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Healthy Tips for Eating Out

Where are you going to the eat tonight? Try our recommendations and you can EAT OUT and EAT HEALTHY!

Lowdown on High Fat

Facts:
Fat (especially saturated fat) raises blood cholesterol.High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart attack, and also increases the risk of stroke.

Healthy Tips:

Ask which type of fat the restaurant uses. Best choices are Canola, olive and corn oil. Request soft and trans-fat free margarine.
Asking for smaller portions, or sharing entrees with a companion.Look for steamed, broiled, baked, grilled, poached or roasted foods.

Shake your salt habit

Facts:
Eating too much sodium (salt) can result in high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. High-sodium foods include pickled, in cocktail sauce, smoked, in broth, in a tomato base, or in soy or teriyaki sauce.

Healthy Tips:

Chinese

Instead of
Egg drop soup Egg rolls or fried wontons Fried entrees Dishes with fried meats Fried rice

Try
Wonton or hot-and-sour soupSteamed dumplingsBoiled, broiled, steamed or lightly stir-fried entreesDishes with lots of vegetablesSteamed rice

Family Restaurants

Instead of
Cream soups
Buffalo chicken wings
Fried chicken sandwich
Chicken fried steak
French fries or potatoes and gravy
Creamy coleslaw
Hot fudge sundae or ice cream

Try
Broth-based soups with lots of vegetables
Peel-and-eat shrimp
Grilled chicken sandwich
Veggie burger
Baked potato; potatoes without gravy; rice without grave; cooked greens made without salt pork or lard
Steamed vegetables or tossed salad
Low fat or nonfat yogurt or ice cream

Fast Food

Instead of
Jumbo cheeseburgers
Fried chicken or tacos
Fried chicken pieces
French fries
Potato chips
Milkshake

Try
Small bagel
Grilled chicken, sliced meats or even a regular 2 oz. Hamburger on bun with lettuce,
tomato and onion.
Grilled chicken or salad bar (but watch out for excess amounts of high-fat-dressings
and ingredients)
Chicken fajita pitas
Backed potato with vegetable or yogurt topping
Pretzels
Juice, fat-free or low-fat milk or a soft drink (but a soft drink is not a good choice for children)

Indian

Instead of
Samosas (stuffed and fried vegetable turnover)
Korma (braised meat with a rich yogurt cream sauce)
Curries made with coconut milk or cream
Pakora (deep-fried dough with vegetables)
Saaq paneer (spinach with cheese cubes and cream sauce)
Sauced rice dishesFried or stuffed breads

Try
Papadum or papad (crispy, thin lentil wafers)
Chicken or beef tikka (roasted in an oven with mild spices); or chicken or beef tandoori
(marinated in spices and baked in a tanoor, or clay over). (In either case, ask if they will baste with light margarine instead of butter.)
Curries with a vegetable or dal base; shish kabob; or tandoori chicken or fish
Gobhi matar tamatar (cauliflower with peas and tomatoes)
Matar pulao (rice pilaf with peas)
Fragrant steamed rice
Chapati (thin, dry, whole-wheat bread) or naan (leavened, baked bread topped with poppy seeds)

Italian

Instead of
Fried calamari
Cheese or meat-filled pasta or casserole-type dishes
Pasta with butter or cream sauces (such as Alfredo sauce)
Any scallopine or parmagiana (floured, fried and baked with cheese) dish
Italian pastries such as cream cake

Try
Roasted peppers or minestrone soup
Pasta primavera (with garden vegetables)
or pasta with white or red clam sauce
Pasta with marsala sauce (made with wine) or marinara sauce (made with tomatoes, onions and garlic)
Marsala and piccatta dishesItalian ices

Japanese

Instead of
Vegetable tempura (lightly battered and fried vegetable served with sauce)
Shrimp tempuraTonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet)
Oyako domburi (chicken omelet over rice)
Chawan mushi (chicken and shrimp in egg custard)

Try
Steamed vegetablesGrilled shrimp or vegetable sushi
Nabemono (casseroles) yosenabe (seafood and vegetables in broth) shabushabu (sliced beef and noodles cooked and served at the table with dipping sauce) sukiyaki (beef and vegetables cooked in sauce) udon soup (hot noodles and broth)
Sumashi wan (clear soup with tofu and shrimp)
Chicken or beef teriyaki (grilled)

Mexican

Instead of
Flour tortillas (contain lard)
Nachos
Carnitas (fried beef or pork) or chorizo (sausage)
Sour cream,cheese
Guacamole
Quesadillas (flour or corn tortilla, filled with meat and cheese, then fried)
Chalupas and tacos
Flautas (crisp, rolled tortillas stuffed with shredded meat and topped with a sauce); chimichangas (flour tortillas filled with spicy meat and Monterey Jack cheese, fried and topped with tomato sauce); burritos (large flour tortillas filled with beans or meat, served with tomato sauce and topped with shredded cheese)

Try
Corn tortillas (made with almost no fat)
Grilled shrimpGrilled fish or chicken breast
Frijoles a la charra or borracho beans and Spanish rice
Salsa, pico de gallo, cilantro, jalapeno peppers
Salsa Chicken fajitas (marinated chicken grilled with onions, green peppers, lettuce, diced tomatoes with a soft corn tortillaTaco salad or fajita salad (Don’t eat the tortilla shell.) without sour cream
Chicken or beef enchiladas with red sauce or salsa

Steakhouse

Instead of
Fatty cuts of meat, such as rib eye, porterhouse,
T-boneFrench fried, au gratin or scalloped potatoes
Caesar or marinated salad
Fried vegetable
Pie and ice cream

Try
Leaner cuts of meat, such as London broil, filet mignon, round or flank steak, sirloin tip, tenderloin
Baked potato or rice
Green salad with dressing on the side
Steamed vegetables
Angel food cake or sherbet

Thai

Instead of
Fried spring rolls (rolls filled with vegetables and served with sweet and sour sauce)
Dishes with coconut milk, peanuts, cashews and peanut sauce
Tom ka gai (chicken in coconut milk soup with mushrooms and lime juice)
Gai pad med ma-muang himapan (cashew chicken)
Gaeng keow wan gai (curry chicken with eggplant)
Gaeng ped gai (red curry chicken)
Fried riceGluay kaeg (banana slices dipped in coconutbatter and fried)
Coconut ice cream

Try

Fresh spring rolls
Stir-fried dishes
Tom yam goong (hot and sour shrimp soup)
Kanaa namman hoi (stir-fried broccoli with oyster sauce). (Items without oyster sauce, which is high in sodium, would be even better choices.)
Nuea pad prik (pepper steak)
Pad Thai (noodles stir-fried with ground peanuts, bean sprouts, egg, tofu and scallions, topped with shrimp)
Steamed riceKhao newo kaew (sweet sticky rice)
Fruit ice

Vietnamese

Instead of
Banh michien voitom (fried shrimp toast)
Cha gio (fried spring rolls)
Vit quay (roast duck)
Heo xao chuan got (sweet and sour pork)
Ca-ri ga (curry chicken)
Banh dua ca ra men (coconut flan with caramel)

Try

Canh chua tom (spicy and sour shrimp soup)
Goi cuon (fresh spring roll)
Bo xa lui nuong (grilled beef with lemon grass in rice paper with vegetables)
Ca hap (steamed whole fish)
Ca kho to (fish steamed with caramel sauce in clay pot)
Lychee (fruit in syrup)

Other Considerations

What about breakfasts?

Consider:
Fresh fruit
Fruit juice
English muffin with jelly, jam or soft margarine (trans free)
Toast with honey or jam
Bagel with jam or reduced-fat cream cheese
Whole-grain cereals with fat-free milk (but watch out for high-fat granolas!)
Waffle with fresh fruitLow-fat or nonfat yogurt
Omelet or scrambled eggs using egg substitute or egg whites
Lean ham or Canadian bacon
Low-fat cottage cheese (great on toast with jam!)
Hot cereals such as oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat or cream of rice

Source: American Heart Association