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Heart Healthy Diet
Healthy Eating When Dining Out – Don’t Abandon Your Diet
Americans love eating out — and there’s no reason why
it can’t be healthy eating. But watch for hidden fat and
calories! New healthcare legislation will require that big
restaurant chains put calorie info on the menu, starting some
time in 2011. But you can’t always find out the amount of calories,
fat, or salt in your food. So follow these ordering tips to make sure
you stay within your healthy diet.
1.Some Fats Are Good for You
Monounsaturated fats: Substituted for saturated fats in your diet,
they help lower bad LDL cholesterol and don’t reduce good HDL cholesterol.
Found in canola oil, olive oil, olives, avocados, nuts, and nut butters.
Polyunsaturated fats: Help lower cholesterol. Found in fatty fish, vegetable oils,
and nuts and sunflower seeds.
2. Fish Is Good for Your Heart
Fish is a healthy choice when dining out. Ordering seafood such as salmon
and tuna adds omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. They are a type of polyunsaturated
fat that helps lower your heart disease risk. You’ll also find omega-3s in walnuts
and edamame (soybeans).
3.Avoid Fried Foods and Added Cheese
Eating out often means getting too much saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories.
How can you spot the dangers? Saturated fats come mostly from meat and dairy foods.
Tropical oils like palm oil and coconut oil, and butter are also saturated fats.
Cholesterol is found in animal fats. Primarily the saturated fat and the cholesterol
in the foods you eat increase your cholesterol levels.
4.Have a Heart
Some restaurants have tuned into heart-healthy eating. They offer low-fat, low-salt,
low-cholesterol menu items, designated with a heart icon.
Don’t confuse this with the favorites icon. That can be a flag for popular, fatty choices.
One delicious heart-healthy option: A grilled fish filet, a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
In restaurants where food is cooked to order, you can make special requests for lighter fare.
If you’re counting calories — or keeping an eye on saturated fat, cholesterol, or sodium — tell your server.
Ask what’s in a dish. Find out how it’s cooked. A chef can often prepare food using less oil, no butter,
or no added salt. If there is sauce, salad dressing, or gravy, get it on the side. Then you can
dip — or skip — and use less.
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6. Clues to Unhealthy Dishes
Concerned about high cholesterol, diabetes, or losing weight? Read menus carefully.
Thumbs Down:
Fried, au gratin, braised, buttered, creamed, escalloped
Hollandaise, cheese, or cream sauce
In gravy, pan-fried or -roasted, rich, in butter sauce.
7. Clues to Healthy Nutrition
Grilled chicken vs. fried chicken. Broiled fish vs. fried fish. When dining out, look for
possible code words to healthier food with less saturated fat.
Thumbs Up:
Baked, broiled, grilled
Poached, roasted, steamed
In its own juice, garden fresh
8. Cutting Fat Can Help Weight Loss
Ask your server about healthy substitutions:
A vegetable or fruit instead of French fries
Skinless chicken that’s broiled instead of fried
Low-fat milk for your coffee, instead of cream
9. Lean Choices
If you’re counting calories and saturated fat, hamburgers, rib eye, porterhouse,
or T-bone steaks don’t score well.
Thumbs Up:
Barbeque or grilled chicken, pot roast, meat loaf
London broil, filet mignon, flank steak, sirloin tip, tenderloin
Seafood, boiled shrimp, oysters on the half shell
10. Healthy Chinese Food
Thumbs Down: Egg rolls, egg drop soup, fried wontons, Lo Mein, Moo Shu,
General Tso’s Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, and fried rice. They are prepared
with lots of oil, sodium, and MSG.
Thumbs Up: Steamed or stir-fried seafood, chicken, bean curd, or
vegetable dishes — plus steamed rice — for heart health. If possible,
ask the cook to use less oil, soy sauce, and MSG.
Article by WebMD, LLC
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