With football, basketball and hockey season in full swing there are plenty of opportunities to get together with friends at your local pub or watering hole for dinner and drinks while watching the games. Menus at these types of restaurants aren’t typically diet friendly with appetizers and entrées encompassing mostly fried options. The key to navigating this type of menu, and making your choices, is to mix and match items you see on the menu. Try the rice from one dish matched with the grilled chicken from another dish; don’t feel you have to stick to how the meals are laid out in front of you.
Pub food recommendations and tips:
I already had a love for Thai food years ago, but deepened that love on my honeymoon, when I went to Thailand. Hotels featuring pad Thai at breakfast was like a dream come true, but of course I wasn’t watching my calorie intake on the trip and wasn’t focusing on which entrees were healthier than others.
While not all Thai food utilizes coconut milk, it certainly can play a large roll, especially in the famous curry dishes. Coconut milk is loaded with saturated fat (not the good fat) with 45 grams per one cup, but has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. My first tip here is to go light on any dishes made with coconut milk or inquire to see if they have a lighter version of coconut milk that your meal can be made with instead. If selecting a curry dish, stick with leaner protein options like chicken.
Mexican food can certainly be one of the more challenging cuisines when eating out, as there aren’t many low-fat items to choose from, and several dishes are full of fried foods. Add on calorie-filled margaritas and tortilla chips to start and you are already filling up on unneeded fat and calories before having even ordered your main course.
Dishes at Mexican restaurants are usually on the larger side with the addition of rice and beans accompanying the meal. To help prevent overeating, I would first suggest ordering a house salad, which should entail tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and some avocado for your healthy fat. This starter salad will also help in the avoidance of eating the full entree when it arrives or you can ask for half the portion to be put in a to-go container.
Some terms that you should look to avoid on the menu are: fried, crispy, refried, breaded and cheese. Instead look for items that are baked or grilled and request sauces on the side so you can control the amount on your food.
I love eating all types of foods and when I’m asked what my favorite is my answer can range from Mexican to Thai to Indian to Italian to Spanish and the list goes on. It really just depends on what day you ask me. With that said, eating out in restaurants that specialize in these types of cuisines can be difficult to navigate, especially when trying to keep to a healthy, everyday diet.
Cooking at home you know exactly what is going into your food, but eating out we have less of that control and therefore, this month at DietsInReview.com, we are kicking off a series entitled “How to Dine Out.” Each week we will focus on a cuisine to help guide you through common choices you will find on menus at these types of restaurants.
If your food Achilles heel is ice cream then listen up: Only 8 frozen yogurt is a new kind of soft-serve frozen treat that is cropping up in ice cream shops all over the country. Only 8 is similar to Pinkberry and Tasti D-lite in its taste, texture, nutrition stats and popularity. 
Only 8 has a tart flavor like Pinkberry, thanks to its active yogurt cultures. Its wide selection of flavors like peanut butter, caramel and about 30 others allow ice cream shop owners to keep their customers returning for new tastes.
One half-cup serving supposedly contains 32 calories, zero fat, zero cholesterol and four live active yogurt cultures. The “supposed” remark refers only to calories and serves as a gentle caution that the eight calorie per ounce labeling might be skewed depending upon how much syrup was added to the mix and the actual weight of the serving cup.
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