Download + Putting it into Practice Dining Out with a Healthy Touch!

Dining Out with a Healthy Touch!
Healthy Eating Tip of the
Month: June 2013
+
Eat Out and Eat
Healthy Too!
A Helpful Guide to Dining Out in
a Healthful Way
+“Let
food
be thy
medicine
and thy
medicine
be thy
food.”
- Hippocrates
Putting it into Practice
Dining out is an enjoyable experience that has become a
major part of our everyday lives. Whether it’s sitting down
at a restaurant, ordering food from a drive-thru
establishment because we’re in a rush, or buying food
from the employee cafeteria, making choices regarding
what you will eat for a meal or snack can be challenging.
Here are some tips to help you make more healthful
choices!
First Things First: Do Your Research!
Knowing more about a restaurant and its menu items will help you make healthier
decisions regarding what goes into your body. Take pride in what you eat and understand
that the food you consume helps your body to function properly. Take some time to review
the main parts of the menu, as well as the nutrition facts, if available. Think of it like this:
your body is like a car and the food you eat is the fuel that makes it run efficiently.
Asking about special meal prep
modifications is nothing to be
worried about. You can still make
healthy adjustments to your order
while maintaining great taste!
2
Current Nutrition News
Our external environment, among
many other factors, has been noted to be
a likely contributor to obesity and chronic
disease. On average, Americans dine out
about 5 times per week. Additionally,
Americans eat one out of five meals in a
restaurant. This includes fast food
restaurants, sit down restaurants, coffee
shops, ice cream eateries, and more.
With more individuals eating out and an
increase in incidence of chronic disease
and obesity, it is important to monitor the
content and quantity of the food we eat.
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Tips for Eating at any Restaurant
1. Limit or avoid fried, pan-fried, au gratin,
concerning cardiac health. When
or stuffed foods cooked in oil and fat. Opt
ordering food in restaurant, request
for baked, steamed, poached, grilled, or
that it be made without salt. Find
roasted foods. Limiting your intake of
foods that have been cooked with
these high fat (and possibly high sodium)
herbs and spices rather than sodium
foods will decrease the amount of
based seasonings.
calories consumed as well as decrease
your likelihood of heart disease.
3. Ask for sauces and dressings to be
served on the side, or eliminate them.
2. Limit or avoid foods high in sodium.
Servers are there to ensure that your
Sodium is notorious for causing
dining experience is perfect. Asking
hypertension and many conditions
to make alterations or substitutions to
3
menu items will allow you
minerals instead of
staple in numerous
to create a healthier meal.
sugary sodas. The goal
restaurant establishments.
is to promote health and
You have two choices: 1)
decrease risk of disease
order menu items with
or metabolic syndrome.
fewer calories or 2) eat a
6. It’s all about balance. As
smaller portion and save
Additionally, some items
can be eliminated from
the food you choose to
eat. For example,
eliminating mayo from
with any meal, it is
your sandwich can save
important to strive for
up to 150 calories and
balance. Make sure to
excess fat from your meal.
incorporate all food
4. Desserts provide an
opportunity to get your
fiber and essential vitamins
and minerals. Choose
wisely! Try consuming
fruits or sherbets, rather
than sugar-laden desserts
(e.g. pastries). If you’ve
done a great job eating
and want to splurge a
little, consider sharing
5. Avoid drinking your
mealtime.
groups: grains, fruits,
vegetables, dairy, and
healthy fats. If your
main entrée is a pasta
dish with lean protein,
- sodales.
add a low-fat cheese (or
milk) with a side of
vegetables and a fruit for
dessert. The same goes
for salads, but choose a
low-fat dressing.
your dessert with
someone else.
the rest for another
+
7. Portion Sizes. Large
portions seem to be a
calories. Get your calories
from nutrient-dense foods
high in vitamins and
4
Check out the poster in the
University Cafeteria and enter a
drawing to win both “Eat This, Not
That” and “Drink This, Not That”
books!!
Portions Sizes: You are What You Eat!
Here are a few standard portions and what they should look like:
Food Type
Bread
Pancake, waffle
Orange, apple, pear
Baked potato
Fat-free, low fat milk
Cheese
Lean meat (beef,
poultry)
Grilled fish
Peanut butter
Oil or dressing
Portion Size
1 ounce, 1 slice
1 ounce, ½ cup batter
1 small (2.5” diameter)
1 medium
1 cup
1.5 ounces
3 ounces
Size of this Portion
CD case
CD
Tennis ball
Computer mouse
Baseball
Battery (AA)
Deck of cards
3 ounces
2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon
Checkbook
Ping-Pong ball
Standard cap on a 16-oz
water bottle
5
Resources for places to dine
in Ann Arbor!
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http://selmacafe.org/
http://savasrestaurant.com/restaurant.html
http://www.earthenjar.com/
http://www.bluenilemi.com/
http://www.flattopgrill.com/
http://www.afternoondelightcafe.com/menu.
html
 http://www.peoplesfood.coop/cafe.html
+
Make sure to check out the
Healthy Eating Tip of the Month
board in the University
Cafeteria, pick up some
handouts and enter the drawing.
Thank you for looking at the
website!!
References
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It’s about Eating Right. http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=5671
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442468830&terms=portion
Tipsheet: Eat Healthy When Dining Out.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/dine_out.htm
American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/DiningOut/Tips-byCuisine_UCM_308333_Article.jsp
Fast Food or Fast Fat? http://ucsdnutritionlink.org/articles/archives/fastfood.pdf