Be Food Aware…….NOT Food Beware….

Be Food Aware…….NOT Food Beware….

So something I would like to address and I think we all have the same issue…..Going out to eat!!! Dun Dun Dun, every ‘dieters’ nightmare, around here we don’t live by ‘diets’….we live by healthy eating and living (which actually has better benefits and long term weight loss) so let me tell you there is savvy ways of eating out. Sure don’t get me wrong I love having a burger and chips/fries when I am out but unfortunately my body doesn’t like it all of the time…so let me tell you some tips on “Be Food Aware…NOT Food Beware’.

Everyone expert will tell you…’Choose the Salad’…well sometimes you don’t want a salad…especially if you eat them a lot and you are out for a fun meal with friends or partner.. so opt for:

·        Salmon Burger/Chicken Breast Burger/Turkey Burger: (Ask if the chicken is grilled/steamed)

- hold the fries and ask for salad on the side

 - ask for half salad and half fries

 - hold the bun on burger

Ø  Your regular burger and chips can pack in anywhere from 700 – 1100 calories PER meal, and upwards of 30-70g Fat, unwanted amount of sugar and salt :O , shocking amount! Vegi and Meat eaters alike!

·        Stir-Fry / Chicken / Prawn / Salmon (Ask if they are fried and in what oil)

-Ask for brown rice if option

- Ask for more vegetables and less noodle

·        Soup – Be careful – some soups are laced with Salt and Sugar and cream

-Ask if soup is made in house, usually less preservatives (salt), if any cream was used to make it

-Ask for wholegrain bread or crackers with you soup instead of thick soda bread or white bread

-Ask for side green salad with your soup instead of bread or get the salad, you may not eat as much bread as vegi’s are filling!

·        Don’t be fooled by Sandwich’s/Wraps/Flatbreads on a menu- they can sometimes be just as high fat,calorie,sugar as a burger if not more sometimes (450-650 cals, 6-15 g fat avg):

- Wholegrain bread

- An Open Sandwich (1 Piece of bread, instead of two), Take off the second piece and eat with one

- Choose lean cold meats, turkey, chicken, tuna, or eggs/egg whites

- Watch out for hidden cheese/or ask for lower fat cheese, e.g. low fat mozzarella/cottage/low fat cheddar/goats cheese ( to put it in perspective, about 12-15g fat on average cheese sandwich, 6g SATURATED)

- Watch out for Mayo, Chipotle, Pesto, Butter, - hidden additions, ask for lower alternative or none.

·        Pasta Dish’s- The creamy one’s – Alfredo/ Carbonara / Lasagna – As a lot yummy pasta dishes are packed with cream, butter and cheese let me shed some light:

- These are high calorie and fat dishes, each one can pack about 500-700 Cals per serving

- Ask for kids size portion, the pasta is filling and so is the sauce, we don’t need that much food and on a kids plate you will feel like it’s enough

- Ask your server for a little less Sauce on the pasta

-Ask for a side salad of greens, it will fill you and you probably won’t eat as much of the pasta.

·        Steak/Red Meats – They are all a little more high fat/high cholesterol

- Ask for just the vegi’s with the meat and none or less of the Carbs, red meat/steak is filling

-Ask for the steak with to be grilled or seared in Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of vegetable oil or fried

- Ask for the sauce on the side instead of having it pre-poured on the steak before it comes to your table, you control the sauce portion then.

A Note on Dressings:

Dressings on salad are often forgotten about or deceiving, a lot of them time we don’t think about them because we are ‘eating a salad’ so it seems healthy, they more often than not, are laced with salt and sugar and don’t get me started on those like ‘ranch’, ‘honey mustard’ or ‘chipotle’ . So some tips:

-        Ask for your dressing on the side – You control the portion then

-        Ask for no dressing but Extra Virgin Olive oil on the side and squeeze a lemon, it is good for you and a delicious combo on a salad with some black pepper

-        If it is those creamy dips that come with your food, then ask for it on the side – Portion Control.

These are all tips that can be transferred to any type of restaurant, it is about thinking about your body and still being able to indulge and have fun. They can be transferred to your own cooking as well at home. We are all capable of making changesJ.

I went for dinner and a drink with my Bessie and Roomie after work last night to watch the Canucks playoffs game, believe the menu was yummy: I opted for:

A seafood fruit Salad (prawns and an in house made CrabCake) with dressing on the side, didn’t need most it with a lovely glass of Red Wine. A followed this with some hot water and lemon! Mmmm! Go nucks! J