Eating meals out tends to be bad for you....

Today's Post:  Thursday, 11-8-2012

Fast food places are famous for having bad for you food although there are a few exceptions.

But sit-down restaurants tend not to have such a bad reputation.

A new study reported by Reuters last Monday says that while the reputation of fast food places is accurate, sit-down restaurants don’t average as much better as you might expect.

They likely had less sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils in their foods than are common in fast food places.

But the excessive salt use of sit down restaurants was only about 20 % better than fast foods and 86 % as many extra calories.

So, one strategy I once tried to create was a chain of sit down restaurants that had good tasting food and good restaurant management that didn’t cause those problems.  All the parts were doable and we even had a good management team but we never got funding.

Meanwhile you can eat at the restaurants that come closer than average to what we tried to create. 

Califia in Town & Country Center in Palo Alto, California by the original Chef for Google, Charlie Ayers is somewhat close.  Chez Pannise in Berkeley. California is not too bad and is mostly from locally grown food.

Or, in many cities, Outback Steakhouse only has a few things that good BUT they have calorie counts.  So you can SEE if something that tempts you adds a whole day’s amount of calories all by itself!

Here are some other strategies.

Those I use include choosing Wild Caught Salmon but ONLY IF they are sure they have it.  All other restaurant dishes with salmon use farmed salmon which has such a high level of pollutants, it should be banned from the market.

Halibut, flounder, I sole are wild caught and often well done.

Some crab, lobster, scallops, and some shrimp in restaurants is more sustainable than others but they tend to be good choices.

Dishes made with chicken breast are likely from chickens fed grains but are often prepared without the skin and are less bad for you than other choices.

You can also order without bread or mashed potatoes or fries even if the standard dish or meal includes them.  That’s a big one since these foods are high glycemic and fattening and tend to have a lot of extra calories and salt.

If they are a choice on the menu you can also completely pass on soft drinks.  Those too are fattening and have extra calories or make you hungry for sugary foods later or both. 

Tea, milk, coffee, red wine and even beer or real fruit juice on occasion are all far better for you.

You can eat at them half as often and be twice as selective when you do go out to eat.

Or you can go where you usually go but half as often and serve better foods at home.

You can also use some of the strategies the American Heart Association suggests.

Here are the ones I think well of:

 “Eat smaller portions. Split an entree with a dining partner or order an appetizer as a main course. If you're served a big portion, eat half and take the other half home.”

Substitute a salad with dressing on the side where you eat little of the dressing, or steamed vegetables for items like French fries or a baked potato. (My rewrite.  Also, I’ve found in some restaurants they cheerfully will do that  & at no charge.  At others you pay just the same for the combination but ask NOT to be served the fries or potato and then for the salad or vegetables you have to pay extra.)

“Eat a small snack, such as a small piece of fruit, 30 minutes before….to curb your appetite.”  A few raw nuts also works.  That or ordering a salad right away instead of stuffing with bread before your food arrives which cuts way back on excess calories and fattening food you eat.

“Don't tempt your willpower with all-you-can-eat buffets.”

“Ask that your foods be prepared with vegetable oil instead of butter.” (Steaming or using olive oil is OK but butter is actually a bit better for you than corn or soy oil. So to me, this one is not quite sound as stated.)

“Request that sauces, gravies, and dressings be served on the side.” 

“Choose broiled, baked, grilled, or roasted over fried, pan fried, au gratin, breaded, escalloped, stuffed, or sautéed.”

“Skip croissants and biscuits….”and soft rolls.  AND skip the hard rolls, French bread, and bread sticks they suggest instead!  They all are high glycemic, often made with GMO wheat, and high in salt.  Ouch!

“Limit high-sodium foods such as soy sauce, pickled items, and foods in cocktail sauce.”

ONLY add additional salt at the table. Add as little as possible and ONLY after tasting the dish first!! Never just dump extra salt on a food you’ve not even tasted yet.

“Fresh fruit and sherbets can often be ordered for desert, even if they're not on the menu.”

“Watch out for alcohol. Not only does alcohol have a lot of calories, it can negatively influence our food choices.” Stick to just one drink normally and only order foods you decide on before you drink it!

“Choose pastas with red sauces (marinara and marsala) and avoid white cream sauces like artery-clogging Alfredo.” Even better, don’t order ANY pasta most of the time!  At home you can use quinoa pasta spaghetti squash.

“Skip potato and pasta salads — anything with large amounts of mayonnaise.”

I personally love any kind of mayo and occasionally eat some at a restaurant. 

But except for the very finest restaurants that make their own mayo from egg yolks and olive oil ALL the  mayo used in restaurants or sold in grocery stores is mayo substitute! made with oils like soy or canola that are from GMO soy or canola oils high in omega 6. Oops!

So both eating out and at home, eat as little mayo as you can stand to do!

Maybe one day they will sell or serve REAL mayo made with yolks from eggs from chickens that are only pasture fed and extra virgin olive oil. 

But until or unless that day comes, avoid mayo totally most of the time!