Healthy Dining Guide for Business Travelers
by Dr. Jo Lichten
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Glazed Salmon Chops at Seasons 52 in Orlando, a restaurant that prides itself
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Business
travelers eat all of their meals in restaurants. But large meals and fatty foods
don't have to spell nutritional disaster. Here are some tips to eat healthy in
restaurants:
1.
Get it your way. Not only are you paying for the meal, you have to
wear the excess calories. So ask for it your way:
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Order grilled chicken instead of fried on the salad; bean soup rather than refried
beans.
-
Ask the kitchen not to brush your fajitas, steak, chicken or fish with butter.
-
Ask
for your pizza to be prepared "light" on the cheese.
-
Since
every tablespoon of mayonnaise, dressing, butter, and oil contains 100 calories,
ask for them "on the side" so you can "dip and stab".
-
Do
your heart and belly a favor by asking for half the meat and double the vegetables
— even in your stir-fry.
-
Special
order a healthier (low fat/calorie, vegetarian or fruit plate) airline meal and
give more than 24-hour notice.
-
Ask
for a luncheon or appetizer portion. Many restaurants can accommodate — even
if it's not on the menu. Want eggplant parmigiana? Get the appetizer portion.
2.
Make Miss Manners mad. Perhaps "Miss Manners" would object, but
she doesn't have to fit into your jeans, so:
-
Trim
off the visible fat on the meat
-
Pull
off the chicken skin.
-
Scrape
off the breading or excess sauce and drain off the excess butter or oil.
-
Pat
the pizza with a paper napkin to remove some of the grease.
3.
Control your portions. Since it's hard not to eat everything that's served,
try these ideas:
-
Order
a la carte or just tell them what you want (i.e. two enchiladas instead of three).
-
Take
a slice of bread and then give the basket back to the server.
-
Get
the doggie bag with dinner and immediately put away half your meal. Then leave
the box behind.
-
Use
chopsticks. They make you eat slower, so you eat less.
-
To
eliminate the temptation to keep nibbling when you've had enough, salt the rest
of your dinner heavily or pour on the hot sauce.
-
4.
Check the "price" tag. Think of calories as the "price"
you'll have to pay (on your waist). Did you know that:
-
A
large cinnamon roll has over 800 calories and more than a half a stick of butter?
-
One
"loaded" nacho has more than 100 calories?
-
Your
morning mocha coffee contains more than 300 calories?
-
A
large fountain drink has 300 calories?
5.
Make leaner substitutions.
-
Since
juice has the same number of calories as soda, order fresh fruit instead.
-
Ask
for egg substitutes; they're just one-third the calories of eggs.
-
Order
Canadian bacon or ham instead of bacon or sausage.
-
In
addition to skinless chicken and fish, choose from leaner cuts of beef (sirloin,
filet, London broil, New York) or pork tenderloin.
-
Request
pasta with tomato sauce instead of cream. If you really want cream sauce, ask
them to use half the usual amount for a lighter, still flavorful pasta.
-
Instead
of a full meal, order salad and a healthy appetizer such as: shrimp cocktail;
Thai summer rolls; chicken satays; sushi; steamed vegetable dumplings; and pizza
("light on the cheese").
6.
Beware of the Extras. Many meals can be made healthier just by cutting out
some of the "extras". For example:
-
For
an extra 100 calories, choose from: 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or salad dressing,
1 cheese slice; 2 strips bacon; sautéed mushrooms; sliced avocado, 1 large
onion ring; 7 potato puffs; 10 regular fries or 20 skinny French fries. Take your
pick!
-
While
the calories in sugar and cream aren't much per teaspoon, it all adds up! If you
eat just 10 calories more than your body needs, you'll put on a pound of fat each
year.
Dr.
Jo helps busy people stay healthy, sane, and productive through her books, articles,
media appearances, and speaking engagements. She has presented more than 1000
programs to companies and conventions. Dr. Jo has written four books including:
Dining Lean, How to Stay Healthy & Fit on the Road, and Dr Jo's No Big Deal
Diet. Her Web site is www.drjo.com.
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