Eating out: Staying true to your goals
From MayoClinic.com 
Special to CNN.com

Eating more healthfully doesn't confine you to eating at home. You can eat nutritiously away from home, too. In fact, dining out can be a great opportunity to enjoy a variety of nutritious meals, without having to prepare them or do the clean-up work yourself.

Many restaurants provide healthful food choices. Some restaurants even reserve a special section of their menu for more healthful fare. For those restaurants that don't, keep in mind that many will honor special requests to prepare an item with less fat and sodium.

If the entree is larger than you want, ask if you can have the lunch portion, even if you're eating dinner. You also can request a doggie bag when the meal is served. This way you can reserve half of the meal for the next day. Or, you might choose an appetizer for an entree or split a meal with a companion.

What to order
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan is a proven method to lower blood pressure. DASH consists of a combination diet of reduced saturated fat and sodium that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. Researchers aren't sure why the combination diet is so effective, but they believe it's due to the mixture of nutrients provided, rather than any single ingredient.

Following these suggestions will help keep your DASH eating plan on target when you're away from home:

Appetizer. Choose appetizers with vegetables, fruit or fish, such as chopped, raw vegetables, fresh-fruit compote or shrimp cocktail (use lemon juice instead of cocktail sauce).

Soup. Broth or tomato-based soups are often high in sodium. Creamed soups, chowders, pureed soups and some fruit soups contain heavy cream and egg yolks. You're often better off avoiding soup and choosing fruit or a salad.

Salad. Order lettuce or spinach salads with dressings on the side. Ask for those with a variety of vegetables — tomato, onion, sweet or hot peppers, mushrooms, asparagus — all are lower in calories and salt than those with cheese, egg and meat toppings. Caesar and Greek salads are high in fat, cholesterol and sodium. Chef salads are also high in fat, cholesterol and calories because of the amount of cheese, eggs and meat they contain. Taco salads typically aren't a good choice because they contain high-fat items such as cheese, guacamole, ground beef and a fried shell.

Bread. If you're offered a bread basket, choose bread, rolls, bread sticks or bagels. Eat them plain or with a little honey, jam or jelly. These fat-free toppings contribute few calories when used sparingly. Muffins, garlic toast or croissants have more fat. Crackers can be high in sodium.

Side dish. Choose a baked potato, broiled new potatoes, steamed vegetables, rice or fresh fruit instead of french fries, potato chips, onion rings or mayonnaise-based salads, such as potato salad. Ask that no butter or margarine is used to prepare the vegetable or rice.

Entree. Look for entrees with descriptions that indicate low-fat content, such as London broil, grilled chicken breast, lemon-baked fish or broiled beef kabobs.

Avoid items with descriptions indicating higher-fat content, such as prime rib or beef, veal parmigiana, stuffed shrimp, fried chicken or filet mignon with bearnaise sauce.

When eating pasta, choose pasta with red or clam sauces. Skip pasta with meat or cheese stuffing or white sauces that contain bacon, butter, cream or eggs.

Dessert. Choose fresh fruit, poached spiced fruit, plain cake with fruit puree, sorbet or sherbet.

Alcohol. Alcohol is high in fat and calories. Excessive alcohol also can increase your blood pressure. If you choose to drink alcohol, limit the amount to one drink per day if you're a woman or two drinks if you're a man.

Dining at ethnic restaurants
You don't have to limit yourself to standard American cuisine when eating out. You can eat a healthful meal at ethnic restaurants as well.

As with American foods, the problem to sidestep is excess fat and sodium. Sometimes fat or sodium is inherent in a country's culinary style. Other times, ethnic dishes simply gain fat or sodium in their American translation. Here's what you should know when eating these popular cuisines:

Chinese. The basis of Chinese food is low-fat ingredients such as vegetables and grains. To maintain these pluses, avoid fried dishes and extra-large portions. Choose items that are steamed or contain the words Jum (poached), Chu (boiled), Kow (roasted) or Shu (barbecued).

Avoid fried items such as crispy wonton appetizers or egg rolls. In addition, choose entrees containing chicken or seafood. Or, better yet, order a vegetarian dish.

Many Chinese foods are made with salty sauces, such as soy sauce, or with salty flavor enhancers, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG). Request the sauce on the side or ask that the item be made without soy sauce or MSG.

Italian. The foundation of many Italian dishes is low-fat pasta. They key is not to cover it with rich sauces. Choose pasta with red or clam sauces. Fresh tomato-based sauces also help you meet your daily vegetable requirements. Also look for simply prepared fish and chicken dishes. Good choices include chicken in wine sauce, grilled fish or shrimp marinara.

Avoid items that contain cream sauces, such as fettuccine alfredo, or plenty of cheese, such as lasagna. Also avoid items with pancetta or prosciutto, Italian bacon and ham that are high in salt. If you like pizza, ask that it be prepared with less cheese and meat and more vegetables.

Mexican. Many Mexican restaurants — especially those north of the border — feature items high in fat. But you still can eat healthfully in a Mexican restaurant, if you choose well.

Select items that don't contain a lot of add-ons, such as cheese, sour cream or guacamole. Also choose items that aren't fried. Your best choices include fajitas, burritos or soft tacos. Fajitas are an especially good choice because you form them yourself. Instead of guacamole and sour cream, pile on more grilled vegetables and salsa. Salsa is fat-free and contains nutritious tomatoes and peppers.

Request black beans instead of refried beans. Black beans are lower in fat. If you can, request plain rice. Mexican rice can sometimes contain a high amount of sodium. Instead of snacking on fried chips and salsa before your meal, request plain tortillas to dip into your salsa.

Japanese. Japanese dishes contain mainly fish, rice and vegetables — food high in nutrients. However, Japanese food also tends to be extremely salty. To limit sodium, stay away from items containing soy and other salty sauces. If you're not sure how the item is prepared, ask.

New American. These restaurants, which often feature Mediterranean, Pacific Rim or American Southwest cooking, generally offer a variety of healthful selections.

Seafood is a common dish. Ask for it broiled with lemon and herbs, which bring out its flavor. Items that are pan-roasted are also a good choice. The meat is browned quickly over very high heat, sealing in the juices and reducing the need for fat or sauces. Items rubbed with herbs also tend to be flavorful and contain less fat and salt.

Putting it all in perspective
If all the suggestions for eating well seem a bit overwhelming, remember that eating well isn't an all-or-nothing approach.

Every food you eat doesn't have to be an excellent source of nutrients or fiber. It's also OK to eat high-fat or salty foods — on occasion. But try to eat foods that promote your health more often than foods that don't. Over time, this approach to eating will become a habit, and good habits can be as difficult to break as bad ones.

May 08, 2001

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