Savvy Sandwiches

That's me with a deconstructed sandwich of sorts in Montreal. Fab Fixings at La Buvette Chez Simone.

“Let’s grab a sandwich” is a popular lunch time rally and was reputedly made possible by the necessity of invention at a card game in 1762. That’s when the fourth Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, catapulted bread into a new culinary category because he was too busy gambling to stop for a meal. According to legend, he asked for roast beef between two slices of bread so that he could hold the snack in one hand and continue playing cards with the other. The Earl may be happy to know, that after a few low carb diet crazed years- bread is back. According to a survey by the Grain Foods Foundation, nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults say they eat sandwiches at least once a week. From traditional ham and Swiss on rye to veggie subs to trendy paninis hot from the grill -here some sandwich savvy tips on building the best bites between bread.
Bread as Your BaseThink of a sandwich as an opportunity to customize your meal to meet taste and nutrition needs. The bread is the blank canvas. The healthiest canvas is whole grain bread because it’s higher in fiber and other nutrients found in the exterior bran portion of a grain. But, registered dietitian Sharon Palmer of Environmental Nutrition (environmentalnutrition.com) warns that labels can be deceiving and cautions against breads sold with phrases like “made with whole grains” or “multi-grain”. Make sure that whole grain is the first ingredient listed to avoid products that add a pinch of whole grain flour to try to jump on the healthy bread bandwagon. Choose breads with at least 2 grams of fiber per slice.
Like croissants? No wonder. Croissants are made with the equivalent of five pats of butter, so know you’re getting into high fat bread territory and avoid adding any extra butter or mayo to your sandwich. Focaccia bread, can be a higher fat choice too because it’s baked with olive oil and often more is drizzled on top after baking. Forgetting the bread and making lettuce wraps “sandwiches” is pretty popular today, too. Just note that wrapping fried chicken strips or teriyaki sauced shrimp in lettuce leaves can still wrack up a lot of calories because of the filling.
Insider Tips
Giant deli sandwiches piled high with meat and cheese can land you a lunch with your calorie total for the day. Choose no more than 3 ounces of lean meats such as ham, turkey, roast beef, or grilled chicken. Higher fat meats such as pastrami and salami contain twice the calories. If you want a chicken salad or tuna salad sandwich, just don’t add any extra mayonnaise, it’s already in the mix. A slice of cheese will add about 100 calories; so be aware of that before you pile on multiple slices.
Work in as many vegetables as possible. In classic sandwich shop speak, “Run it through the garden!” Ask for a double the usual lettuce and tomato garnish and if other veggies are available such as cucumber slices or fresh spinach- go for it. Note that ¼ of an avocado is a tasty splurge at 80 calories but is a good source of healthy mono unsaturated fats, fiber, vitamin C and lutein ( good for your eyes).



Be Slather Savvy

Go easy on the mayo because it’s 100 calories per tablespoon. Light mayonnaise cuts that in half. If you’re ordering a panini, ask them not to spritz on extra oil before it hits the grill. At sub shops, note that the oil and vinegar mix can set you back 70 calories per tablespoon. So, ask for a little oil squirted on and then more of the vinegar to wet down your sub.
Mustard, with a mere 5 calories a teaspoon, is a flavor bargain. A 6” turkey and cheese sub dressed with mayo and oil is 500 calories. The same sub with mustard is 300 calories.
Sandwich side kicksSkip the chips or share with a little bag with a friend. Baked chips will have less fat and calories – but still add about 100 calories to your meal. Better yet, go for a fresh crunch with a side salad or fresh fruit option to boost nutrition and build a better lunch.

Hey Kids! The White House Wants Better Menus for Little Diners

Want to see healthier options on kids’ menus at restaurants and tired of seeing nothing but chicken fingers, burgers and fries? Your concerns are part of the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity.

In a detailed plan presented to President Barack Obama this month, more than 70 recommendations are outlined by task force members to help meet the goal of reducing the present childhood obesity rates of 20 percent to a level of 5 percent by 2030. Priorities include strategies to help empower parents and caregivers to guide children toward healthier food and fitness habits with specific suggestions on everything from building school gardens to adding neighborhood sidewalks to improving children’s menus at restaurants.

Recommendation from the task force document: Restaurants should consider their portion sizes, improve children’s menus and make healthy options the default choice whenever possible. The improvements are particularly important because one-third of meals are consumed in restaurants.

What do some Atlanta parents — who just happen to be in the restaurant business — think about “the state of the union” for kids dining out?

Father of a boy and girl, Ian Winslade, formerly of Spice Market and chef of soon-to-open Bottle Bar Buckhead, says, “I think restaurants need to do more with kids menus. And I found if you introduce kids as toddlers to a variety of foods, you’ll have a better go of it when dining out.”

Winslade admits that even chefs who make it a career to please customers’ palates can have a tough time with their own kids.

“At about 5 years old you can get some serious push back, but hang in there because after about 8 they roll back in and become more adventurous,” Winslade said.

Ford Fry, executive chef of JCT Kitchen and father of two boys, believes good eating embraces all foods in moderation. “Hey, I’m a chef famous for my fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, but our menu focuses on great farm fresh vegetables, too. At home we eat healthy six days a week and one day a week the boys can eat whatever they want,” he said.

And to up the ante on interest in healthy menu choices and further community support of farmers who grow organic produce for Atlanta’s restaurants, Fry and friends organize a vegetable festival each August — the JCT Killer Tomato Fest.

Selling good nutrition to kids takes on many forms. At Ted’s Montana Grill, cook Otto Calvert at the Luckie Street location says a restaurant can be the best place to get kids excited about healthy foods. “We start with lots of really fresh vegetables, and we know how to season them, and we don’t overcook them. We can help parents because kids eat their vegetables here when we ask them to!”


Catering to smaller appetites


Skip the sodas. Ask for low-fat or nonfat milk. Or make your own special “soda” by asking for a combination of fruit juice with sparkling water.

Good things in small packages. Children are not just small adults, especially when it comes to nutrition. Every bite counts and every bite should be delivering healthy nutrients. Filling up on tortilla chips or fried appetizers is a bad habit for two reasons: They’ll often consume too many calories and they won’t have room for the healthy items. Get a side order of fruit or cut-up vegetables right away to keep them occupied.

Don’t clean your plate. An important lessons in nutrition is recognizing when you are full.


Carolyn O’Neil is a registered dietitian and co-author of “The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!” E-mail her at carolyn@carolyn
oneil.com.

Gulp! Gulf of Mexico Seafood in Peril

The fate of fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico is being determined by winds and waves as the oil spill caused by the BP drilling rig explosion continues to spread and threaten important fishing grounds in and around the Gulf of Mexico. While layers of federal, state and local authorities work with oil industry officials to deal with and contain the spill, it’s the job of The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce) to monitor seafood safety. NOAA has already moved to close some fishing grounds and oyster beds to protect consumers from contaminated products. In the case of shrimp, a great deal of the supply provided to supermarkets and restaurants is frozen and therefore safe because it could have been harvested long before the spill occurred. Will there be a shortage of Gulf coast shrimp this summer? Will the spill move down to the Keys and around to the east coast of Florida affecting fisheries there? These are questions on the minds of everyone who loves seafood from these areas and yet to be determined. One thing for sure, shrimp is incredibly popular food all around the world and certainly offers significant nutrition. As the saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. So let’s salute to the taste and health benefits of shrimp as we continue to follow the containment of the Gulf oil spill.

Shrimp Cholesterol Not a Threat

If you've been avoiding shrimp because you’ve heard that these crustaceans are high in cholesterol, you're wrong and right. Shrimp do contain relatively high levels of dietary cholesterol - 166 milligrams of cholesterol per three ounces of steamed shrimp. But, shrimp is very low in saturated fat, the kind of fat given the biggest blame for raising blood cholesterol levels. It turns out that the cholesterol in foods we eat has less of an impact on blood cholesterol than saturated fats. Researchers at The Rockefeller University in New York found that when volunteers ate shrimp along with foods that were low in saturated fat, their blood lipid ratios remained balanced So the net-net, as you cast your net to find heart healthy seafood, is that shrimp's overall nutritional profile places it on the list of the dietary good guys. The same goes for shrimp's crustacean cousins, lobster and crab.
Pass the Lemons Please

Add a spritz of fresh lemon or lime juice or a splash of hot sauce and you'll keep the calories low-84 calories per three ounce serving (10 large shrimp). Fresh salsas, savory fruit relishes and vinegar based marinades add flavors without added fat, too.
Of course, if you drench shrimp in drawn butter or drown them in cheese or cream sauces you're changing the nutritional picture by increasing the calories and the artery-clogging saturated fat content of the dish. Fried shrimp will be higher in fat and calories, too. In fact you can add 100 calories per ounce when you plunge shrimp into the deep fryer. Make sure to seek out restaurants that use trans-fat free oils.
Nothing Shrimpy about Shrimp’s Nutritional Benefits:
Nutritional Scorecard (3 ounces steamed shrimp, about 10 large shrimp): 84 calories, 0.9 g total fat, 0 g carbohydrate, 166 mg cholesterol, 17.8 g protein.



 Nearly fat free, low in calories
 High in protein
 Good source of cardio-protective omega-3 fatty acids. Four ounces of shrimp provide 14.8% of your daily need for these protective fats.
 Excellent source of mineral selenium- associated with lowered risk of cancer
 Excellent source of vitamin B12 and - a four-ounce serving of shrimp delivers 28.2% of the daily value for vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is one of the nutrients needed to control levels of homocysteine, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
 Mineral-rich, supplying iron, zinc and copper.
 Low in mercury and other environmental contaminants. For a complete list of mercury levels in seafood: www.cfsan.fda.gov .
Nutritional Scorecard (3 ounces steamed shrimp, 10 large shrimp): 84 calories, 0.9 g total fat, 0 g carbohydrate, 166 mg cholesterol, 17.8 g protein.

Condiment Calories
Clarified butter-120 cal/ tablespoon
Tartar sauce-70 cal/tablespoon
Cocktail sauce- 20 cal/ tablespoon



NOAA Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Closings
This link leads you to a map of closed fisheries in the Gulf, as of May 17th.

http://tinyurl.com/392zgl3

Meatless Monday or Any Day You Like

There’s a sizable food trend simmering on the sidelines to declare diets free from meat one day a week called “Meatless Monday.”

It started a few years ago as a public health awareness program associated with the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, and today it’s gaining followers who believe skipping meat one day a week is good for their health by cutting their intake of saturated fat and good for the health of the planet by saving resources such as fresh water and fossil fuel.

Why Mondays? According to the Web site, www.meatlessmonday.com, Monday marks a move back to the structure of school and work and a time to plan ahead and set good intentions for the week.

“I think meatless Monday is a good alliteration,” said dietitian Chris Rosenbloom, who is a professor of nutrition at Georgia State University. “It could be Tofu Tuesday or Wild Greens Wednesday, but Meatless Monday has a nice poetic ring to it. And depending on your choice, the benefits can be an increase in vegetable consumption, more dietary fiber, more vitamins and minerals and healthy plant chemicals, and less cholesterol, saturated and total fat.”

It’s interesting to note that Meatless Monday has a place in history, as well. During World War I, the U.S. Food Administration urged American to reduce consumption of key staples to aid the war effort. “Food will win the war,” the government proclaimed, and “Meatless Monday” and “Wheatless Wednesday” were introduced to the nation.

Another modern moniker for folks following today’s increasingly popular middle ground between vegetarian and meat eater is the term “flexitarian.” Sometimes they eat vegetarian-style meals, and sometimes they eat meat. It could mean whole-wheat penne pasta for lunch and short ribs for dinner. But often it’s a smaller serving of meat with lots of side vegetables.

According to the Vegetarian Research Group, about 3 percent of American adults are true vegetarians who say they never eat meat, fish or poultry. But at least 10 percent of adults consider themselves vegetarians, even though they eat fish or chicken occasionally. The flexitarian model, where people say they “seek out vegetarian meals,” fits even more, with estimates as high as 40 percent of the U.S. population.

Rosenbloom cautions that a move to skip meat doesn’t automatically guarantee great health because there are dietary downfalls in the vegetarian world, too. “Watch out for high-fat and high-sodium cheese, sour cream or whole milk dairy added to vegetarian entrees. Ask the wait staff to use less cheese on a dish. And avoid high-calorie fried items. Beer-battered and deep-fried asparagus spears are not the healthiest choice, even though it is a vegetarian option.”

Some might wonder whether a Meatless Monday might cut into needed protein requirements, but Rosenbloom reassures that most Americans consume more than enough protein anyway and the vegetable kingdom is a rich source. But, again, you have to choose wisely.

“Whole grains and vegetables contain some protein and beans, like black beans, kidney beans, etc., are very high in protein because their roots fix nitrogen unlike other vegetables," Rosenbloom said. "We used to think that you had to combine certain plants [beans and rice] together at the same meal in order for your body to use the protein, but we know now you don't have to eat them at the same meal to get the benefit. However, come combinations, like beans and rice, taste great together.”

Meatless menu options (from USDA My Pyramid.gov)

Choose dry beans or peas as a main dish or part of a meal often. Some choices are:

Chili with kidney or pinto beans

Stir-fried tofu

Split pea, lentil, minestrone or white bean soups

Baked beans

Black bean enchiladas

Garbanzo or kidney beans on a chef’s salad

Rice and beans

Veggie burgers or garden burgers

Hummus (chickpeas) spread on pita bread

Choose nuts as a snack, on salads or in main dishes. Use nuts to replace meat or poultry, not in addition to these items:

Use pine nuts in pesto sauce for pasta

Add slivered almonds to steamed vegetables

Add toasted peanuts or cashews to a vegetable stir fry instead of meat

Sprinkle a few nuts on top of low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt

Add walnuts or pecans to a green salad instead of cheese or meat

Smart Eating!

Eating to Prep for Job Interview, Important Presentation or Big Test


The saying goes that you only have one chance to make a first impression.

Job interviews have always been an important time to take this advice to heart. And with millions of Americans currently out of work and fewer positions to fill the competition is keen. This month, however, there’s some good news for all job hunters. U.S. labor statistics reveal a glimmer of hope that more employers are saying, “We’re hiring!” For the first time in a long time, unemployment rates are holding steady and job openings, especially for part timers, are starting to appear. This is also an active time of year for students interviewing for college admission or for summer internships. Certainly, preparing for an interview is vital including dressing the part to help stand out from the competition. What you eat and drink before the important interchange can make a difference too. If you're a morning person- ready and raring to go with the rising sun- but scored a late afternoon appointment with career destiny, you can structure your meals and snacks to help keep you alert later in the day. The same goes for heeding advice on what you should avoid eating before a face to face interview-uh, not the time for garlic or onions!
So, what’s the best thing to eat before an interview to stay focused and calm?

Meal Choices Can Make or Break Your Brain Power. While grabbing a biscuit or bagel might be easy choices for breakfast on the fly, nutrition scientists who study foods’ affect on the brain say eating nothing but carbs is a bad choice for a big day. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study compared two groups who ate either a high-protein or high-carbohydrate breakfast. Two hours later the carb group had levels of the sleep inducing amino acid tryptophan that were four times higher than the protein group. A job interview is no time to nod off! So make sure to add an egg to that breakfast biscuit or drink a glass of non fat milk and add some peanut butter or smoked salmon to a bagel to boost the protein power of your morning meal. Lean protein foods such as eggs, chicken, turkey, fish and beans help your brain stay alert by supporting the production of neurotransmitters needed to for smart thinking.

Brain cells crave choline
Found in egg yolks, peanuts, soybeans and flaxseeds the nutrient choline helps support the brain’s messenger service, called neurotransmitters. It’s also linked to new memory cell production. And chances are you're not getting enough choline in your diet, especially if you're an egg white omelet fan. According to Boston based nutrition consultant and registered dietitian Elizabeth Ward, “In fact, fewer than ten percent of older children, men and women meet the recommended Adequate Intake for choline.” Ward says one egg which contains 125 milligrams of choline can help close the gap.

B Alert – B vitamins, such as folate or folic acid, play a key role in forming the brain’s memory cells and have been shown to improve alertness in adults.
Found in orange juice, green vegetables, cantaloupe and whole grain foods including those enriched with folic acid such as breads, cereals, pasta and rice.

Pay Attention with Tea
Coffee may be the go-to beverage for most who want to add some pep to their step but, too much caffeine can cause nervous jitters- not a good look during a job interview. So maybe you should switch to tea today. New research on drinking tea highlights its effect to calm us down so we can concentrate better and focus on the task at hand. John Foxe, Ph.D. Professor of Neuroscience, Biology and Psychology at City College of the City University of New York found that theanine, an amino acid present in the tea plant increases alpha brain-wave activity which induces a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind. Theanine is found in green, black and oolong teas.
Water for the Brain
If your brain feels a bit fuzzy or you feel irritability coming on you might just be thirsty. Dehydration can make you feel listless, lethargic and contribute to concentration problems. Make sure to drink water or other thirst quenching drinks to keep your brain hydrated -but keep an eye out for restroom signs at your interview location!

Chew Gum While Waiting- While gum chewing during an interview is not advised because it may detract from what you’re saying, research shows that gum can help you stay focused and alert. Researchers at Baylor University found that chewing gum improved students’ scores on math tests. And in a lab setting participants who chewed gum showed reduced stress and improved mental alertness.

What if it’s an interview during a meal? Unless you’re applying for a job on the hit TV show Mad Men, this is no time for the judgment impairing three martini lunch. If it’s a dinner interview and the others are having glass of wine; it’s OK to follow suit but remember you’re the one in the spotlight. And let’s just say you’re a vegetarian or have strong feelings about your low-carb diet. This is no time to share your passion for dietary concerns, especially if the boss-to-be is digging into a rack of ribs or big bowl of pasta. Choose easy to eat foods such as soups and salads or simple entrees of chicken or fish so you can keep up with the conversation during lunch. Chomping corn on the cob or swirling spaghetti noodles might be a bit distracting.

Just What the Doctor Ordered!

Chef Instructor Bill Briwa of the Culinary Institute of America, Greystone in Napa Valley loves to share the secrets of adding flavor to recipes with a world of spices.

Imagine a day when your doctor hands you a recipe instead of a prescription and you’ll share the vision of physicians, dietitians and other health professionals gathered recently in the kitchens of The Culinary Institute of America’s campus in Napa Valley.

The “Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives” conference presented by researchers from Harvard Medical School brings medicine and menus together to illustrate the benefits of eating a healthy diet. “We need to practice what we preach” declared Dr. David Eisenberg, Director for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at the Harvard Medical School, “What doctors eat predicts their willingness and ability to advise patients about what they eat.” Eisenberg, who created the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference, led a recipe demonstration on Asian stir fry techniques. An M.D. handy with a cleaver and a wok, Eisenberg was the first US medical exchange student to the People’s Republic of China in 1979, “That’s when I learned the significance of a teaching kitchen. If we’re going to get people to eat better we have to realize that taste trumps nutrition science every day.”

While there were plenty of grim diet related health statistics to review including maps revealing states with the highest obesity rates, the focus was on cooking up solutions. Dr. Robert Israel, an internal medicine physician with Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama leapt at the opportunity to exchange his doctor’s coat for a chef’s hat in a workshop on cooking whole grain side dishes, “This is wonderful. It’s what we should have been doing twenty years ago.” The CIA-Harvard conference was packed with nutrition knowledge and real life recipe advice. Here’s an overview of healthy highlights.

Robert Israel, MD of Mobile, Alabama joins Paige Martin, RD,
a dietitian from Atlanta for a CIA cooking class on Whole Grain dishes.

Recipes for Wellness

1. Eat lots of vegetables- Advice to eat more plant based foods was abundant. Harvard School of Public Health’s Dr. Walter Willett, a course co-director, emphasized “Populations that eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day live longer lives and have less heart disease, stroke and cancer.” Cooking up solutions: Cookbook author, Chef John Ash says, “Instead of steaming, try roasting vegetables such as cauliflower and Brussels sprouts- the high heat brings out naturally sweet flavors.”

2. Say yes to good fats- Not all fat is created equal. Trans fat is the most harmful. Avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oils The preferred forms of fat intake include: olive
oil, canola oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, and fish oil. Omegas 3’s in seafood are beneficial. Eat seafood at least twice a week. Cooking up solutions: “Give bottled salad dressings the boot” says cookbook author Joyce Goldstein, “Save money and have fun making your own salad dressings with olive oils and vinegars. Add a splash of fresh orange or lemon juice.”

3. Upgrade your carbs – To help control swings in blood sugar and support a healthy heart and digestive system, minimize refined sugar and white flour products; instead eat whole grain breads, oats, barley, brown rice, quinoa, wheat berries and other whole grains and cereals. Eat Fewer Refined Carbohydrates: white bread, white flour, sugary cereals, pasta, jellies, sugar candy and soft drinks. Cooking up solutions: CIA chef instructor Tucker Bunch shares these tips, “Most all grains, such as quinoa, brown rice, wheat berries and faro, can be cooked ahead and then combined with seasonings such as sautéed garlic, fresh basil, olives, lemon juice and olive oil to make a delicious side dishes.”

4. Eat Mindfully - Grab and go eating might save time but, it’s not getting a doctor’s or dietitian’s approval. Advice to slow down to appreciate and savor flavors, aromas, colors and textures of foods is becoming just as important as nutrient recommendations. Eisenberg says mindless munching whether in front of the television or in the car must be addressed, “Mindfulness and intention affect all behaviors including what and how much we eat.” Cooking up a solution: Savor and really think about the pleasure of enjoying a square of dark chocolate or dollop of whipped cream on top of a bowl of fresh berries.

Mediterranean Grain Medley

Ingredients

Farro or Soft Wheat Berries, fully cooked 3 cups

Salt and Black pepper to taste

Quinoa, fully cooked 2 cups

Extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup

Fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup

Crimini mushrooms, quartered 2 cups

Shallots, diced 2 Tsp

Garlic, chopped 1 tsp

Organo, chopped 1tsp

Chick peas 1 cup

Parsley, chopped 1 tsp

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1 cup

Mint or basil, minced 1/4 cup

Kalamata olives, cut julienne 2 Tbsp

Hot red pepper flakes 1 tsp

Method:

Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the mushrooms. Toss so the mushrooms begin to brown.

Add the shallots, garlic, oregano and cook until aromatic. Season with S and P.

Add the chick peas, herbs, tomatoes and olives to the pan, tossing to mix well.

Adjust seasoning, adding salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and lemon juice to taste.

Fold in the cooked grains to heat through.

Don't Flip Out about Eating Out, Flip Your Plate!

The Plate Flip: Make vegetables the Star. Small portions of meat with mostly vegetables on the plate with one glass of wine = a meal that pleases both taste and health.

It’s easy to understand why nutrition advice today includes cautionary tales of restaurant menu items that deliver more than a day’s calorie limit with overblown portion sizes and whopping amounts of sugar, salt and fat. But, registered dietitian Connie Guttersen doesn’t think that means declaring a ban on dining out, “Eating is out is part of the daily American lifestyle. Strategies for success are essential to help diners who need to lose or maintain weight loss and feel good about eating in restaurants.” She says access to the facts certainly helps diners decide what to order. For instance, nutrition information on menu items at P.F. Chang’s reveals wide swings in calorie costs. Choose the Orange Peel Beef and you’re looking at 1400 calories on the plate versus the Cantonese Shrimp with only 350 calories a serving.

Guttersen knows a lot about the good, the bad and shockingly unhealthy choices offered in restaurants today. As a nutrition instructor at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley she’s on the front lines of gathering the food facts on menu items and sharing them with the next generation of chefs in training and adding to the skill sets of experienced chefs. Nutrition coursework is an important focus in culinary schools today as chefs gain the food knowledge and cooking techniques needed to prepare healthier menus that are just as appealing and sell just as well as restaurants’ more decadent choices. Guttersen, who spoke at the Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives conference held recently, says there are plenty of examples that illustrate good nutrition is making its way into food service including trends to offer small plates, seasonal produce, and flavors added to recipes with spices, herbs, fruit salsas and vinegars instead of butter, cream and cheese. So, what’s her best advice for diners to navigate a menu in search of breakfast, lunch or dinner that will support a healthy lifestyle? “Try not to micromanage by fretting about the exact calorie count of a dish. Instead, be mindful and visualize a healthy plate with at least 75% plant based foods. Eating mostly vegetables, fruit and grains should become second nature. It’s what we call the ‘plate flip’. Meat shouldn’t be the star of the plate.”
5 Strategies to Success in Healthful Dining Out

Watch the Three B’s - Before you even order your entrée you can easily consume more than 600 calories with Bread, Butter and Beverage. Two pieces of bread (400 calories), 1 teaspoon or pat of butter (100 calories) and a soft drink or alcoholic beverage (200 calories).

Look for Healthy Preparations- Instead of deep fried or bathed in butter or cheese sauce look for menu descriptions that indicate leaner cooking techniques such as: Plank Roasted, Oven Roasted, Brick Roasted, Grilled, Seared, Stir Fry, En Papillote, and Poached in wine or broth.

Feast on Vegetables- Choose lots of different colors and varieties as the star of the plate, prioritize seasonal, local and organic. Guttersen says, “Build smarter salads with dark greens, added nuts and seeds and small amounts of flavorful cheeses.” Salad dressings can add flavor with healthy oils such as olive or canola.

Go For Whole Grains- Discover a world of healthy grains including quinoa, wild rice, faro, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, barley, amaranth, wheat berries and oats.

Flip Your Plate- Protein portion whether beef, chicken, fish or tofu only needs to be four ounces. Include plant sources for protein: nuts, seeds, soy ( tofu), and beans. Consider the Pastry Flip for dessert emphasizing fruit and small amount of pastry or granola topping.