Around this time of year, I start getting a lot of invitations to go out for dinner. It seems like I’m constantly meeting friends for dinner or going out with people from work. Even when I don’t have a dinner date, I end up meeting my husband and kids somewhere so that no one has to cook during this busy time. I got to thinking that everyone else must be getting more invites this time of year as well. So I decided to let you in on a few calorie saving secrets for my favorite type of restaurants - Italian, Mexican, Thai and Middle Eastern.
MEXICAN
- Hold or limit guacamole and sour cream. 2 Tbsp guacamole or 2 Tbsp sour cream both = 50 calories.
- Hold or limit the chips. One basket of chips can contain up to 1040 calories.
- Hold the cheese or get it on the side.
- Skip the chile con queso dip. It is very high calorie.
- Drink light beer or a wine spritzer or water.
- Split orders or take half home.
ITALIAN
- Hold the bread or the garlic bread. Ask the waiter to bring only two rolls.
- Hold or limit Parmesan cheese, bacon, olives, pine nuts, cream sauces and olive oil.
- Split the order or take half home.
- Have a coffee drink for dessert and skip the high calorie pastries.
- If you order pizza, ask for half the amount of cheese.
- When ordering a dish that comes with pasta, order a side of pasta so that you get a smaller amount.
ORIENTAL: THAI/JAPANESE/CHINESE
- Avoid or limit fried wontons or crispy fried noodles. They are full of fat and calories.
- Avoid fried appetizers.
- Have a soup instead of an appetizer. Choose wonton, egg drop or vegetable soup.
- Leave out nuts including cashews, peanuts or almonds to cut calories.
- Ask for less oil in stir-fried dishes. Better yet, choose steamed or stir-fried with broth only.
- Ask for chicken or seafood in place of beef or duck.
- Ask for extra vegetables in place of meat.
- Ask for no MSG.
- Ask for miso on the side.
MIDDLE EASTERN
- Choose vegetables, salads and yogurts for appetizers.
- Try a few pieces of flat bread instead of a high calorie appetizer
- Ask for dressing and sauces on the side.
- Ask for little or no oil in cooking or in rice.
Avoid or share high calorie desserts such as baklava or rice pudding.
I hope this information helps when you are deciding what to eat at your next dinner date. Remember, the average weight gain for the holiday season is 5 pounds. Let’s try not to be part of that statistic this year!
- Jennifer
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Labels: Eating Out, healthy eating, Jennifer
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