Let’s Eat Out…And Lose Weight! By Maribeth Abrams, MS
low glycemic meal for a feeling of fullness on relatively few calories and very little fat. Many of my clients dine out several times a week or more, while enjoying improved health and weight loss. Here are a few of the dining out tips that I recommend. Try them out, and don’t be surprised when fellow din- ers exclaim “I’ll have what she’s having!”
C Italian
Italian restaurant menus usually list an abundance of vegetable side dishes, such as broccoli rabe, spinach with garlic, aspara- gus, and roasted potatoes. Other side dishes are not listed as such. For example, a recent visit to a local Italian eatery showed salmon served on a bed of lentils with a side of grilled cauliflower and mango chutney. The trick to getting spectacularly healthy meals in Italian restaurants is to create your own entree relying generously on these side dishes. For example, based on the above items, you could order roasted potatoes and lentils with grilled cauliflower and broccoli rabe, perhaps topped with sun-dried toma- toes which just about every Italian restaurant stocks.
Check out the soup selection for min- estrone or hearty vegetable, along with an abundant salad topped with fresh, seasonal vegetables. Health Bonus: Swap out the
ontrary to popular belief, you don’t have to go to a “health food” restau- rant in order to enjoy a high fiber,
vegetables (think zucchini, mushrooms, onions and red bell peppers), with the ac- companying black beans, rice, pico and guacamole. Consider passing on the cheese and sour cream, while choosing either rice or the wraps. A hearty Bean and Vegetable Burrito is another great choice. Usually listed on the menu but feel free to ask for one if you don’t see it, the bean and vegetable burrito is deli- cious, especially when stuffed with plenty of assorted grilled vegetables, smothered with ranchero sauce, and topped with freshly shredded lettuce and a dollop of guacamole.
Indian
cheese and/or croutons on the salad for arti- choke hearts and/or avocado slices. In the mood for pasta? Ask for three vegeta- ble side dishes and a side of pasta marinara, and then mix them all together at the table. It’s a huge improvement over the traditional “pasta with vegetables” which tends to be a whole lot of pasta with very few vegetables.
Mexican
Even if it’s not listed on the menu, you can almost always order vegetarian fajitas. Just ask for an extra large serving of grilled
The beauty of dining Indian style is that this kind of food is naturally high in fiber due to an abundance of vegetables, lentils, chickpeas and potatoes. The herbs and spic- es in this aromatic food create tantalizing fla- vor. Dine with others and order family style. Try: Dal (lentils), Channa Pindi (chickpeas, tomatoes, ginger), Aloo Gobi (cauliflower, potatoes and lots of Indian spices), Tomato Szar (spicy tomato soup), and Papadums (large crackers made from lentil flour) to be enjoyed with a selection of condiments.
Japanese
When dining Japanese, good choices include miso soup, seaweed salad, veg-
34 Natural Nutmeg January 2012
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