy-handed and careless cooking techniques can quickly offset the benefits of otherwise perfectly healthy choices.
Be mindful that beverages can be fattening and must be considered as well. Most people don’t think of their drinks in terms of calories. But even wine and champagne counts. So do cocktails. Many sodas have excessively high levels of sugar. It all adds up.
As your dinner progresses, you will probably feel exceedingly comfortable and relaxed. However, if you still have any will power left in you at all, I recommend you try to pass on desserts loaded with heavy creams or chocolate. Go for fresh fruits or fat-free yogurt instead. If your resistance breaks down in view of the dessert display, all your efforts you have made throughout the meal have been in vain.
Have a dining-out strategy
It is a great idea to lay out a personal “strategy” before you arrive at your restaurant. What you do depends on your personal habits and tendencies. For instance, you may not want to get too hungry right before you eat out. Have a small snack at home that doesn’t fill you up, but also does not leave you ravenous.
If you have an aperitif or cocktail before dinner, don’t let it cloud your judgment. If possible, place your order before the effects from the alcohol kick in.
Don’t order a dish you don’t want, just because it is advertised. Be extra careful with the “specials of the day.” They often include items the kitchen needs to use up in a hurry.
You don’t have to clean your plate just because you paid for it. If it is appropriate, ask for a “doggie bag,” if not, leave the food behind and savor the memory instead.
When traveling, particularly to exotic places, learn about the local culinary customs. Your stomach may not be as adventurously inclined as your spirit.
Patronize restaurants that are readily willing to accommodate you. Find out what extra services are being offered. For example, can you call the restaurant ahead of time for special orders? Are other foods available that are not listed on the standard menu? Can ingredients and cooking techniques be modified upon request? Can the chef be asked to eliminate or reduce certain ingredients, like fat or salt? Can entrées be split up, if they are too large? Are half-portions available? And so on…
Don’t be shy about getting your needs met! Restaurants value your business and will be anxious to please you as much as possible. They are keenly aware that you have other choices…
So many choices…
Especially in America, we enjoy an incredible variety of restaurants with a rich spectrum of distinguished styles and flavors. In my book, “The Healthy Diner – How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun®,” I have used a rating system (not the usual one with the star and dollar symbols), strictly written from a dietitian’s perspective. My focus is on ingredients and cooking techniques, culinary cultures and ethnicities, and, of course, the healthier choices and alternatives. Here are four representative examples:
Italian
Italian food is very popular in many parts of the country. Its major components are pasta, vegetables, low fat dairy products and olive oil. You find also a rich variety of seafood. However, before you go for the Calamari Fritti, ask to have it lightly sautéed and pass up on the aioli to avoid excessive fat content.
Having a salad to start with (Caesar or any other) is a good idea, but watch the dressings. Creamy dressings may be tasty, but they add fat. A little olive oil on the side and balsamic vinegar are preferable by far.
Garlic bread dipped in olive oil is so yummy… Well, better not.
Minestrone soup is excellent, especially when it is prepared from fresh ingredients.
If you love pizza (who doesn’t), try the vegetarian kind, topped with fresh tomato sauce – and skip the cheese. Yeah right! You tell the kids that!
Unfortunately, all pasta dishes are high in carbohydrates, and creamy Fettuccini Alfredo is the worst of the bunch. A Marinara or clam sauce has lower fat content. Try splitting a pasta dish – they’re often too large for one person anyway.
Great entrée choices are grilled fresh fish, chicken and meats. Less desirable are sausages and sautéed items, such as Saltimbocca and Scaloppine. Most entrées come with vegetables, pasta or polenta. Ask for pasta and vegetables to be served plain, or with just a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. If you have Risotto, skip the butter and the cheese.
Biscotti and Sorbetto, both low in fat, are the better dessert choices. Panna Cotta is tolerable, but Gelato and Tiramisu contain all of the “usual suspects.”
In summary, healthier choices are available in most Italian style restaurants and ingredients are typically fresh. Italian food made from scratch gets a definite nod!
Mexican
Mexican food can be hearty and still healthy. Traditional dishes include plenty of vegetables, cornmeal and salsa.
Regrettably, westernized versions have brought large amounts of fats and sodium into the kitchen. Mexican restaurants in the U.S. are notorious for their huge portion sizes and their sometimes excessive use of cheese, lard and fat.
A seemingly innocent basket of Tortilla chips and salsa can be extremely high in calories, fat and sodium. Guacamole dips are loaded with fat. You are better off with warm corn tortillas and fresh, home-made salsa.
Both Nachos and Quesadillas are made with copious amounts of cheese and meat, which makes them high in fat as well. The traditional Ceviche is much leaner and a good source of protein to boot. Pico de Gallo is an excellent appetizer salad. Don’t spoil it with too much dressing and hold the sour cream.
Tacos, Taquitos, Burritos and Chile Rellenos are all deep-fried items. Some contain more than a day’s allowance of fat. See if the Chile is grilled over a fire, instead of fried. Tamales stuffed with vegetables are preferable to the ones with meat. The better Fajitas are the ones with lean cuts of chicken, beef or prawns. If you order grilled chicken, be sure to have the skin removed. Corn tortillas have less fat than those made with flour.
Most Mexican entrées are served with beans, rice and tortillas. Corn tortillas have less fat than those made with flour. Beans are a great source of fiber. Boiled pinto or black beans are better than refried ones, which are cooked in lard. Spanish rice is high in carbohydrates and somewhat oily. So, go easy on the side dishes as well.
Fruit ice is a classic dessert, but it has lots of sugar. If you crave something creamier, Flan is a good choice. Deep-fried ice cream and Buñuelos contain cream, batter and oil, plus sugar and honey.
For Mexican food, the healthiest choices are clearly the ones with the freshest ingredients and the least amount of fat. Often, the authentic, traditional dishes have the highest nutritional value.
Chinese
Chinese restaurants typically name their dishes after the regional cooking styles of China (e.g., “Szechwan”). Most feature similar staples, such as soybeans, vegetables, rice and noodles.
Appetizers include crispy fried noodles with fried cuts of meats as well as toppings like wonton strips, cashews, peanuts and eggs. All of these can be high in fat and calories.
Paper wrapped chicken is a very popular dish. Health wise, it is a good choice. Although it is deep-fried, the paper seals out most of the oil and lets the chicken steam in its natural juices. However, some of the accompaniments besides the chicken are inherently high in fat and sodium, except for the cabbage and the steamed dumplings, which are alright.
Most soups make good starters. If made with fresh broth, they are typically low in sodium. Less recommended is sizzling rice soup, because the rice is deep-fried, which boosts more fat.
Many Chinese entrées are fried and coated with a sauce, also high in sodium and fat. Wok-cooked items are preferable. Moo-Shu is good, because no oil is used and the vegetables provide enough moisture for cooking. You should ask the chef to omit oil, salt or soy sauce whenever possible.
Choose steamed over fried rice and mix with the juices from your entrée dishes. When ordering combination dishes, help yourself to larger portions of vegetables than meats.
The customary fortune cookies are tempting endings. Almond cookies are high in fat and therefore not desirable. Deep-fried ice cream…? Better pass.
Chinese food can be very tasty and it is relatively cheap. There are many delicious flavors and you can easily overindulge. It is not a light fare and the sauces and dips add plenty of calories too. Watch out for sodium. Wok-cooked and steamed vegetables are usually the healthiest choices, especially when they are prepared without oils and spicy sauces.
The American diner
They are no longer a staple of the American landscape, but there was a time when road-side diners could be found across the nation. They are part of the country’s culinary history, like the ice-cream and apple pie they served.
Well, the milk shakes and malts are still here, reminding us of the days when we did not know (nor care) about fat and calories.
Soups made from scratch beat anything that comes out of a can. If they make it in the back kitchen, go for it. A hearty vegetable soup is your best bet. French onion soup is tasty and warming. Go easy on the cheese topping, though. If you feel a little more reckless, chili made with lean ground beef, cooked in a rich broth and topped with cheese is your best pick.
If you choose a Cobb salad, let them hold the bacon. Add a side order of chicken instead. Keep your dressing separate or skip it altogether.
Hamburgers, hot dogs, chili dogs and hoagie sandwiches are traditional diner favorites. From a nutritional point of view, they are not especially beneficial (but hey!). BLTs are better. Try to curb your enthusiasm and throw out the bacon, hold the mayonnaise, but load up on lettuce and tomato. (Not much left, is there?)
Diner entreés are notoriously rich and oversized, especially when served with fatty and salty side orders. Fried chicken and fish ’n chips are hard to modify to make them low fat. Chicken pot pie typically comes with a heavy filling. Grilled New York steak and BBQ beef short ribs are alright (sort of) when grilled over an open grill (allowing excess fat to drip into the fire). Baked potatoes make better side dishes, as long as you pass on the toppings made of butter, sour cream or cheese. Mashed potatoes, potato salads and coleslaw are all pretty high in fat. So try really, really hard to resists any of them.
If you must have dessert, split one with your table and only have two or three bites. Or have a low fat yogurt instead. (Who am I kidding?)
In order to become a more health-conscious eater, you should not automatically assume that most foods, including restaurant foods, are off limits. The trick is to be smart about your choices. Healthy food does not have to be bland and tasteless. In fact, it shouldn’t. If you feel deprived of the tastes you love, you will not stick to your diet resolutions for long. So, go out and enjoy yourself thoroughly, but stay in control.
You can read about more menus at my “Restaurant Guide For Healthy Eating.” Continue to Week Eight »
