Nutrition

Tips for Eating Healthy when Eating Out

• As a beverage choice, ask for water or order fat-free or low-fat milk, unsweetened tea, or other drinks without added sugars.
• Ask for whole wheat bread for sandwiches.
• In a restaurant, start your meal with a salad packed with veggies, to help control hunger and feel satisfied sooner
• Ask for salad dressing to be served on the side. Then use only as much as you want.
• Choose main dishes that include vegetables, such as stir fries, kebobs, or pasta with a tomato sauce.
• Order steamed, grilled, or broiled dishes instead of those that are fried or sautéed.
• Choose a “small” or “medium” portion. This includes main dishes, side dishes, and beverages.
• Order an item from the menu instead heading for the “all-you-can-eat” buffet.
• If main portions at a restaurant are larger than you want, try one of these strategies to keep from overeating:

o Order an appetizer or side dish instead of an entrée.
o Share a main dish with a friend.
o If you can chill the extra food right away, take leftovers home in a “doggy bag.”
o When your food is delivered, set aside or pack half of it to go immediately.
o Resign from the “clean your plate club” – when you’ve eaten enough, leave the rest.

• To keep your meal moderate in calories, fat, and sugars:

o Ask for salad dressing to be served “on the side” so you can add only as much as you want.
o Order foods that do not have creamy sauces or gravies
o Add little or no butter to your food.
o Choose fruits for dessert most often.

• On long commutes or shopping trips, pack some fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, low-fat string cheese sticks, or a handful of unsalted nuts to help you avoid stopping for sweet or fatty snacks.

Bachelor Chow 1.0

There really is an alternative to TV dinners, even for the culinarily challenged

OK, here’s the deal.  We bachelors like to eat well, but most of us hate cooking.  At least, that’s my impression over the years.  Here are two healthy recipes that are so easy, anyone should be able to handle them.  Even a bachelor like me!

Smoky lentils. Lentils, known since the pre-Exodus times in the Middle East, are great sources of soluble fiber and folic acid, as well as iron.  They are also a source of nearly complete protein, lacking only methionine.  I like to prepare them by soaking overnight in water.  Drain them, and add to a crock pot or slow cooker.  Cover them with chicken or beef stock, preferably a non-fat and low sodium version, plus a half inch. Add to taste chopped onions and green peppers, and one thawed package of frozen whole kernel corn or one can, drained.  Then give the mixture a shot of hot pepper sauce and your favorite barbecue sauce.  I prefer a smoky mesquite style.  Stir the mixture, set the temperature on low, and come home to a hot dinner.  Serves:  depends on how much you made!

Chicken and stuffing in a skillet. Is there a more common “diet” meat than skinless chicken breast?  Be that as it may, there’s no denying that chicken is versatile.  I buy them by the bag from the frozen food section.  Here’s my easy chicken and stuffing.  Poach two skinless half chicken breasts, drain, and cut into strips across the grain.  Prepare one package of stuffing mix, preferably a brand with low sodium.  Substitute a splash of extra virgin olive oil for butter or margarine.  I like to jazz mine up with a couple dashes of hot pepper sauce, too.  Place the stuffing in a pan or oven safe skillet, then place the sliced chicken on top of the stuffing.  Broil until the top of the stuffing is a little crunchy, or to taste.  Serve with a light salad or steamed veggies.  Serves two or three, depending on how hungry they are.  07/22/09

Better Fuel for Better Results.

A couple of years ago, I bought a copy of a book titled “The Maker’s Diet”, by Jordan S. Rubin.  He had suffered for several years from Crohn’s Disease, and was down to 111 pounds. Then he switched to a diet consisting of raw and minimally processed foods.  In four months he was up to 170 pounds and had no more symptoms. I dug that book out again and started looking at it in light of my current efforts to lose weight.

Rubin suggests including items such as kefir, raw nuts and veggies, whole grains, and free range meat and eggs.  I did try the kefir before, but that is definitely an acquired taste.  If you have never had it, I can only describe it as having a sour milk taste, with a texture like thick milk or runny yogurt.  I’ll stick to yogurt, thanks!

I have been incorporating more fresh fruits, fresh (from my garden, soon) or frozen vegetables, and raw nuts into my diet.  Even so, it’s not easy to avoid processed food in this country.   So, I just try to be as sensible as I can.

The next time you are in a food market, just grab any item off the shelf and read the ingredients.  The way I see it, if it is unpronounceable on the first try, or has five days worth of sodium in it, and so on, I am going to avoid it if I can.  Honestly, I can see the attraction to Whole Foods markets.  Unfortunately, we have just one in Maine and it’s an hour away by car.

The upshot of this post is that if my body can deal better with the food I’m putting into it, then I’ll surely feel better.  If I feel better, it seems to me likely that I’ll perform better when I exercise.  If I perform better when I exercise, then my weight loss goal will be that much more attainable.  07/14/09

Potpourri-or Would That Be Goulash?

When it comes to nutrition, I try to be sensible without being a fanatic.  Mostly, I try to watch my fat intake since I have cholesterol issues.  There are a lot of things one can do to make food healthier without resorting to eating nothing but grass clippings and tofu.  (Yes, I admit I’m not a big tofu fan.)  Here are some miscellaneous thoughts on nutrition.

Salsa goes well with just about everything.  Mix a jar of chunky style into a pot of rice, and you have a reasonable facsimile of Spanish rice.  Salsa, beans, spices, and lean meat makes a nice pseudo-chili.  Scrambled eggs and salsa are a natural combination.  I use it pretty much on anything I would use ketchup-burgers, meatloaf, and so on.  Zero fat and lots of flavor (and heat if that’s your thing), how does it get better?

For a long time I was eating low fat peanut spread instead of peanut butter.  Then one day I read the ingredients, and found that the stuff is full of sugar and unpronounceable chemicals.  I decided that I’d rather take my chances with a few grams of peanut oil and switched to natural peanut butter (chunky style is my favorite).  At least I can pronounce all the ingredients: “peanuts” and “salt”!

Any time I am able, I buy the whole grain versions of bread, pasta, pizza shells, and so on.  Individually, these may not make a big difference, but I figure that the fiber, protein, and vitamins can’t hurt, and the cost isn’t prohibitively higher.  06/14/09