Ask most nutrition experts and they will tell you that preparing your meals at home is the best way to control your portion size, your calorie, fat, sodium and carbohydrate intakes. I really have enjoyed cooking lately, but there was a time when my husband believed we should turn our kitchen into a lobby with a phone and a coffeemaker. That would give me adequate space and energy to make nightly reservations at our favorite restaurants.
It’s fun for a while, but after working hard to stay in good physical shape, ordering the wrong things at a restaurant can undo all of the hard work you’ve put in!
Even dishes that sound like “healthy” choices can pack on the extra pounds. Seemingly innocent salads can be loaded with high fat dressing, cheese, nuts, crunchy noodles and fried proteins. With today’s over sized portions, you can rack up close to 2000 calories or more with a salad entrée.
The ubiquitous bread baskets found on restaurant tables across the country stuff you with complimentary carbohydrates before you even order your meal. A 2 ounce Parker Roll packs 201 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 31g of carbs. A wholesome-sounding 7 grain roll can up the count by 170 calories and 33 grams of carbohydrate.
While ordering vegetables as a side dish should be good for you, many times those asparagus or green beans are loaded with butter. Even sushi can fool you. Just 4 pieces of a spicy salmon roll racks up 190 calories, 4 grams of fat and 25 g of carbs. Considering that my sushi orders are usually served in a boat, I typically eat a lot more than four pieces.
It would seem that we’re destined to staying home, steaming meal after lackluster meal to keep our health on track, but there are ways to defeat the calorie monster when you’re dining out.
First of all, do your research and plan ahead. Check the restaurant menu online. That way you can get a general idea of what types of dishes are served. Many restaurants actually list the nutritional value of their menu items online, so you can plan your food choices ahead of time.
Once you arrive at the restaurant, speak up! Ask about portion sizes and preparation. ALWAYS order salad dressings and sauces ON THE SIDE. They usually contain more calories than the food they are flavoring. Although my specific requests to waiters and waitresses over the years have been the fodder for endless teasing by my family, they are now following my lead and ordering food prepared “their way” (It helps to frequent the same restaurants and let them get to know your limitations).
Go easy on the alcohol-If you want a glass of pinot noir, by all means have it. Just don't go overboard. One study found that those who indulged in more than two drinks a day consumed nearly 30 percent more calories.
Get a "doggy bag"- Assume you are taking half of your meal home before it even arrives. When you see the plate, make a mental line down the middle and know that the rest of it is tomorrow's lunch. Wrap it to go right away.
Go with what you know-If you’re not sure about some of the items, just order a small steak or grilled chicken breast. Fish and seafood are generally good choices, and fish comes with a serving of healthy omega-3 fats. Choose grilled, steamed, poached, or broiled, and make sure the chef doesn’t brush the food with butter as it comes off of the grill.
Make substitutions- Steamed vegetables for tempura vegetables (save 190 calories, 14g of fat and 10 g carbs), chicken teriyaki for chicken fingers (which can almost double the calories and fat), peel and eat shrimp for popcorn shrimp (save 150 calories), salsa instead of guacamole, and wine instead of a mixed drink. Order a side of pasta and use marinara sauce instead of cream sauce.Choose whole grains such as brown rice or whole-grain bread over refined white bread and rice. Pass up the French fries and the cheese-stuffed potato and order two vegetables, steamed, or a salad and vegetables.
Try an appetizer and a side dish as your meal, like soup, shrimp cocktail, or mussels, and a side of vegetables.
Many places have dishes that won’t cancel out your fitness efforts. Dishes like Capellini Pomodoro at Olive Garden (420 cal with 10 g of fiber and 18 g of protein), Luau Salad at Cheesecake Factory (483 calories, 14 carbs and 43 grams of protein if you skip the crispy wontons), or Victoria Center Cut Filet with steamed broccoli at Outback (400 calories, 6 carbs, 42 g protein) can work in a pinch if you box up half your meal for another time.
Most independently owned restaurants will be happy to modify the dishes on the menu as well. Some of my local favorites in the St. Louis area like Brio Tuscan Grille, Charlie Gittos, Harvest, Herbies and SubZero, have literally helped us modify our meals to the point that I consider them partners in our weight loss efforts. (So far, my husband has lost 120 pounds, and my daughter, 88).
Click on web sites like: www.OpenTable.com or in St. Louis, www.saucemagazine.com to help you locate restaurants and their menus.
Try sites like:
www.calorieking.com
www. hungry-girl.com, and
www.dottisweightlosszone.com to help find nutritional values for restaurant foods.
So tonight, instead of making a salad at home, make reservations
And just to make sure you don't hit the calorie laden foods that can pack a week's calories into one meal, check out Nutrition Action's article at
www.cspinet.org/nah/articles/xtremeeating2010.html
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