Simple Tips For Eating Out

Dining out seems to be something I can't avoid between constant invitations from friends, cousins, family, and colleagues. Everyone loves eating at restaurants, but it can be difficult to navigate eating healthy while surfing menus of various restaurants. So here's a list of simple tips for dining out:

1.       Research ahead, when possible. If you know where you're going, look it up ahead of time and try to get nutritional information so you can pick the healthiest dishes on the menu.

Go online for nutrition facts!

2.       Be aware of portions. Ever notice how huge the portions are at restaurants? Offer to split entrées and appetizers with your friends and family. Ask for a small plate and put your food on that so you can see your  portion clearly.

3.       Analyze how food is prepared. How food is cooked is the most important aspect. Avoid fried and breaded – instead, look for foods that are grilled, steamed, baked, stir-fried, or roasted.

Yummy, and healthily prepared!

4.       Eat vegetables! Vegetables are a sure-fire way to get needed nutrients and lower the calories in your meal. Whenever you can, get vegetable side dishes instead of fries or baked potatoes, especially if your entrée is carb-rich.

5.       Be wary of condiments. Yummy condiments and toppings like cheese, sour cream, and creamy gravies and sauces can quickly blow the calorie and fat count of your meal into the stratosphere. Avoid and lessen them when possible – and even better, get them on the side so you can control how much is on your meal.

We're out to get you!

6.       Drink water, milk, and fruit juice. Avoid sugary sodas, alcohol, hot chocolate, etc. which are often empty calories.

The 3 Best Potato Chip Replacements

I don't know about you, but I tend to get snacky when I study. The smaller meals I'm eating these days coupled with the dry boredom of textbooks always does me in. But what to eat? I eat fruit, veggies, yogurt, and granola bars, but I always miss eating chips. I just crave something salty and crunchy! But I certainly don't want to stuff my face with notoriously unhealthy fried, processed potatoes.

So I took a trup down my grocery aisle and discovered these yummy, satisfying snacks. Just remember: Follow the portion sizes or you can easily eat way too much and defeat the purpose.

Ritz Chips are Ritz crackers redesignd to be more crunchy and chip-like. They come in flavours like cheddar and sour cream and onion, and at 150 calories per 30g serving and 5g of fat (half that in a serving of Lay's potato chips!) they're definitely a great choice.

Special K Cracker Chips are pretty new to the market. My mom bought a box. They don't have quite the same crunch as a chip, but the taste definitely more than makes up for it. And they're 110 calories for a generous 27-cracker portion, so I'm definitely going to keep these in my cupboard!

No one I know likes Triscuit, but I love them! They might be an acquired taste, but they're definitely worth a try. They come in a range of interesting flavours, like Rosemary & Olive Oil and Roasted Tomato & Olive Oil. They're around 120 calories and 4g of fat per serving.

Favourite Ways to Eat Veggies

I love eating vegetables - when they're cooked the right way, that is. Here are my favourite ways to cook various veggies:

• Carrots are great roasted. I just cut them into pieces, toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and roast them in the oven.

My sister thinks these look gross.

• I like cauliflower, broccoli, red bell peppers, and zuchinni together grilled. I sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, and whatever assorted seasonings are in my mom's cupboard, grill 'em, and they make a great side dish or snack.

• Asparagus is awesome sauteed in some balsamic vinegar and salt. Don't overdo it on the balsamic though.

Definitely my favourite!

• Peas, broccoli, or cauliflower I like to just steam and eat. You can add salt and/or pepper. I don't and I love them though.

• Butternut squash can be transformed into an almost-soup if you cook it in a pot with some cooked chicken and baby carrots. I add some potatoes sometimes as well too, as well as salt, pepper, and whatever other seasonings I feel like. The butternut squash melts right down.

• I make a stir-fry of mushrooms, bell peppers of any colour, cauliflower, broccoli, beansprouts, and bok choy. There are many complicated recipes out there but I just sautee onions and garlic in a little olive oil, add my vegetables, and cook it up with a little soy sauce.

I need a skillet like this.

• Don't forget raw, the best way to get all the nutrients! Carrots, red peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes are all yummy dipped in some hummus or low-fat dressing

The 5 Healthiest Foods to Eat at Timmy's

I was telling my sister about my last blog and my discovery of how bad in general the food there is for you (Ironically while stuffing our faces with fried shrimp at Red Lobster - but it was her birthday!). She inspired me to write this post because she asked, "So what is there to eat at Timmy's?" So here I present to you the 5 best foods to eat at Tim Horton's:

1. Chicken wraps: 190 calories each and relatively low-fat (4.5 - 6g depending on the dressing). Save more calories and fat by requesting less dressing.

Yummy AND one of the healthiest choices on the menu!

2. Oatmeal: For breakfast only, but the only breakfast item that's trans-fat free. Around 220 calories per serving. A little higher in sugar, but you can request less maple or berries on top to save some sugar.

3. Soups: Stick to soups with clear broth rather than cream-based soups - most of these have trans fat. Chicken noodle, minsestrone, and hearty vegetable are all good choices that are under 120 calories and low-fat.

Remember, avoid the cream-based!

4. Garden vegetable sandwich: This is the only sandwich I eat at Timmy's. Get it with swiss cheese to eliminate the trans fat. Around 320 calories.

5. Drinks: Coffee, lattes, and cappucinos are all under 100 calories. Try iced lattes instead of iced capps - 11g of sugar in a small vs. 32g in a small iced capp. Also, if you must have hot chocolate or french vanilla, try requesting it with half coffee to halve the sugar.

Hope this helps! Again, check out Tim Horton's nutritional info for further information.