This is not usually the case for weight-loss plans, which is why it is important that our diet be able to for you regardless of who is doing the cooking. The dining-out dilemma was especially hard for people trying to follow a low-fat regimen. You either had to give the waitress the third degree-What are the chicken breasts sautéed in? What exactly is in the salad dressing?-or you had to bring your own food. Neither is a very satisfactory or, in the long-term, workable answer.
The overall trend in restaurant food over the past few decades has been toward healthy and fresh. Olive oil is now an American stable. Every day we seem to read more about the benefits of eating certain types of fish. Menus include more and more grilled items and less fried. As a result, it is easy to eat out on the Complete Wellness Diet.
Of course, you still have to watch what you're doing and stick to our “TWO, PLUS TWO, PLUS TWO” plan overall, but eating out can still be the time to indulge in the things you love most. Just remember: TWO Protein supplements, plus TWO meals, plus TWO quarts non-sugared fluids. Furthermore, there are a few strategies, many of which we've learned from our patients, that can help you eat wisely even then eating in restaurants.
For example, eat something 15 minutes before you arrive at restaurant, preferably a small protein snack. A piece of low-fat cheese is good because you can carry it in your handbag or briefcase. This way, by time you sit down to order, you won't be ravenously hungry. Also, this will help you get past that most treacherous part of eating out on low-carb diet: the bread basket! There is a reason that when you first sit down in restaurant you are greeted with a heaping pile of these hot, fragrant collection of bad carbs. If you start out eating some of the bread, it will just briefly satisfy your hunger by jolting your bloodstream with glucose and thus setting you up for reactive hypoglycemia and more cravings for rest of your meal. Best idea is to ask your waiter to skip the bread basket altogether, assuming your fellow diners don't mind….really, they should THANK you.
Another thing you can do as soon as you sit down: order soup, preferably a clear broth or consommé. This can be filling but more importantly it extends your eating time and gives you something to eat if your companions have ordered some bad carb appetizers (for example, potato skins). However, extending your eating time can be physiologically key to avoid over-eating. Experts tell us that it takes 15-20 minutes between time your stomach gets full and the brain senses this. You know this because we all have had problem of eating TOO much but not realizing how full we felt until meal was well-eaten. By beginning with a broth, you start of process of satisfying your hunger a bit plus you start signaling your brain that your stomach is slowing filling up.
If you peeked at bottom of bread basket and found a piece of the good, whole grain variety, you may decide to indulge yourself. If you do, dip it in olive oil or spread a bit of butter on it. Either will slow down the absorption of the carbs and thus better for you even though you're adding fat-calories.
Once you have a menu, look it over quickly, decide what you can have and want and then get rid of the menu. The more you look around the menu, the greater the tempations will be.
As far as choice of restaurants, those serving Mediterrarean-type food can be your best bet. ( In Gastonia, the best example of this is RODI's.). This doesn't just mean Italian, because Itilian cuisine can be dangerous due to its heavy reliance on pasta and breads. By Mediterranean I mean Greek and Middle Eastern food. These tend to use lots of olive oil. Hummus (a paste made from chick peas) usually served on pita bread is allowed. There are other good foods such as couscous, made which whole grain, which replaces the usual bad-carb potato or rice serving.
Eating from Japanese Steakhouse menu is acceptable as long as you avoid the rice (and also no sweet carrots). Steak, shrimp, chicken or any combination along with vegetables is fine. Also, the Shrimp and Ginger sauces are both allowed. The same rules apply to eating out Chinese: Meat and vegetables; NO RICE; use sauces sparingly. However, be careful of MSG, the flavoring agent commonly used in Chinese cuisine. MSG is made from beets which has a high-glycemic index. In other words, many Chinese dishes may be loaded with sugar in form of MSG.
REMEMBER: NOPOTATOES OR RICE in any restaurant. Every restaurant I've been in has allowed me to ordered two vegetable side dishes instead of either of these. Try to avoid ordering anything fried but we do allow fried chicken tenders 1-2 times a week and fried fish 1-2 a month - NO MORE. If you have a salad, eat a protein source with it (for exmple, egg, ham, chicken).
With regard to drinks, order water as soon as you are seated. Wine will have mild glycemic load but a glass of red wine with your meal is considered by many experts as healthy; moderation is obvioiusly the key. Most domestic beers are low in carbs therefore low in sugar and also OK in moderation. Most of the sugar in cocktails come from the mixers. Cocktails made from vodka, gin tequila, non-flavored rum will have a low glycemic rating. Bourbon and whiskey will have a higher sugar additive but still, overall, have low glycemic load. Keep in mind however that as limit as 4 ounces will be enough to dirupt your metabolism on our diet, so once again: moderation is the key.
For dessert, use your allowance of one fruit serving…remember ½ cup a day. Also, check your handouts for a reminder of those fruits highest in sugar to avoid: grapes, tangerine, bananas, oranges, pineapple, mango, kiwi, dried fruits.
If you are stuck with your kids eating at a fast food restaurant, then all hope isn't lost but you have to be choosy. I would avoid the burgers both because of the bread in the buns, but also the saturated fats in meat and cooking oils. Breaded fish or breaded chicken sandwiches should be avoided. However, a lot of fast food places now offered grilled chicken sandwiches. If this is your choice, remove the meat from the bread and eat as your entrée, discarding the bread. A good number of places also have salads, which you should try to eat with a protein source. French fried and sugared soft drinks are obviously to be avoided.
