Lifestyle Choices

Taking a Dieter’s Tour of Restaurants

You may think that you must avoid certain types of restaurants or cuisine’s while you’re dieting. Not true. Keep reading if you want to be guided through various cuisine’s and food scenarios and find out what’s “safe” and what’s not.

Chinese

Depending on your order, you can get a healthy low-cal meal or a calorie nightmare in a Chinese restaurant; foods are either lean or fatty. Generally, the protein foods in Chinese cuisine - duck, spareribs, and pork-are extremely fatty, although you can also find chicken, shrimp, and lean beef.

Much of the food is deep fried - even items that may surprise you, such as vegetables in a simple stir-fry are sometimes blanched in hot oil instead of water. And the amount of oil in stir-fries can be staggeringly large.

Family-style dining (large dishes are placed on the table for guests to help themselves) offers another temptation to eat too much simply because the food is there. So start with small portions and have seconds only if you’re really hungry.

Dieter’s aid: Eat the way the Chinese do. Rice is the centerpiece of the meal, and diners eat from their small rice bowls, not from big dinner plates. Meat and vegetables are selected from the serving dishes, almost one bite at a time, added to the bowl, and eaten with rice. Also, if you can’t pass up an especially fatty dish, be sure to balance it with lean ones. Ask for brown rice, which has more fill-you-up fiber.

Choose more of these:

• Bean curd (unless fried)
• Fish, shrimp, and scallops
• Hot and spicy, as opposed to deep fried

Served on a sizzling platter (which means the entree is broiled or roasted)

• Vegetables
• Velvet sauce

Eat less of these:

• Anything served in a bird’s nest
• Batter-fried foods
• Breaded and fried foods
• Crispy noodles on the table
• Sweet-and-sour dishes
• Sweet duck sauce
• Twice-cooked dishes

Fast Food

You can swear never to eat another burger, fry, or shake again, but get real. Often, the one and only option on America’s interstates is fast food. And certainly, a trip to the mall usually means passing the food court, with its aromas seducing you to stop for just a little something.

Ever noticed where they put the restrooms in shopping malls? Other than the ones located within department stores, the men’s and women’s rooms are stacked near the food court. It’s no accident - mall designers plan it that way.

Dieter’s aid: To balance all the grim news about fast foods, consider the following few happy thoughts:

You get no surprises. You know what will be on the menu. With few exceptions, the menus are the same from coast to coast, so you can choose a restaurant that you know offers items that fit into your diet.

Except for beverages, portions are generally small, especially if you stick to the regular or kids’ sizes.

Most restaurants post nutrition information or will provide it when asked, so you can make informed choices.

Even a small soda is a generous portion, so be sure to order a diet one or a seltzer and drink it all before going back for more food - it will fill you up.

Choose more of these:

• Baked potato Grilled chicken
• Fat-free or lowfat milk
• Fat-free salad dressing
• Salad with the dressing on the side
• Single burger (regular or kid-size) v’ Small fries

Eat less of these:

• Cheese sauce
• Chicken nuggets (they often include the skin)
• Croissants
• Fish sandwich (it’s fried)
• Fried chicken
• Large and jumbo-size fries
• Onion rings
• Salad dressing (unless it’s fat-free)
• Sauces and high-fat add-ons such as cheese, chili, and tartar sauce
• Specialty burgers

French

Fat is the pitfall when it comes to French cuisine, from the butter on the table to the cream sauces, rich salad dressings, and desserts. Even lean meats and fish have added fat. Unless the restaurant specializes in nouvelle cuisine (the updated style of cooking that relies more on fresh ingredients and less on classic butter-enhanced sauces), you’ll be hard-pressed to find diet-friendly foods.

Dieter’s aid: Start with an appetite-taming green salad (easy on the dressing) or a clear soup.

Choose more of these:

• Au vapour (steamed)
• En brochette (skewered and broiled)
• Grille (grilled)

Eat less of these:

• A la cr`eme (in cream sauce)
• A la mode (with ice cream)
• Au gratin or gratinee (baked with cheese and cream)
• Creme fraiche (similar to sour cream)
• Drawn butter
• En croute (in a pastry crust) 1/ Hollandaise
• Puff pastry

Indian

Some styles of Indian cooking are vegetarian, but don’t let that lull you into thinking that these foods are low-cal. Plenty of fat is used in Indian cooking - usually clarified butter called ghee. Roasting tandoori style (in a clay oven called a tandoor) is a good lowfat cooking method, but other dishes are often stewed and fried. Indian breads are many and varied, ranging from chapatti to high-fat, deep-fried poori. Often, the chef gives the breads a shimmer of butter before serving them.

Dieter’s aid: Indian cuisine doesn’t focus on meat; rather, it uses carbohydrates, such as basmati rice (an aromatic long-grain variety) and lentils as its foundation. Vegetables are a part of almost every dish, and the sauces are enriched with yogurt, not cream.

Choose more of these:

• Chutney
• Dahl (lentils)
• Masala (curry)
• Matta (peas)
• Paneer (a fresh milk cheese)
• Pullao or pilau (rice)
• Raita (a yogurt and cucumber condiment)

Eat less of these:

• Chickpea batter used to deep-fry
• Ghee (clarified butter)
• Korma (cream sauce)
• Molee (coconut)
• Poori (a deep-fried bread)
• Samosas (fried turnover appetizers)

Italian

Most Americans think of heavy southern Italian food when they think of highcal items: meatballs, eggplant Parmigiana, veal Parmigiana, and lasagna. However, the food of northern Italy, while it may appear less caloric, also has its detractors: butter, olive oil, and cream.

Dieter’s aid: Portions are overly generous in most Italian restaurants, so this may be a good place for sharing - particularly important when you consider that an antipasto of cheese, marinated vegetables, salami, and garlic bread can use up a day’s calorie budget before the main course arrives. Bread on the table served with butter or olive oil can be a diet buster. Ask for tomato sauce for dipping if you must fill up on bread and have the fats removed. Or better yet, out of sight, out of mouth; have the bread removed, too. Order vegetables a la carte as long as they’re not cooked with plenty of fat or deep fried. And instead of a creamy dessert, order a lowfat cappuccino with fruit.

Choose more of these:

• Light red sauce Marinara sauce
• Pasta (other than those stuffed with cheese)
• Piccata (lemon-wine sauce)
• White or red clam sauce (but ask the wait staff; some clam sauces are made with cream)
• Wine sauce

Eat less of these:

• Alfredo
• Alla panna (with cream)
• Butter
• Carbonara (butter, eggs, bacon, and sometimes cream sauce)
• Fried eggplant or zucchini
• Frito misto (fried mixed vegetables or seafood)
• Olive oil
• Parmigiana (baked in sauce with cheese)
• Prosciutto
• Salami

Japanese

Japanese can be one of the healthiest cuisines, with only a few fattening dishes, such as tempura, teriyaki, katso, and sukiyaki. If eaten in the balance that the Japanese apply - heavy on the vegetables and light on the fats and meats. Japanese food can be a dieter’s dream.

Dieter’s aid: Portions are small, and rice and noodles are the foundation. Cooking techniques are most often broiling, steaming, braising, or simmering - all of which generally produce low-cal and lowfat dishes.

Choose more of these:

• Clear broth
• Miso (fermented soy)
• Miso dressing
• Mushimono (steamed)
• Nabemono (a one-pot dish)
• Nimono (simmered)
• Sashimi
• Sushi
• Udon (noodles)
• Yaki (broiled)
• Yakimono (grilled)

Eat less of these:

• Agemono (deep-fried)
• Katsu (fried pork cutlet)
• Sukiyaki (a one-dish meal made with fatty beef)
• Tempura (batter-fried)

Mexican

The good news is that Mexican cuisine places minimal emphasis on meat protein. The bad news is that most Mexican food is fried or cooked in abundant amounts of fat. For example, flour tortillas are fine on its own, but roll it around a filling and deep-fry it, and you have much caloric. Many of the national Mexican food chains don’t use lard or animal fat drippings, which is typical in many independent restaurants, but they do use plenty of vegetable oil. As far as calories are concerned, there’s no difference between animal fat and vegetable fat.

Dieter’s aid:Use salsa instead of salad dressing, guacamole, or sour cream on entrees. Ask for cheese toppings to be omitted or ask if lowfat sour cream and cheese are available.

Choose more of these:

• Black bean soup
• Ceviche (fish or scallops marinated in lime juice)
• Chili
• Enchiladas, burritos, or soft tacos (skip the sour cream, guacamole, and most of the cheese)
• Fajitas
• Gazpacho
• Mexican salad minus the fried taco shell

Eat less of these:

• Chimichangas
• Extra cheese
• Refried beans
• Sour cream
• Tortilla shells

Pizza

The trend toward newfangled pizza is a real plus for dieters. You can add or subtract ingredients to fit your particular tastes. Meat choices have moved from extra pepperoni, sausage, and bacon to grilled chicken and shrimp. You can specify the kind of cheese you like and replace high-fat, low-flavor mozzarella with a smaller amount of full-flavored goat cheese or fete. Even a traditional pizzeria can be diet friendly if you order selectively.

Dieter’s aid: If you can, start with a small salad to take the edge off your appetite. Order it with the dressing on the side or extra vinegar to thin it.

Choose more of these:
Canadian bacon

• Grilled chicken
• Part-skim cheeses, or strongly flavored ones
• Shrimp
• Tuna
• Vegetable toppings, especially broccoli and spinach

Eat less of these:

• Bacon
• Extra cheese
• Extra olive
• Meatballs
• Olives
• Pepperoni
• Sausage

Thai

Light on fats, most Thai dishes are stir-fried, steamed, braised, or marinated. The one exception is Thai curry, which is made with coconut milk. It’s loaded with calories - 1 cup of the milk contains 445 calories.

Dieter’s aid: Rice and noodles are staples. Ask the chef to substitute leaner scallops, shrimp, or skinless chicken for fatty duck. The ingredients in many Thai dishes are interchangeable, so asking for substitutions shouldn’t pose a problem.

Choose more of these:

• Basil sauce
• Bean thread noodles
• Fish sauce
• Lime sauce
• Sate (skewered and grilled meats)
• Sizzling
• Thai salad

Eat less of these:

• Coconut milk soup
• Mee-krob (crispy noodles)
• Peanut sauce

Red, green, and yellow mussman curries (They contain coconut milk.)

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Eating Healthfully While Eating Out

• Your Relationship With Food
• Miso, the Food Products From Soybeans
• Great Skin from the Inside Out
• Weight Changes and Depression
• Soymilk, the Food Products From Soybeans
• Reaction to foods
• Eating Naturally
• Facts about Eating and Fat Control Part 2
• Facts about Eating and Fat Control Part 3
• Foods and drinks that are 'in and out'