According to the National Restaurant Association, more than 130 million Americans will eat in a restaurant or cafeterial on a typical day. Eating away from home is challenging for those trying to be health-conscious, and if you are one of those 130 million people who eat out regularly, you will want to be aware of some common traps that restaurant-goers can fall into.
1. Enjoying those free chips or bread.
As you sit down to a meal, many restaurants will greet you with a basket of tortilla chips or warm bread. They are the free part of the meal, but very costly in calories since most bread baskets will contain 400 to 800 calories and a basket of tortilla chips contain 700 to 900 calories....all your meal calories consumed before you've ordered lunch! And your server may even bring a second basket!
Consider asking your server to not serve the basket or take a slice of bread or a handful of chips and remove the basket immediately to minimize the extra calories.
2. " I only had a Salad for lunch".
A salad can be a healthy choice or it can be a calorie bomb. Avoid toppings such as battered and fried chicken, high fat meats, cheese, and eggs. Look for salads with grilled chicken or shrimp; Ask for dressing on the side and a "light" or "low fat" option when available to minimize the extra fat and calories. Although a healthy source of fat, be careful of toppings such as nuts and olives. In large quantities, the calories do add up. When possible, a salad bar is a great option because you have control of how much and what types of toppings and dressings you choose.
3. Bigger is Better & Cheaper.
A common marketing strategy at fast food restaurants is to offer a larger portion for a few cents more. From an economic standpoint it's a good deal. From a weight and health standpoint it's a bad deal. Although you are paying less for the larger portion, you are paying a heavy price for the unhealthy fat, sodium and calories. Excessive portions are common at full-service restaurants too. Consider sharing an entree or taking half home to avoid eating double or even triple the calories you need for the meal.
With our busy lives, eating out is likely here to stay, so making conscious, healthful choices and managing portions is essential.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
3 Tips for a Successful Eating Plan
#1. Control Food Portions. Beware of portions served in restaurants and take half home for lunch or dinner the next day. Load up on vegetables and fruit, while keeping your protein and starch portions to about 1/4 of your plate at lunch and dinner.
#2. Food Substitutions. Cut calories while keeping your plate full by choosing lean meats and avoiding extra condiments. By choosing chicken breast instead of beef, you can save calories while having the same portion of high quality protein. Choose light condiments or substitute condiments that are naturally low in fat, such as mustard or hummus, instead of mayonnaise.
#3. Choose foods that are high in protein and fiber to keep you full from meal to meal. Choosing lean protein sources, such as fish, chicken, nonfat cottage cheese, tofu and beans combined with vegetables and whole grains for the fiber benefit will give you "staying power" throughout the day.
#2. Food Substitutions. Cut calories while keeping your plate full by choosing lean meats and avoiding extra condiments. By choosing chicken breast instead of beef, you can save calories while having the same portion of high quality protein. Choose light condiments or substitute condiments that are naturally low in fat, such as mustard or hummus, instead of mayonnaise.
#3. Choose foods that are high in protein and fiber to keep you full from meal to meal. Choosing lean protein sources, such as fish, chicken, nonfat cottage cheese, tofu and beans combined with vegetables and whole grains for the fiber benefit will give you "staying power" throughout the day.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Gift of Exercise
With the holidays in full swing, people are busy with work, shopping and social events consuming most of the daylight hours. It’s easy to let healthy behaviors, such as cooking meals at home and exercising slip out of the daily routine. However, keeping exercise in your daily routine is one of the most effective ways to manage weight and caloric intake during the holidays!
Exercise has two major benefits:
1. Burning calories to help offset the extra calories that sneak in from holiday “extras”
2. Creating a “positive domino effect”, which means when we are focused on one healthy behavior, we are more likely to do other healthy behaviors that day as well. Thus, if we exercise, we are more likely to pay attention to the food choices we are making.
If you can’t fit your usual exercise routine in every day, some activity is still better than none! You might try breaking your activity into smaller, more frequent segments, such as a shorter walk in the morning and another shorter segment at lunch. You might enlist the support of a co-worker and walk together on breaks or at lunch. If you are shopping after work, stay and walk indoors at the mall for 15 or 20 minutes.
With a little creativity and planning ahead, you can keep up the exercise through the holidays, which will help prevent weight gain now and help you move into the New Year with exercise in place for 2010! JW
Exercise has two major benefits:
1. Burning calories to help offset the extra calories that sneak in from holiday “extras”
2. Creating a “positive domino effect”, which means when we are focused on one healthy behavior, we are more likely to do other healthy behaviors that day as well. Thus, if we exercise, we are more likely to pay attention to the food choices we are making.
If you can’t fit your usual exercise routine in every day, some activity is still better than none! You might try breaking your activity into smaller, more frequent segments, such as a shorter walk in the morning and another shorter segment at lunch. You might enlist the support of a co-worker and walk together on breaks or at lunch. If you are shopping after work, stay and walk indoors at the mall for 15 or 20 minutes.
With a little creativity and planning ahead, you can keep up the exercise through the holidays, which will help prevent weight gain now and help you move into the New Year with exercise in place for 2010! JW
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Maintain-no gain
this holiday!
With Thanksgiving just behind us, we have officially entered the “holiday season” along with the food and traditions that come with it. In anticipation of the upcoming indulgences, a local exercise club has adopted the mantra of “maintain, no gain”. This is a smart approach and there are many tips to help us enjoy the holidays but emerge ready to take on 2010 rather than wearily battling unexpected weight gain.
The best strategy to stay in control of eating during the next several weeks is to plan ahead and avoid showing up hungry at holiday gatherings. Try to eat breakfast each day rather than saving up for later. As predictable as it sounds, eating a satisfying snack and drinking water before a holiday event will help reduce your intake at the party itself. Once there, head straight to the beverages and start off with a low calorie drink or sparkling water. Next, hit the vegetable platter (going easy on dips) before starting on other foods. Physically distancing yourself from the food and spending time talking are two ways to avoid unconscious nibbling. Finally, be aware of the calories in alcoholic and sweetened drinks. Beverages do not fill you up and yet many contain up to 20% or more of your daily caloric need in a single serving. This is not to say that you should not enjoy some of your favorite treats associated with this time of year, but most of us eat more than we need. Slow down, really taste and savor what you eat – after the first helping, the seconds and thirds are typically less enjoyable anyway.
Whenever you have the opportunity to contribute to the food at a gathering, offer to bring a dish or appetizers that you know are not laden with calories and fat. There are hundreds of healthy recipe ideas on our site – search by your favorite ingredients and get started! DH
this holiday!
With Thanksgiving just behind us, we have officially entered the “holiday season” along with the food and traditions that come with it. In anticipation of the upcoming indulgences, a local exercise club has adopted the mantra of “maintain, no gain”. This is a smart approach and there are many tips to help us enjoy the holidays but emerge ready to take on 2010 rather than wearily battling unexpected weight gain.
The best strategy to stay in control of eating during the next several weeks is to plan ahead and avoid showing up hungry at holiday gatherings. Try to eat breakfast each day rather than saving up for later. As predictable as it sounds, eating a satisfying snack and drinking water before a holiday event will help reduce your intake at the party itself. Once there, head straight to the beverages and start off with a low calorie drink or sparkling water. Next, hit the vegetable platter (going easy on dips) before starting on other foods. Physically distancing yourself from the food and spending time talking are two ways to avoid unconscious nibbling. Finally, be aware of the calories in alcoholic and sweetened drinks. Beverages do not fill you up and yet many contain up to 20% or more of your daily caloric need in a single serving. This is not to say that you should not enjoy some of your favorite treats associated with this time of year, but most of us eat more than we need. Slow down, really taste and savor what you eat – after the first helping, the seconds and thirds are typically less enjoyable anyway.
Whenever you have the opportunity to contribute to the food at a gathering, offer to bring a dish or appetizers that you know are not laden with calories and fat. There are hundreds of healthy recipe ideas on our site – search by your favorite ingredients and get started! DH
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thanksgiving: Turkey and More......
The start of the holiday season officially starts with Thanksgiving. What an introduction! That's six weeks of being inundated with not only images of food, but real food with all of the aromas and tradition associated with them. So, how do we manage to make it through that enticing time without eating our way through it?
Let's take it one step at a time, starting with Thanksgiving. Most everyone considers this a lost day with regard to maintaining any dietary regime. And, unfortunately, some people consider the whole season a lost cause for maintaining good nutritional practices. But, it need not be. Let's take a different approach to the season.
Thanksgiving falls right after the major fall harvest of wonderful fruits, vegetables and nuts. Squashes, sweet potatoes, apples, persimmons, pomegranates, walnuts, pecans to name a few and depending upon the area you live, local broccoli, cauliflower, beans and peas may be available. Don't think of this season as one full of temptation to overindulge in sweets and the like, but rather a time to incorporate luscious garden produce into your meal plans. When you eat a well balanced meal, jam packed with wholesome, nutritious food, you have less of a desire to eat things that don't contribute to your health and may take away from it.
In advance of Thanksgiving, anticipate the wonderful colors, flavors and textures of the healthy, less processed foods. When the day arrives, make sure you stay well hydrated with water (a splash of lemon with it), save your appetite for the main meal (don't overdue it on the appetizers) and when sitting down to eat, go for the light turkey meat, have a smallish serving of mashed potatoes keeping the gravy and butter to a minimum. Load up on the fresh vegetables, skip or limit added butter.
Plan ahead of time to fill your plate only once. Although it may seem like a lot of food to put on your plate, you may eat less seeing the volume of it all at once as opposed to eating many small platefuls of food.
Once the meal is over, entice the group you are with to go for a nice long walk. That will improve digestion and potentially keep your appetite down for dessert. When it is served, take a small portion of the various offerings rather than a whole serving of each. DON'T feel obligated to eat everything that is offered. Eating in moderation will leave you feeling better, happier and healthier.
Happy Thanksgiving!
JS
Let's take it one step at a time, starting with Thanksgiving. Most everyone considers this a lost day with regard to maintaining any dietary regime. And, unfortunately, some people consider the whole season a lost cause for maintaining good nutritional practices. But, it need not be. Let's take a different approach to the season.
Thanksgiving falls right after the major fall harvest of wonderful fruits, vegetables and nuts. Squashes, sweet potatoes, apples, persimmons, pomegranates, walnuts, pecans to name a few and depending upon the area you live, local broccoli, cauliflower, beans and peas may be available. Don't think of this season as one full of temptation to overindulge in sweets and the like, but rather a time to incorporate luscious garden produce into your meal plans. When you eat a well balanced meal, jam packed with wholesome, nutritious food, you have less of a desire to eat things that don't contribute to your health and may take away from it.
In advance of Thanksgiving, anticipate the wonderful colors, flavors and textures of the healthy, less processed foods. When the day arrives, make sure you stay well hydrated with water (a splash of lemon with it), save your appetite for the main meal (don't overdue it on the appetizers) and when sitting down to eat, go for the light turkey meat, have a smallish serving of mashed potatoes keeping the gravy and butter to a minimum. Load up on the fresh vegetables, skip or limit added butter.
Plan ahead of time to fill your plate only once. Although it may seem like a lot of food to put on your plate, you may eat less seeing the volume of it all at once as opposed to eating many small platefuls of food.
Once the meal is over, entice the group you are with to go for a nice long walk. That will improve digestion and potentially keep your appetite down for dessert. When it is served, take a small portion of the various offerings rather than a whole serving of each. DON'T feel obligated to eat everything that is offered. Eating in moderation will leave you feeling better, happier and healthier.
Happy Thanksgiving!
JS
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