WORST
RESTAURANT FOODS:
How to eat
healthier and smarter when eating out
Here are some tips:
FOODS TO AVOID:
Buffalo Chicken Salad
The Count: 1030 calories, 68 g fat,
4350 mg sodium
"Salad" is
stretching it! Fried meat, oily sauce, and cheese push this meal to 1030
calories at one popular restaurant. That's about the same as a whole pint of
chocolate-chip, cookie-dough ice cream. The salad also packs nearly 25% more
fat.
French Toast and Bacon
The Count: 1850 calories, 65 g sat.
fat, 2290 mg sodium
Want to use up almost all
of your day's calories before noon? Eat this for breakfast. It's got a stunning
1850 calories. It also has 65 grams of saturated fat. That's three times the
daily limit for this unhealthy fat.
Chicken Fajitas
The Count: 1320 calories, 47 g fat,
4650 mg sodium
Chicken fajitas can be a
healthy option. But they're often served with heaps of sour cream, shredded
cheese, refried beans, and fried rice. Pack it all in, and you've got 1320
calories ready to pad your waistline! Instead, load up on grilled peppers,
onions, chicken, and fresh salsa. Stick with just one tortilla.
Vegetarian Fried Rice
The Count: 1090 calories, 19 g fat,
2210 mg sodium
Getting Chinese takeout?
Don't assume the veggie options are the healthiest. Vegetarian fried rice can
hide 1090 calories. That's over half of your calories for the whole day.
Instead, go for steamed dishes with lots of veggies, steamed rice, and always
ask for sauce on the side.
Pasta in Carbonara Sauce
The Count: 1440 calories, 88 g fat,
3000 mg sodium
Grilled chicken and
shrimp can be good choices. But if they're drenched in carbonara sauce, not so
much. A plate of pasta with shrimp and chicken in carbonara can creep up to1440
calories. It also has 88 grams of fat. That's more fat than you'd get from
eating a half-dozen glazed doughnuts.
Deep Dish Pizza With
Sausage
The Count: 2300 calories, 164 g
fat, 4910 mg sodium
Deep dish pizza can be
deep trouble. One "individual" sausage pizza is 2300 calories. That's
more calories than most people should eat in a whole day. It also packs in
double the daily limit of fat. Skip the sausage and opt for thin crust.
Club Sandwich
The Count: 1400 calories, 23 g sat.
fat, 2100 mg sodium
Club sandwiches can be
deceptive, even with lean turkey or chicken meat. This one hides 1400 calories
and a whole day's worth of saturated fat. Where are all those calories hiding?
In the bacon, cheese, extra slice of giant bread, and mayo. Opt for a
single-decker turkey sandwich, instead. Choose plenty of veggies and a few
slices of avocado for great flavor.
Large Fries
The Count: 1474 calories, 71 g fat,
213 mg sodium
In a pinch, you might
think that just one order of fries -- and nothing else -- would be OK. Not
necessarily. Large fries can have more than 1400 calories. That's like a whole
loaf of white bread, with an extra bonus of unhealthy saturated fat. If you're
jonesing for fries, just get a small. You'll save 1100 wasted calories.
Sliders
The Count 1800 calories, 111 g
fat, 4070 mg sodium
How bad can those little,
cute burgers be? If you eat the whole order of them, pretty bad. A plate of
sliders can add up to 1800 calories. (That leaves 200 for the rest of your
day.) Solution? Don't eat the whole order. Pack up one or two in a doggie bag
and have them tomorrow.
Eat Better:
Find Hidden Calories
You can skip the most
fattening restaurant meals by reading the menu closely. Look for clues. Words
like pan-fried, sautéed, battered, breaded, au gratin, cheesy, creamy,
buttered, deep-fried, béarnaise, or crispy are usually signs of extra fat and
calories. "Crisp" items are often deep-fried in oil.
Ask How It's Cooked
Preparation makes a big
difference. Baking fish -- with herbs, veggies, and lemon juice -- adds very
few calories or fat to the dish. Other healthy cooking methods include:
Grilled
broiled
roasted
baked
poached
steamed
Go á la Carte
Skip the jumbo portions
and rich sides that come with restaurant entrees. Instead, choose side orders
for your meal. In a Mexican restaurant, try one corn taco of grilled meats, a
cup of chicken-tortilla soup, a side salad, and a fruit dessert. You get
exactly what you want and a fraction of the calories.
Downsize
When only a hamburger
will do, or a drive-through is your only option, think small. Go for the
child's meal or a junior burger. Try this switch to get your fast-food fix with
fewer calories:
Skip: Double cheeseburger,
large fries, large soda --1240 calories
Choose: Cheeseburger, kid's
fries, small soda -- 550 calories
Hide Temptations
Many restaurants present
a picture of abundance, starting with an overflowing basket of bread or chips.
To prevent mindlessly inhaling a few hundred calories before your main meal,
wave the waiter away when he swoops in with the basket of carbs. Or ask the
waiter to remove the basket as soon as you've had a small portion.
Pasta
Pasta swimming in cream
sauce can be an unhealthy choice -- it's packed with fat, calories, and
cholesterol. Eat a small portion of whole grain pasta and top with better
sauces, such as:
Red
clam sauce
Marinara
sauce without meat
Primavera
sauce without cream
Marsala
sauce with wine, not butter
Pizza
Pizzerias are used to
getting special orders. A few simple changes can slash the calories and fat in
your pie:
Pile
on veggies and skip the meat.
Ask
for extra sauce and half the cheese.
After
a slice or two, take the rest home.
Dessert
Fresh fruit is available
at many restaurants now, even fast-food chains, thanks to demand from
health-conscious diners. If it's not listed with the desserts, check the side
dishes -- or ask for a special order.