Eating
Out Fast food restaurants often come under fire and are blamed for poor
nutrition. If you are an uninformed consumer this will be true: fast food places
can offer the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's up to you to make the adequate
nutritional choices as opposed to picking the quick non-nutritional fix (Ref.
7, p. 254-257). Let's take the common scenario of lunch,
and you are entering a hamburger place.
| Eating
out: LUNCH | 1. Choose
the grilled chicken item. Do not order the chicken burger, hamburger or chicken
nuggets. 2. Order your grilled chicken without mayonaise
and eat only half the bun. 3. Order a side salad and ask
for dressing on the side, not poured over it. 4. Have a
piece of fruit for dessert (bring an apple or buy one at the corner store.) |
This type of selection fulfills the criteria of:
- having a protein food (about the size of the palm of your hand)
- having
carbohydrate food (a bit of the bun and a salad, as well as the fruit)
- having
a moderate amount of fat intake.
Dinner is
frequently eaten in restaurants.
| Eating
out: DINNER | 1.Study
the menu and pick a choice of protein food that is lean. Look for non-breaded
fish or meat, or choose tofu, if you are in an asian restaurant. 2.
Order a salad. Skip the croutons and order the low fat dressing on the side. 3.
At the time of your order request an extra side vegetable instead of the pasta,
rice or potatoes. 4. Forget the garlic bread or the dinner
buns with butter. 5. Once your meal arrives, eat only the
meat portion you need(remember the palm of your hand measure.)Ask for a doggie
bag for the surplus. You will enjoy it the day after. 6.
Skip dessert, unless it is a piece of fruit. | Even
though you are likely eating breakfast at home, things will be different, when
you are travelling.
| Eating out: BREAKFAST
on the go | 1.
Forgo the pancakes with syrup or the hash browns. 2. If
there is a breakfast bar, have a small helping of oatmeal, eat a portion of scrambled
egg and enjoy same fruit. It may be a little higher in fat than your usual breakfast. 3.
Some restaurants will offer "heart smart" choices like an omelette made
with either egg substitute or more egg whites than egg yolk. This would be a good
choice along with some fruit. 4. Drink tea or coffee with
no sugar, or add sugar substitutes like Splenda (comes in powder form
or as prepackaged mini paper bags). Some cream is O.K. 5.
Remember: No bread, no toast, no ordinary cereal flakes as this would within 1/2
hour be pure sugar in your system starting the hyperinsulism cycle promoting the
syndrome of insulin resistance. |
If you are on the run, and it is
getting late, it is better to have a snack as a touch-up. An apple
and fruit (e.g. mandarin orange), a piece of mozzarella cheese (string cheese
is also handy), and 4 almonds will tide you over till the next larger
meal. Another option is to carry a nutrition bar in your pocket. Look for a product
with a good balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Some power bars do not
offer you balanced ingredients: either they are too high in carbohydrates or they
over emphasize the amount of protein. One product are Zone Perfect
Food Bars (made by Zone Perfect Nutrition. according to Dr. Barry
Sears' directions) Another option are the Balance Bars.
Weight loss / loss of sugar cravings: For many people a big
part of the accumulation of weight is due to a craving for sugar. The simple SP6
patch from Lifewave, which has been developed to combat craving for food,
will help you to shed pounds. This is mentioned in the book "Breakthrough"
by Suzanne Somers (Ref. 8) where newer insights of antiaging medicine are also
reviewed.This is an FDA approved non-drug method and is called "SP6"
because of the name of an acupuncture point. There are no needles involved. Nanotechnology,
a newer technology, is involved in the manufacturing of these patches and infrared
(heat) waves from body heat are utilized to energize an acupuncture point, which
in turn normalizes the appetite centre through nerve pathways. For more info follow
the SP6 patch from Lifewave link above (click "products"). |
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