Eating out On-The-Go

5/4/2016 Eating Out On‐The‐Go Richard Collins, MD “The Cooking Cardiologist” Susan Buckley, RDN, CDE Eating Out On The Go • Eating out can be such a pleasure: Someone else chops the veggies, cooks the entree and brings it steaming hot to your table, while you enjoy time with friends or family. Then, THEY CLEAN UP!! • But when we eat out, we tend to overdo it. • While an occasional splurge is OK, if we're not smart about our menu choices, we may be hunting for a larger wardrobe and setting ourselves up for heart disease! 1 5/4/2016 The Stats • Asurvey from the National Restaurant Association revealed: • 9 in 10 consumers say they enjoy going to restaurants • 2 in 5 consumers say restaurants are an essential part of their lifestyle • 7 in 10 consumers say their favorite restaurant foods provide flavors that can’t easily be duplicated at home • Three fourths of consumers say going to a restaurant with family and friends is a better use of their leisure time than cooking and cleaning up Eating Out On The Go • On average, Americans eat out about five times a week, according to the National Restaurant Association. • Because those meals are generally higher in calories and fat than what we make at home, they can create a recipe for weight gain. • More than 30% of children eat fast food on any given day. • Every meal away from home increases an adult's average daily calorie count by about 135 calories, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. • If we eat out five times a week (this includes pick‐up meals), we stand to gain up to 10 pounds a year. 2 5/4/2016 Eating On The Go • 2013 study at the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University • Calories of the 42 most frequently eaten meals from independent and small chain sit‐down restaurants in the Boston area were analyzed • Included popular cuisines like Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Thai, Greek and Vietnamese • The average meal had roughly 1,300 calories Eating Out On The Go • Based on a recent study of the top 400 Chain Restaurants (by sales) published in the Cambridge University Press, it looks like eating out healthfully (at least at the most popular chain restaurants surveyed) is still a challenge. • But even where it’s hard to find a great choice, there are still some choices that are better than others. 3 5/4/2016 Xtreme Eating award: CSPI • Outback Steakhouse: Herb Roasted Prime Rib dinner, 16 oz. prime rib (1,400 calories) with loaded baked potato and blue cheese wedge salad: 2,400 calories, 71 grams of saturated fat 3,560 mg sodium • Cheesecake Factory: The Louisiana Chicken Pasta, 2,370 calories, plus 80 grams of saturated fat and 2,370 milligrams of sodium • SONIC: Pineapple Upside Down Master Blast: 2,020 calories, 61 grams of saturated fat and 4½ grams of trans fat, and it comes with 29 teaspoons of added sugar Key findings • Appetizers had more calories, fat and sodium than all other item types. • Children’s menu specialty beverages had more fat, saturated fat and carbohydrates than comparable regular menu beverages. • As few as 3% of entrees were within limits for sodium, fat and saturated fat. • Main entrées had significantly more calories, fat and saturated fat in family‐style restaurants than in fast‐food restaurants. • Restaurants that made nutrition information easily accessible on websites had significantly lower energy, fat and sodium contents across menu offerings than those providing information only upon request. 4 5/4/2016 Eating Out On The Go • Eating at a restaurant does not have to sabotage a healthy diet. • Use smart‐eating strategies: plan ahead, consider the menu and choose foods carefully to keep you on your plan. • Have a plan. Eat a light dinner if you ate a big lunch that day. Or if you know ahead of time that you're going to a restaurant, cut back on calories during other meals that day (but not TOO low!) • Get online before you go out and look at some nutrition information. • Knowing menu terms and cooking basics makes ordering easier, especially if you need to control calories, fat and other nutrients. Look for foods that are steamed, broiled, baked or grilled, and limit fried and sautéed items or foods described as "crispy," "rich" or "au gratin." Eating Out On The Go • As a beverage choice, ask for water or unsweetened tea, or other drinks without added sugars. • Learn to order better – don’t be afraid to ask questions and get what you WANT! • Be careful where you eat. Much harder to get a healthy meal at some restaurants • No all‐you‐can‐eat buffets or steakhouses with enormous portions • Make friends with the waitperson. She/he can tell you about any dish. • Order Creatively. Soup, salad and a healthy appetizer can stand in for a full meal. Extra vegetables can replace French fries. • In a restaurant, start your meal with a salad or vegetable soup packed with veggies, to help control hunger and feel satisfied sooner. 5 5/4/2016 Eating Out On The Go • 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. • If main portions at a restaurant are larger than you want, try one of these strategies to keep from overeating: Eating Out On The Go – Order an appetizer‐sized portion or a side dish instead of an entrée. – Share a main dish with a friend, and get a veggie side dish – If you can chill the extra food right away, take leftovers home in a "doggy bag." – When your food is delivered, set aside or pack half of it to go immediately or ask for ½ to go from your wait staff – Resign from the "clean your plate club" ‐ when you've eaten enough, leave the rest. 6 5/4/2016 Eating Out On The Go • To keep your meal moderate in calories, fat, and sugars: – Ask for salad dressing to be served "on the side" so you can add only as much as you want. Dip your fork in the dressing. – Order foods that do not have creamy sauces or gravies – Add little or no butter to your food. – 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 nuts to help you avoid stopping for sweet or fatty snacks. Eating Out On The Go • Above all else, be assertive. • Dining out is no time to be a meek consumer, notes Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and coauthor of the book Restaurant Confidential. • “You need to be an assertive consumer by asking for changes on the menu,” he says. • For instance, if an item is fried, ask for it grilled. • If it comes with French fries, ask for a side of veggies instead. • Ask for a smaller portion of the meat and a larger portion of the salad; for salad instead of coleslaw; baked potato instead of fried. • “Just assume you can have the food prepared the way you want it,” says Dr. Jacobson. “Very often, the restaurant will cooperate.” 7 5/4/2016 Eating Out On The Go • Ask your waiter to “triple the vegetables, please.” • Often a side of vegetables in a restaurant is really like garnish —a carrot and a forkful of squash. • When ordering, ask for three or four times the normal serving of veggies, and offer to pay extra • So what if you pay an extra dollar or two –your health is more than worth it! Eating Out On The Go • Ask how the food was prepared; don’t go by the menu. • For instance, cholesterol‐free does not mean fat‐free; the dish could still be filled with calorie‐dense oil. • Neither does “lite” necessarily mean light in calories or fat. 8 5/4/2016 Eating Out On The Go • Order from the “healthy, light, low fat” entrées on the menu. • Most chains will even list the calories and nutritional content of such foods. • Applebee’s, for instance, offers approved Weight Watchers options, Bennigan’s has its Health Club entrées (which it will serve in half portions), and Ruby Tuesday lists the nutritional information for its entire menu. Eating Out On The Go • Beware of the low‐carb options. • Restaurant chains have jumped on the low‐carb bandwagon, offering numerous low‐carb options on their menu. • But low‐carb doesn’t mean low‐cal! • For instance, at Ruby Tuesday the Low‐Carb New Orleans Seafood packs 710 calories and 42 grams of fat —ouch! • A much better bet —the Low Carb Veggie Platter —leaves you with just 297 calories and 16 grams of fat. 9 5/4/2016 Eating Out On The Go • Try double appetizers. • If there is a nice selection of seafood‐ and vegetable‐based appetizers, consider skipping the entrée and having two appetizers for your meal. • Often, that is more than enough food to fill you up. Eating Out On The Go • Order a salad before ordering anything else on the menu. • Scientists at Pennsylvania State University found that volunteers who ate a big veggie salad before the main course ate fewer calories overall than those who didn’t have a first‐ course salad 10 5/4/2016 Eating Out On The Go • But remember: Salads shouldn’t be too fatty.

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