Dining Out Well

Americans love to eat out. When I was growing up, we ate out less than once a month, and most of the time when we did, it was due to traveling. Today, according to greenanswers.com, the National Restaurant Association reports that "an average of one out of five meals consumed by Americans — 4.2 meals per week — is prepared in a commercial setting.” Is it possible to eat well, that is – healthy, while dining out? Yes!

There are several basic, common sense strategies you can use to stay well while eating out. First, don’t see it as a treat or special event, because as the data show, we’re don’t reserve eating in restaurants for special occasions. If you only dine out once a month or less, splurging when you do is not nearly the problem it would be if you ate out every other day, as most of us do on average. Try to order the kinds of healthy foods you would prepare yourself, in the quantities you would eat at home.

Pay attention to the extras: alcohol, appetizers, the bread basket, the bowl of chips, sauces, and desserts. How of many these do you typically include in your meals at home? The calories and fat from these add-ons really add up!

Avoid buffets where the quantities and calories are virtually unlimited. If you do find yourself faced with a salad bar or buffet, be sure to walk the entire length first. Plan out what you don’t want to miss and what you can easily skip that is common but “costly,” such as cheese cubes, crackers/breads, fatty meats, and fried foods. Fill at least half of your plate with vegetables (here common items are okay) and take just a tablespoon-sized taste of the salads and hot dishes, remembering that many small portions will add up.

Finally, whether you’re eating at home or out, I recommend the approach my father’s doctor suggested after his bypass surgery when Dad was put on a low fat diet. Once a week he could have one treat not found on the diet, such as an ice cream cone, and once a month he could have special meal where he could eat anything he wanted. Knowing he had this freedom to look forward to enabled him to stay on course the rest of the time. He really savored those special foods and meals, too.

More Small Steps to Wellness

Everyone has a lifestyle or manner of living, a set of habits they engage in every day. Some experts have estimated that up to 70% of visits to the doctor are lifestyle related. This is good news, because unlike genetics, lifestyle is something you can change. Here are some more of the small steps to wellness we started last week:

• Engage in physical activity four days out of five during the week and on at least one weekend day, for at least 30 minutes if possible. Exercise is essential to a long, healthy life, and with over 600 major muscle groups, you are designed for movement! Small steps: start with ten minutes a day. Walk the dog, weed the garden, or dance. Go swimming with the grandchildren, clean out your closet, or just stretch for ten minutes. Be sure to have fun and get moving.

• Set yourself up to succeed by having what you need in the house and handy. If it’s not in the house, you can’t eat it. That goes for fruit when you want it and ice cream when you’re trying to avoid it. Small steps: make a grocery list throughout the week. Shop once a week and prepare food ahead of time. Divide your snacks into individual servings for convenience during the week and to avoid overeating. Wash the grapes and cut up the melon. Hide the chips in the back of the pantry and keep the healthy snacks right up front. Keep a food scale and the measuring cups within easy reach, too.

• The holidays are coming, so plan ahead, beginning with Halloween. As you prepare for visits from little ghosts and goblins, be strategic at home and work. Small steps: buy candy you don’t like or can easily pass up. Use my “no eating food at work that you didn’t bring” rule and avoid all the bowls of candy located around the office. Bring your own healthy treat. Set a goal not to eat any Halloween candy and reward yourself with present such as a massage or new CD.

Remember to start small and build on each success for last results.

Small Steps to Eating Better

There are certain habits that consistently correlate with positive health indicators, such as a lower risk for disease or the ability to maintain a healthy weight. The good news is that these behaviors are not all or nothing. Here are a few ideas about eating well and small steps you can take to get you started in the right direction:

• Eat breakfast every day. Many people believe they don’t need or can’t eat breakfast, when really they never have had a habit of eating breakfast, don’t enjoy it, or don’t want to take the time for it. The brain needs carbohydrates to function properly, and the metabolism wanes without anything to fuel it, so the body physically requires that you eat within the first two hours of rising. Small steps: start the breakfast habit with a glass of juice or piece of fruit, a cup of yogurt, a hardboiled egg, or a cheese stick.

• Eat every four – six hours to keep the metabolism from dropping and help you avoid overeating later in the day. Studies show that eating regularly also helps to maintain a healthy weight. Small steps: keep healthy snacks handy, such as those just mentioned above or breakfast/granola bars, nuts, whole wheat crackers, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

• Make healthy choices when dining out. Small steps: choose water, iced tea, or coffee rather than soda; select a side salad rather than fries; opt for grilled meats rather than sautéed, breaded or fried; ask for your salad dressing and sauces on the side and a take-home box right away; and don’t eat portions any larger than you would at home.

Choose one or two of the small steps to begin with. Once you’re comfortable with those, add another. Check back next week for more ideas.

The Tools of the Wellness Trade

Like any trade or hobby, there are tools that you can help you look, feel, and be your very best. Here are a few of my favorites:
- A food scale is so helpful for portion control. A good one will calculate both ounces and grams and allow you to weigh food directly on the scale or in a container. Keep it handy so you can conveniently and accurately measure an ounce of chips or nuts, shredded cheese, pasta, meat, cereal, and other food where the serving size is determined by weight.
- An extra pair of tennis shoes is great to have in the trunk of your car or at work. Replace your workout pair before you need to and stash the old pair so you can take advantage of that unexpected down time by going for a walk.
- Hand held fruits such as apples and bananas are excellent snacks and are quick to grab and go on busy mornings, when traveling, or heading out shopping.
- Exercise bands are light weight and easy to pack, an indispensible tool to have at your desk or on a trip. They come in varying levels of tension and take the place of weights, enabling you to stretch and strength train every part of your body.
- Individual serving-sized snacks are ideal for the kids, busy parents, and anyone who wants easy, accurate portion control. Choose snacks such as crackers or cereal bars for your glove compartment or to take to the movies.

Let me know if you need any help locating these tools. A critical step in being well is being prepared.