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USA Diet Page 9
This page contains:
Anne’s advice on How to Eat Out and Survive.

HOW TO EAT OUT AND SURVIVE

Warning!
Eating out is risky. No matter how careful you are, you can’t be 100% sure what you’re eating. Besides, restaurants have no responsibility for our weight. Their job is to excite our taste buds. And the fastest way to excite our taste buds is to serve dishes covered in fat or sugar. My advice? If you really want to lose weight, take a break from eating out, for a short while. Home cooking is the only 100% guaranteed way to control what goes into your mouth. But if you must eat out, here are a few sensible suggestions.

Rule 1. Choose a sensible restaurant
Please avoid all fast-food restaurants (i.e. those serving instant food like burgers, fried chicken or any other ‘instant’ fried food.) Eating in these places is too risky. Limit yourself to sit down restaurants or any fast food restaurant which offers low-fat non-fried options.

Rule 2. Choose sensible food
Choose fish, lean chicken, lean turkey, lean beef, lean pork.
If meat comes with fat attached, cut it off: i.e. cut it all off.
Avoid pizzas with meat & cheese.
Avoid all burnt or blackened food.
For dessert, choose only fresh fruit, fat-free yogurt (any type), fat-free ice-cream or sorbet.

Rule 3. Choose a sensible cooking method
Choose only broiled, oven-baked or boiled food.
Avoid all dishes cooked in fat, especially fried food.

Rule 4. Choose a sensible sauce
Choose tomato based sauces.
Choose any light sauce, made without: fat, oil, cream, cheese, mayo or non fat-free dressing.
Avoid all fat-based gravy, cheese or cream sauces, mayo or dressings that aren’t fat-free.

Rule 5. Add something sensible
Add soy sauce, lemon, tomato sauce.
Add fat-free sour cream (but go easy – the sugar content may be high).
Don’t add cream, cheese, mayo, tartar sauce etc., dressing (except fat-free dressing).

 

QUICKTIP No 36 – EAT LOTS OF ANTI-CANCER FOODS
In 1997, the World Cancer Research Fund published a report entitled: Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective. Here is a very short summary of it’s main dietary recommendations.
1. Our diet should contain mostly foods of plant origin
We should eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, together with pulses like beans and lentils, plus cereals, bread and potatoes (or rice, pasta). Red meat is best eaten only in small quantities.
2. Eat 5 or more portions of fruit & vegetables, every day
For best results, we should eat a wide variety of these foods. [Note: (1) A portion = 80g / 3oz; (2) The figure of 5 portions a day is based upon the ‘average’ adult requiring 2000 calories per day.]
3. Eat 7+ portions of cereals, pulses, starchy-type foods and other plant food, every day
For example, choose 7 portions from: porridge, home-made muesli (containing wheatflakes, oats, rye flakes etc.), other cereal, rice, bread, pasta, lentils, beans, potatoes, nuts and seeds. Whenever possible, choose wholegrain or ‘brown’ varieties, like brown bread, brown rice and brown pasta.
4. Move away from meat, especially red meat
Switch to fish and free range poultry. Eat no more than 3oz of red meat (beef, pork, lamb) per day
Avoid smoked, barbecued and heavily processed meat.
5. Eat less fat
Choose low fat options. Cook with less fat – don’t fry, instead grill, boil, bake or roast. Use oils which are low in saturated fat. Do not overheat. High fat diets may increase the risk of cancers of the breast, lung, colon, prostate and rectum. Also they tend to cause people to put on weight and become obese. Unfortunately, obesity increases the risk of cancer of the breast, womb and kidney.
6. Alcohol consumption is not recommended
If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to less than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 for women. [1 drink = 8 grams of alcohol: i.e. half pint of beer, one glass of wine (at 8 glasses per bottle) or one spirit measure.] Alcoholic drinks increase the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, colon and liver. They may also increase the risk of breast cancer.

QUICKTIP No 37 – DON’T BE AFRAID OF FAILURE
Some of us are so ashamed of failure that we go to any lengths to avoid it. For example, even if we want to lose weight we won’t try dieting in case we fail. If this sounds like you, then take my advice: don’t be afraid to fail. Failure isn’t the terrible thing we think it is. On the contrary, it can actually be very good for us. Remember, all our basic learning is done by trial and error. We try something, we make a mistake, so we do it again in a different way and eventually we succeed. If you watch your child doing a new jigsaw puzzle, you won’t see him solve it straightaway. He’ll make mistakes. He’ll try this piece, then that piece, then another, until he gets it right. Well it’s the same for us adults when we do something. We also need to make mistakes before getting it right. To put it another way, failure is a vital ingredient in success. In fact, if you look around you’ll find that it takes quite a lot of failure to make a really successful person. For instance, many of the world’s most successful business people fail at school and even go bankrupt before they get to the top. Many Hollywood actors and directors achieve nothing for years before they finally get the recognition they deserved.
Well, dieting is no different: we need several attempts before we succeed. For example, one of my slimmers just lost her 100th pound. She used to be 280 pounds, now she’s 180 pounds. But it took her five attempts before she finally did it right. And she’s not the only one: all my best slimmers failed several times before they succeeded. If you worry too much about failing and looking silly, you’ll end up doing nothing. So get out there, have a go and who cares if you fall flat on your face? Better to fall flat on your face once in a while, than sit on your butt and do nothing.

HOW TO EAT OUT – SOME DETAILS

SIT DOWN RESTAURANTS

Breakfasts
Choose, low-fat cereals (not frosted), muffins or toast, fruit juice and fresh fruit.
Avoid all fat-bombs like Danish, doughnuts, sausages, bacon, fried eggs, hash browns etc.
If ordering eggs, have them poached or boiled.

Starters
Choose: Artichokes, Asparagus, Crab claws, Steamed clams, Melba toast crackers, Fruit cocktail, Melon, Melon & ham, Pickled herring, Mussels, plain Oysters, Smoked salmon, Sardines, Sauerkraut, Shrimp cocktail, plain Shrimps, Soup (not creamed), Salads (without dips), Seafood platter, plain Tuna.

Avoid anything fried, deep-fried, or drenched in oil, butter or cheese, or served with creamy dips.
Yes, I know it’s a drag, but you can’t eat this rubbish without blowing up like a fat-balloon.

Fat examples

BBQ ribs (3oz has 30g fat); Fried chicken wings (12g fat per wing); Paté (1oz has 10-20g fat); Pepperoni (1oz has 11g); Salami (1oz has 10g); Nacho chips (1oz has 8g fat); Cheese fries (1 cup has 38g fat); Mayo 1tsp has 11g; fat; Medium olive has 4g fat; Fried chicken nugget + tsp ranch dressing has 12g fat; Egg rolls (1has 6-12g fat); Fried onion rings (1has 3g fat); Fried spring roll (1has 8g fat);

Soups
Choose any vegetable soup, beef/chicken consommé, soups with pasta/noodles.
Avoid all cream based (clam chowder) or fatty meat soups.
If eating bread rolls, avoid adding butter!

Meat – Poultry – Seafood
Avoid dishes with butter, sautéed, fried, deep-fried, pan-fried, crispy, sizzling, creamed, cream sauce, au fromage, béarnaise, Hollandaise. Remember: a creamy or cheesy sauce can turn a perfect dish into a disaster, so either avoid sauces altogether (best) or ask for them on the side (next best). Yes, it’s a pain in the butt, but why eat fat when you know you’re going to end up wearing it?

• Broiled, baked, poached dishes are best.

• Best choice is any seafood that is broiled, steamed, poached.

• Or, choose any plain steak or any plain chicken, turkey or pork dish.

• Avoid large or ‘king-size’ helpings; ask for 4oz or 6oz.

Sauces & add-ons
Choose soy sauce, lemon juice, wine-flavored vinegar, chili sauce, salsa or any tomato sauce.
Avoid butter, mayo, tartar sauce, dill sauce.
Tomato-based sauce is much less fatty than cream or cheese sauce.
Most cream based sauces have 9-13g fat per 2 tablespoons.

Salads and Salad Bar
Be careful about adding high fat items (e.g. bacon pieces, sausage, olives, coleslaw, potato salad, dressing) to your salad. If you’re not careful, your 2-cup salad will contain more fat than a whole ¼-pounder + fries!

• Choose green salad, or plain vegetable salad (without olives, nuts, avocado, mayo or cream).

• Sensible dressings include: oil-free dressing, any very low-calorie dressing (e.g. Thousand Island), any low-calorie vinaigrette, any low-fat yogurt dressing, cocktail sauce or salsa.

• Avoid all salads with meat, eggs, cheese or mayo. Stick to plain salads, containing vegetables only.

Vegetables & side-dishes
Choose vegetables, potatoes, rice, noodles prepared without butter, cream, cheese, sour cream, oil, or any dressing except fat-free. Yes, it’s a pain in the butt, but why stay fat?

• Ask for a plain baked potato with salsa sauce instead of French fries.

• Choose soy sauce, lemon juice, flavored vinegar, tomato or hot spicy sauces.

• Avoid fried rice – choose boiled.

• Avoid vegetables topped with butter, cheese, sour cream or dressing.

Desserts
Choose fresh fruit, fat-free yogurt or frozen yogurt, fat-free ice-cream, sorbets or any low-fat option.
Don’t even look at the fancy desserts, unless you want a double-chin and a pair of fat thighs.

 

QUICKTIP No 38 – HOW TO COPE WITH A CRISIS
Mary is 38, with four children and has dieted on and off for about ten years. However, instead of getting slimmer, she has grown from 170 pounds to over 200 pounds! Why? Because each time she starts a new diet, it only lasts 3 weeks. Then she has a crisis and gives up. Result? She is getting fatter and fatter.
Anyway, in January 2000, Mary begins dieting as usual and for three weeks everything is fine. She follows her diet, eats lots of good food and loses 7 pounds Then, in early February, she has a crisis! It happens when she’s out shopping. She passes the cake counter in the supermarket and suddenly all she wants in the whole world is a cream doughnut. She tries to dismiss the thought but it’s no use. She has to have a doughnut, there and then. So she does. She sits down in a nearby café and eats three chocolate doughnuts one after the other. Of course, when she realises what she’s done she is full of remorse. ‘I’m a failure!’ she wails. ‘I’m never going to lose weight.’ And all the way home she worries about what she’s done. She can’t leave it alone. She is so depressed. So that evening, she goes to the cupboard, pulls out a packet of cookies and eats the lot! Five minutes later, she feels sick. So now, she’s depressed and sick. That night she lies awake in bed, full of guilt. Once again, she has ruined her diet. Once again, she has failed. Once again she is going to give up. But the more she thinks about it, the more she realises that giving up is not the answer. After all, she’s spent the last 10 years giving up diets and look at her! She is fatter than ever.
So the following morning, Mary does something extraordinary. Instead of giving up her diet and feeling bad about it, she gives herself a good talking-to. Never mind the doughnuts and the cookies, she thinks. I’m going to start again. I’m going to go back on my diet and carry on as though nothing has happened. So she does.
Result? This little decision transforms Mary’s life. It doesn’t turn her into a perfect dieter. Far from it! In fact, over the Spring and Summer she has several more crises. But now she knows what to do. Whenever she has a crisis, she simply waits until it passes and then goes back on her diet. Today, a year later, Mary is almost exactly 140 pounds.
So girls, the message is simple. A crisis is not terminal! A crisis is not the end! So if you have a bad day and eat 27 packets of chocolate chip cookies, don’t panic! It’s just a minor hiccup. Just wait until it passes and then go back on your diet. Don’t forget, Mary used to think that every crisis was terminal. She used to think that once she went off her diet, it was pointless going back. So every time she had a binge she gave up. That’s why she spent 10 years putting on weight. Don’t make the same mistake! Instead, be smart! So you have a bad day. So what? Just pick yourself up, dust yourself down and get back on track. Keep doing this, and within six months you’ll have the most gorgeous figure you could ever want.

ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

Best starters
Vegetable antipasto, minestrone soup, any green salad, any fruit starter, any vegetable salad (without dressing). Bread rolls with a very thin covering of low-fat margarine.
Best main course
Pasta with meatless tomato-based sauces like Marinara or Pomodoro. Pasta with vegetables or beans. Veal or beef, grilled/cooked in lemon. Baked/broiled chicken. Meatballs in tomato sauce. Pasta & beans.
Best desserts
Fruit salad, ice-cream, sorbet.
Dishes to avoid (approx. calories per portion, unless stated)
Garlic bread (slice = 200); Sausage (1oz = 90); Salami dishes (1oz = 100); Lasagna (10oz = 625); Macaroni & Cheese (1cup = 315); Noodles & Cream Sauce (9oz = 1000); Pasta & Butter Sauce (10oz = 600); Pasta with Anchovies (9oz = 705); Pasta with Cream Sauce (9oz = 900); Ravioli with Cream Sauce (10oz = 1100); Ravioli with tomato meat sauce (10oz = 740); Pesto Sauce (1tbsp = 155). Chocolate mousse (350-500); Cheesecake (300-500); Tiramisu (300-500).

PIZZA RESTAURANTS

Best starters
Large salad (see above).
Best pizza toppings
Peppers, mushrooms, chili, sweetcorn, capers, tomato, onion, lean ham, pineapple.
Pizzas to avoid (approx. calories per medium pizza)
Pizzas with meat or cheese (e.g.) pepperoni/salami (900);4-Meat Pizza (1000); 4-Cheese Pizza (1000).

MEXICAN RESTAURANTS

Best starters
Any vegetable soup (Gazpacho/ black bean soup), any green salad or vegetable salad (+ salsa or 1 tbsp fat-free dressing/ vinaigrette).
Best main courses
Plain non-fried burritos/ tacos/ enchiladas with vegetables, fat-free beans, seafood or chicken fillings. Broiled chicken fajitas, or any lean meat broiled or sautéed without fat.
Dishes to avoid (approx. calories per portion)
Avoid tortilla chips (1oz =140), nachos (1oz =150), cheese nachos (1oz + dip =310), fried chicken wings.
Fried dishes like chimichangas (e.g. beef chimichanga = 660, chicken chimichanga = 605). Fajitas (e.g. beef fajita with guacamole = 620 ). Tostadas (e.g. beef cheese & avocado tostada = 1000). Also, as usual, avoid the fatty sauces like dressing, cheese, sour cream and guacamole sauce.

CHINESE RESTAURANTS

Best starters
Hot and sour wonton soup, chicken & sweetcorn soup, steamed dumplings.
Best main courses
Stir-fried or steamed dishes with vegetables: e.g. vegetable chop suey or chow mein, beef in oyster sauce, chicken/pork with vegetables. Shrimp/chicken Szechuan dishes, shrimp/chicken chow mein.
Any steamed or broiled fish. Eat plenty of plain boiled rice. NB. Always use chopsticks – they help to slow down your rate of eating!
Best desserts
Lychees. Fruit salad.

Dishes to avoid (approx. calories per portion)
Starters
Any starter described as ‘crispy’, ‘battered’, ‘sizzling’ or ‘deep-fried’: Large Spring roll (420); 1 Shrimp cracker (15); Spare ribs (140 per rib); Deep-fried Shrimps (365); Crispy Duck (750).
Main courses
All duck dishes, beef and pork, any dish described as ‘crispy’, ‘battered’, ‘sizzling’ or ‘deep-fried’. Sweet & Sour Pork (850); chicken & cashew nuts, any sizzling dish (650); Fried rice (550 per portion). Avoid fried rice, fried noodles. If extra hungry, fill up with extra boiled rice.
Desserts
Fritters (100 -150)

THAI RESTAURANTS

Best starters
Any clear soup, hot and sour soup with shrimp (Tom Yam Gung), any Thai salad with fat-free dressing (e.g. lemon or lime juice dressings). Beware all dressings or sauces made from coconut milk, peanuts or cream.
Best main courses
Main dishes – choose stir-fried, steamed, broiled or boiled. Go for shrimp, vegetable, chicken, beef and pork. Steamed fish or fish in lemon sauce. Pork with bamboo shoots, pork with ginger. Choose plain or fragrant boiled rice.
Best desserts
Stick to plain fruit, or US-style fat-free frozen yogurt, sorbet etc.
Dishes to avoid (approx. calories per portion)
Avoid starters like Thai rolls (1 small roll =100), chicken wings (1=160), and anything in peanut sauces (satay) (400-500). Main courses: avoid things made with coconut milk or peanuts. Avoid all fat-fried dishes, fried rice (550) & coconut rice (600). Warning! Some steamed Thai dishes are also deep-fried, so check before you order! Most Thai desserts are too risky. Even their fruit dishes are very syrupy.

INDIAN RESTAURANTS

Starters
Best avoided altogether.
Best main courses
Any plain Tandoori or Tikka dish; Lamb Roghan Josh; Vegetable curry. Plain boiled or basmati rice.
Best desserts
Stick to US-style fat-free frozen yogurt, sorbet etc.

Dishes to avoid (approx. calories per portion)
Starters
Onion Bhaji (190 each); Meat samosa (320); Vegetable samosa (260); Poppadoms (40 each); Poppadoms with Mango chutney/lime pickle (80 each).
Main courses
Chicken Korma (850); Beef Madras (755); Lamb Biryani (850); Lamb Bhuna (680); Pork Vindaloo (600); Chicken Dhansak (720); Chicken curry (700); Nan Bread (300); Pilau rice (400).
Desserts
Indian ice-cream (Kulfi) (300-500).

“INTERNATIONAL” FOOD

Best starters
Any salad (without dressing); Soup; Melon; Seafood platter.
Best main courses
Any plain steak; any plain fish; any plain pork/ chicken dish.
Best extras
Boiled potatoes; any vegetable/salad (without butter/mayonnaise/dressing etc.).
Best desserts
Lemon meringue; Baked Alaska; fresh fruit salad; fat-free ice-cream; sorbet.

Dishes to avoid (approx. calories per portion)
Starters
Spare ribs (560); deep-fried mushrooms (350-400); shrimp cocktail (350); Pate & toast (400).
Main course
Scampi (500); Onion rings (250-300); French fries (300-350); 3 roast potatoes (240).
Desserts
Cheesecake (300-350); Profiteroles (350-400); Apple crumble & custard (350); Candy Fudge cake (400); Apple pie & custard (420); Mud pie (570).

QUICKTIP No 39 – FAST FOOD MAKES YOU FAT, FAST!
Check out the fat and calorie contents of these fasts foods. (All values approximate).
Remember: if you’re trying to lose weight, your daily fat quota is about 30g.
Breakfast stuff
Danish = 15g fat; Croissant = 15g fat; Doughnut = 10g fat; Bacon & Eggs (3 bacon, 2 fried eggs, cup hash browns) = 50g fat and 700 calories; Sausage & Egg breakfast (2 fried eggs, 4 sausages, cup hash browns) = 65g fat and 900 calories; Eggs Benedict (English muffin, 1 egg, ham, & sauce) = 32g fat and 400 calories; Pancakes (4 + syrup) = 16g fat and 850 calories; Pancakes (4 + syrup & margarine) = 28g fat and 950 calories; Waffles (1 x 7″ + syrup & margarine) = 30g fat and 430 calories.
Meals & dressings
Fried chicken (2 pieces) = 30g fat; Chicken nuggets (6) = 18g fat; Large cheeseburger = 32g fat; Double = 27g fat; Regular = 15g fat; Large hamburger = 28g fat; Double = 22g fat; Regular = 12g fat; Hot dog = 16g fat; Cheese Pizza (10″) = 25g fat; Pepperoni = 35g fat; Onion rings (6) = 12g fat; Large fries = 20g fat; Regular = 12g fat; Mayonnaise (1oz) = 21g fat; Ranch dressing (1oz) = 21g fat; Thousand Island (1oz) = 19g fat; Blue Cheese = 17g fat.

QUICKTIP No 40 – STAY CALM, DON’T PANIC
Do you find it difficult to stick to a diet? If so, let me give you a tip. Stay calm! Why? Because it makes dieting much easier. You see, most dieters get too emotional. They get hysterical and depressed when they don’t lose weight and they get far too excited when they do.
For example, let me tell you about Olga. She is 35 years old, 5 feet 3 inches in height and weighs 180 pounds which makes her about 40 pounds overweight. Despite five years of dieting she is slowly getting fatter. Why? Because Olga is too emotional. Each time she starts a new diet the same thing happens. For the first week, she follows it exactly. Result? She loses 4 pounds and feels great! She can’t believe it. She thinks it’s wonderful. She thinks that this time she’ll lose weight for good! During the second week she is equally careful but this time she loses only 2 pounds, which really upsets her. Why? Because she thinks she’s failed. She thinks that losing 2 pounds is a waste of time. Why? Because it means that it’s going to take her over three months to lose 30 pounds. And Olga does not have three months to spare. Life is too short. She has better things to do! She wants her fat to disappear overnight! The third week of Olga’s diet is always a disaster. She is so depressed about losing only 2 pounds the week before that she gets careless. She doesn’t follow the diet properly and at the end of the week she finds that she has lost nothing. Result? She is so depressed that she wants to cry. It’s almost the end of the world. But she doesn’t give up. Instead, she decides to give it one final week. And to make sure she succeeds she decides to starve herself slim. Does she succeed? Of course not. Half-way through the week she is so hungry that she eats 3 bars of candy. Result? She gives up dieting and feels a complete failure. Poor old Olga! She wants to lose weight so much, but unless she changes her approach to dieting she will never succeed. In fact, she could diet for a thousand years and still not lose weight. Why not? Because she takes things too seriously. When things go well she’s up in the air and when things go wrong she hits the floor. It’s perfectly natural behavior but it’s not a recipe for successful dieting. You see, dieting takes time and in order to succeed, you need to relax and take things steady. So when you start dieting you need to keep your feet on the ground and not get too carried away. And when you have a bad week, don’t panic – just shrug it off and go back on your diet. The truth is, dieting is a slow process with lots of ups and downs. Very often it means having three good weeks, one bad week and two ordinary weeks. So don’t panic every time you have a problem. Just relax, have a cup of coffee and say to yourself: ‘Tomorrow, I’m going to go back to my diet and carry on from where I left off.’ This is how you slim down to the figure of your dreams.