Chinese food is a genre of food with various flavors and sauces that can be very yummy, but also pack a punch in terms of calories. Depending on where you go for your Chinese food, you can in many instances find buffet options and quick serve restaurants in your local mall or shopping center. Beware of buffets, as with any genre of food, because this type of eating provides too many temptations for over-filling the plate and repeat visits.
Popular dishes such as Sesame Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken should not be kept on your list of go-to options. These types of meals are fried – a major offense right off the bat and then covered in sauces that are full of sugar and in some cases MSG, which is not something you want to be ingesting. Check out my newsletter article from June 2008 where I highlight the negative effects of MSG.
Navigating the menu at an Italian restaurant can pose many challenges and if you are the type to shy away from carbs then it can become that much harder. I am a big supporter of well-balanced meals, which entails a mixture of protein, carbohydrates and fat. These types of meal combinations can be found in many areas on the menu at an Italian restaurant, but it’s easy to get tripped up with all cheesy goodness that is woven throughout as well.
From pizza to parmesan and even baked ziti there are some pitfalls that if avoided will help keep your dining experience a yummy, but healthy one, too.
Scene: Local restaurant. Mom is seated at a table with her children. They peruse the menu. Mom’s looking for healthy foods, trying to create a meal in line with her plan to eat healthy. She’s fasted all day, just to be able to eat out, and doesn’t want to blow it all on one meal. Kids are searching for anything fried, sugary, or fattening. Anything that the Mom recommends, the kids reject. The choices begin. “Pizza!” clamor the children. “Hot dogs! Grilled cheese! Cheese Steaks!” Mom offers grilled chicken breasts and steamed vegetables, but the kids want no part of it and their choruses ring louder than ever. Throwing up her hands in defeat, Mom decides that she might as well join them and soon, everyone is chin deep in fried mozzarella appetizers and an overstuffed meat lovers deep dish pizza, served with two pitchers of cola and one of beer for the adults. Mom’s Diet, and more importantly everyone’s Healthy Eating, blown again.
How many times has this happened to you? How many mistakes can you spot, both in Mom’s reasoning and, in fact, the entire scenario? Let’s look.
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