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Don’t let restaurant meals throw a curveball into your diet and exercise
plan. With a little advance planning, ordering a healthy meal is
do-able, whether the cuisine is Chinese, Indian, Italian or American.
Here’s a rundown of what to choose and what to avoid.
-Chinese: Opt for broth based soups like wonton, egg drop and hot and
sour to begin the meal. Steer clear of deep fried crab rolls, order
steamed rice instead of fried and choose beef, chicken or seafood
stir-fries with brown sauce instead of deep fried entrees like Kung Pao
chicken or beef. Ask if MSG is used in seasoning. Don’t add extra soy
sauce at the table; it boosts the already-high sodium content.
-Thai: Select rice or vermicelli-based soups, adding your own fresh
herbs and vegetables. Avoid sticky-sweet pudding desserts, fried spring
rolls and deep fried fish and vegetables. Pad Thai. (veggies and beef or
poultry stir-fried in a peanut sauce) is fine, in reasonable portions.
-Barbecue: Order chicken on the bone, or beef or
pork ribs without extra sauce. Skip the french fries, onion rings and
potato salad and try coleslaw, baked beans or plain baked potato
instead. Hold the honey butter on cornbread.
-Indian: Pass on the basket of naan bread
and order tikka (clay oven) baked chicken
or lamb instead of rich, fat-laden curries. Vegetables in Indian
restaurants tend to be deep fried and served in sauce. Opt for fluffy
rice as a side instead. Try a glass of tea or lassi, a refreshing yogurt
drink, alongside.
-Italian: Order pasta with marinara sauce and meatballs instead of
sausage. Avoid cheese-laden lasagna, deep fried eggplant parmigiana and
deep dish pizza with the works. Try “white” pizza with olive oil and
veggies instead of sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese. Order antipasto
to share instead of a basket of garlic bread to begin the meal, and end
with spumoni instead of cannelloni.
-Deli: Choose turkey or roast beef on rye, whole
wheat or pumpernickel instead of mayo-laden tuna or chicken salad on
onion or challah rolls, and have fresh fruit, slaw or a cup of chicken
noodle or matzo ball soup instead of blintzes or potato salad. Avoid
straw sandwiches (pastrami or corned beef with Thousand Island and Swiss
cheese). Deli bagels are usually two to three times the size of a single
serving, so order accordingly.
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