Dr.Oz on Dining Out



Dr. Oz in his scrubs after taping episode of The Dr. Oz Show



Chances are if you dine out with Dr. Mehmet Oz he won’t be staying for dessert.

“One of my pet peeves with restaurants is when they push dessert. It’s metabolic suicide,” Oz told me recently after the taping of The Dr.Oz Show at NBC at Rockefeller Center in New York. As one of the studio audience participants I got to watch Dr. Oz in action and gain a better understanding of his media mission to help viewers improve their lives, “We try to get people into wellness. But, it’s not really a health show, it’s about life.” Topics on the show this day included the body pains you shouldn’t ignore, tips on buying food and health products in bulk and discerning which outrageous alternative health treatments are actually legitimate. Hint: leeches can play an important role in modern medicine.

Assertive with Oz

Now back to the issue of declining that dessert. Oz, who is a cardiac surgeon as well as Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University, is concerned about the significant health consequences of obesity in America but says, “It’s really a 100 calorie problem.” He explains that by cutting 100 calories when you can (skipping dessert) or by burning 100 calories through exercise most folks can prevent weight gain. “You need assertiveness training to dine out. You have to ask the waiter not to bring the bread and butter. Look on line at the menus ahead of time. Even fast food restaurants have healthier options today.”

And if you can’t find a healthier version of your favorite restaurant food, The Dr. Oz Show can show you how to make your own at home. Do you like fried rice? In a segment called “Fake Out - Take Out” a Dr.Oz fan identified as Lisa prepared a lightened up version of Shrimp Fried Rice that featured edamame beans, quinoa and ponzu sauce- which is lower in sodium than soy sauce. Audience members tasted and approved. “Number one, you have to give them foods that they like,” explained Oz “Foods that taste good and happen to be good for you. The ponzu sauce was a smart idea.” Calorie savings shared on the show revealed that a typical order of Take Out fried rice contains 1000 calories, while the “Fake Out” lighter recipe contained only 360 calories.

The Oz File

Dr. Oz gained fame as a medical expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show for over five seasons and has authored best selling books with Dr. Michael Roizen including YOU: On a Diet and YOU: Losing Weight. The Dr. Oz Show has earned Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Informative Talk Show host two years in a row for 2010 and 2011.

After observing the morning taping, I met Dr. Oz in his office where he had changed out of the tailored suit he’d been wearing for the show and into comfy blue scrubs and a black t-shirt. His was relaxed and welcoming even though he was preparing to tape another episode in the afternoon. I felt as if I was being greeted by a family physician who’d known me for years and told him that’s how he appears to greet the guests who are ‘patients’ on his show. “I think that’s something that’s lost in American medicine,” he said, “Someone who knows your parents. It’s about identifying a quilt of symptoms.”

Another highlight of my visit to The Dr. Oz Show happened in the hallway outside the studio. I heard someone call my name, "Carolyn? Is that you?! It's me Kari Pricher from CNN Features!" Kari and I worked together at CNN when I was hosting Travel Now. Now Kari is an Editorial Producer for The Dr. Oz Show. Small world and a wonderful coincidence to run into her again. Way to go Kari!!!  

Oz’s Lunch

Even though topics presented run the gamut from flossing to fibromyalgia, Oz believes “Good nutrition is the foundation of the show. When I walk into a grocery store I see all of the healthy foods and it’s like a pharmacy.” I looked next the scripts arranged on his desk and noticed a plate of food. Guess what he was having for lunch? A serving of the winning recipe for healthy alternative take out – the shrimp fried rice. How about that?

Oz is a doctor who takes his own medicine.

"Fake Out" Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients


2 tbsp canola oil

3/4 lb frozen shrimp, defrosted

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 chopped red pepper

1 cup asparagus cut into bite size pieces

1/2 cup shelled edamame (frozen can be used)

3 tbsp Ponzu sauce

1 egg and 2 egg whites whisked together

2 cups quinoa cooked in water

Additional Ponzu sauce to taste

Sriracha sauce to taste


Directions

Cook quinoa in water. Bring 2 cups of water and 1 cup dry quinoa to a boil. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until tender.

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the shrimp and garlic. Add pepper, asparagus and edamame. Cook for a few minutes until vegetables start to wilt. Add Ponzu sauce and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Move all ingredients to one side of the pan.

Scramble the eggs and egg whites. Cook in the pan. Add the cooked quinoa and mix all ingredients together. Add Sriracha and Ponzu sauce to taste. Enjoy!

I Heart Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin Cutlets in Cracker Jack Salad at JCT Kitchen, Atlanta

Pork Tenderloin is Heart-Healthy 




If you’ve been scanning restaurant menus for chicken and fish to find healthful dishes you can widen your gaze. Pork which often gets overlooked as a leaner entrée possibility has officially joined the list. Pork tenderloin is now certified with the American Heart Association’s “Heart Check” mark indicating it qualifies as an extra lean heart-healthy protein. Bacon may be getting a lot of culinary attention lately and a rack of baby back ribs slathered in barbecue sauce can rack up 1000 calories, but, there’s more than one way to serve a pig. In fact, ounce for ounce pork tenderloin is as lean as a skinless chicken breast. A three ounce portion of pork tenderloin contains less than 3 grams of fat and 120 calories. Isn’t it great when you can please desire for flavor and good health with the same meal? “Pork tenderloin is very popular on our menus,” says Chef de Cuisine Brian Horn of JCT. Kitchen & Bar. “It goes well with so many other flavors.” On JCT.’s lunch menu the “Cracker Jack Salad” features thinly pounded pork tenderloin cutlets topped with an arugula salad lightly dressed with Georgia apple vinaigrette and garnished with the crunch of spiced caramel popcorn.

Not Your Grandma’s Pork Chop

Over the past couple of decades, changes in feeding and breeding techniques have produced leaner pigs. According to the National Pork Board, today's pork has 16% less fat and 27% less saturated fat than 21 years ago. Pork tenderloin may be the trimmest of them all, but the loin cuts, including pork chops and roasts are the next leanest with 147 calories and a smidge over 5 grams of fat per three ounce serving. “For those who love the great taste of pork, the new certification is a wonderful reminder to incorporate more heart-healthy foods into their diet without sacrificing flavor,” says Pamela Johnson of the National Pork Board.

In the Pink

Recipes for preparing pork have changed too. Last year the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made it official that pork can be safely cooked to medium rare, at a cooked temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a three-minute rest time to continue cooking. This is fifteen degrees less than the previous recommendation and means the meat will be slightly pink in color. Because pork is leaner today, it’s important not to over cook it so the meat is juicy and tender. So slightly pink is considered very safe by the USDA. Chef Dean Dupuis of South City Kitchen says five years ago if he served pork a little pink in the middle his customers would send it back but, “It’s not as bad as it once was when everyone freaked out.”

Pork’s Nutrition Power





While cured pork products such as bacon and ham are relatively high in sodium, fresh pork is naturally low in sodium.

Pork tenderloin and other loin cuts are excellent sources of protein, thiamin, vitamin B6, phosphorous and niacin and good sources of potassium, riboflavin and zinc.

Ramp up with Spring Veggies, Kale too!

Kale Slaw jumps off the menu at Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, AL

Spring is in full swing as restaurant menus brighten up with the bold flavors of vegetables that like to take the spotlight. Sweet onions, green onions, garlic chives and ramps jump into soups and onto salads to help waken taste buds from their winter comfort food slumber. What’s a ramp? Southern chefs certainly know and get pretty excited when these bright green wild onions with as assertive, garlicky-onion flavor spring from the ground. James Beard Award nominated Best Chef of the South, Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham ramps up the taste of pan roasted flounder with wild watercress, ramps and lemon vinaigrette and serves a zingy ramp vinaigrette with soft shell crabs. Vidalia onions have arrived on the spring scene too. All members of the allium family of vegetables onions, leeks, ramps and garlic bring health to the table too. Their strong aromas signal antioxidants and sulfur compounds are present which are associated with disease prevention and cell repair. Talk about springing into action.

Bold Taste and Bold Nutrition



Other powerful players garnering gourmet attention are vegetables from the Brassica family especially kale continuing a winter run of popularity as crunchy kale chips and braised kale into a spring fashion format. At Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, chef Frank Stitt’s fresh kale even showed up at the bar as guests enjoyed cocktails with soft shell crab and deep green kale slaw. Dietitian Kathleen Zelman, nutrition director for WebMD, says “Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. One cup of kale contains only 36 calories and provides 5 grams of fiber and 15 percent of your daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6, 180 percent of vitamin A, 200 percent of vitamin C and over 1000 percent of vitamin K. Move over Popeye!”

Sometimes you have to be a little bold to get the bolder vegetables. Mark McQueen, of Atlanta looked around the room at Canton Cooks in Sandy Springs and noticed that Asian families knew to ask for Chinese broccoli instead of the regular stuff automatically served with dishes like Beef and Broccoli. “So I decided to get the Chinese broccoli with my lunch. It’s a bit bitter but tastes super fresh and it was a real bright green. I liked it.” McQueen said. Chinese broccoli and broccoli rabe often served in Italian restaurants are more closely related to mustard greens than broccoli. Their bite is as bold as their nutrition contributions as excellent sources of vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium as well as the healthy plant nutrient called lutein associated with eye health. Chinese broccoli, broccoli rabe and rappini can be steamed, stir-fried, sautéed or braised and I bet a pretty good slaw.









Supermarket Safari

It's a jungle in there! Supermarkets stock from 35,000 to 60,000 products - no wonder you get lost in those miles of aisles hunting for dinner! Join me for this Fox Good Day Atlanta consumer report - we save money, time and find the healthiest choices. And there's an app for that. See Fooducate in action on my iPhone!



http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/local_news/save-supermarket-tips-20120402-es

Chefs Experiment with Flavors

Marinated Anchovies with Pink Grapefruit and Black Pepper
Five and Ten in Athens, GA
2012 James Beard Nominated Chef Hugh Acheson  

Dining duos such as onion and garlic, oregano and basil or lemon and pepper are flavor combinations we’ve gotten used to tasting together. But, there’s a delicious new world of flavor match making going on today as chefs season with a touch of surprise. Step aside lemon-pepper. At Five and Ten restaurant in Athens, chef Hugh Acheson’s new take on citrus paired with a bit of heat arrives with seafood. An appetizer of marinated anchovies and pink grapefruit segments dusted with black pepper is marvelous mix of briny fish with slightly bitter fruit and a hit of cracked pepper. Anchovies, by the way, are an excellent source of heart healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and these tiny fish are very low in mercury so you can eat them often. Diving into Acheson’s anchovy dish is far more fun than taking fish oil pills.

Fresh Look at Taste

Culinary Nutritionists
Andrea Canada, Natalia Hancock and Kristy Lambrou
at Rouge Tomate, NYC

Do you like hot sauce on oysters? Most folks eat them that way. But, oysters on the half shell at Rouge Tomate in New York are topped with a pineapple, ginger and mint. Marmalade of shallots and prunes perks up poultry. Lemongrass-ginger oil with jalapeno pairs with fresh fish. Natalia Hancock, culinary nutritionist with Rouge Tomate, works with executive chef Jeremy Bearman to find flavor combinations which are not only mouth watering they have to be healthful too. “There’s nothing better than when the worlds of nutrition and food collide.” While the seasonal dishes are designed to fit within a healthy range of calories there are no numbers on the menu. Hancock, trained as a chef and a dietitian, says the food philosophy at Rouge Tomate prioritizes the quality of calories, “I choose certain ingredients for a dish not just because they taste good together but because they improve the overall nutritional profile of the recipe. A bit of olive oil in a sauce helps you better absorb vitamin A, for instance, in the vegetables.” Another example of this nutritional synergy is a sauce made from a puree of green olives and avocado.



Flavor Focus



Sometimes appreciating a specific flavor means finding it in a variety of forms. In their annual Flavor Forecast, chefs and other food experts at McCormick &Company identified the “quest for the ultimate” as one of 2012’s trends. For example, combining Meyer lemon with lemon thyme, Limoncello and Lemon Peel is described as the “ultimate lemon” taste experience. Flavors known for their cooling effects such as dill, mint, melon and cucumber are combined to create the “ultimate refresher.” At Five and Ten diners can find a new way to satisfy their fish with lemon craving with Rainbow Trout stuffed with thinly sliced fennel and preserved lemons. At Seasons 52, the spring menu brings lemon to the table in a new way with Steelhead Trout in a lemongrass sauce.

World View

Borrowing from the spice cabinet of world cuisines continues to inspire cooks to try new things. McCormick’s chefs identify Korean pepper paste and Moroccan harissa as flavors showing up in everything from barbecue to baked vegetables. Chef Marvin Woods, author of The New Low-Country Cooking which explores the influence of Africa, France, Spain and the Caribbean on southern regional cooking says “It’s great to extend your knowledge. There are no boundaries and its like ‘Wow! They did that!’ and makes you want to run with it.” Woods, who shares healthy southern recipes on his website www.chefmarvinwoods.com such as Lamb Burgers with Orange and Mango Ketchup, says “Too often people think they will lose something when they hear its ‘healthy food’ but you’re adding fantastic flavors with spices and herbs.”

Spice Savvy Cooking Classes


The Cook’s Warehouse – Midtown Location

“Favorites from Masala Farm”: April 5th 7pm-9m

Indian Cuisine: Chef Suvir Saran, author of three cookbooks on Indian Cuisine.

“Red Hot Chilies”: April 10th 7pm-9pm

“Cooking with Chilies” Chef Nancy Waldeck and Cultural Anthropologist Deb Duchon

Get IN the Kitchen on Vacation



Executive Chef Elijah Bowe's Cooking Class at Graycliff Hotel in Nassau




Most folks go on vacation to get out of the kitchen and let someone else do the cooking.

But, when Atlantan Lydia Connerty began planning a bicycle tour of Vietnam with several other girl friends she chose a group cooking experience as one of their activities, “The first thing I did was sign us up to take a hands-on class in Vietnamese cuisine. What a fun way to get introduced to the country and its culture. And then we’d know more about what to order from menus on our trip.”

From cruise ships to resort hotels, cooking classes are joining spa treatments and zip line adventures as popular vacation activities. Joe Carlin, Associate Editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, has sought out cooking classes on his world travels with wife Julie for years, “We I took a class in Bangkok on green and red curries back in 2008 and found it a very positive experience. The class served as a nice introduction to the foods of the country. The class was a success because the instructor was knowledgeable, knew her audience and did not try to overwhelm us with too many dishes.”

Chefs at hotels and restaurants also find that inviting guests into their kitchens to cook is a great way to promote their properties and build customer loyalty. Executive chef Elijah Bowe, of the historic Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas welcomes his class with a flute of Champagne and then hands out the aprons and knives. After a review of culinary vocabulary associated with the evening’s recipes from “al dente” to “roux” he leads the group through a step-by-step lesson in how to clean a whole fish.

Then the group of six separates into duos to get dinner ready including blackened grouper with tomato compote. While his students slice and dice Bowe, a native of the Bahamas, shares stories of growing up in the islands and his enthusiasm for teaching, “Some people are very skilled and others are kitchen novices. It’s fun to see the teamwork develop. Eventually we do get dinner on the table!” Then the aprons come off and kitchen duties are left behind as guests take their places in the elegant colonial dining room and enjoy the courses they created with sommelier selected wine pairings.

The wine cellar deep beneath the floors of Graycliff Hotel with thousands of bottles of buried treasure! 

If you’re still craving time to cook on a trip to Nassau, the One and Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island has added cooking classes and mixology lessons to their menu of things to do at the beach.

Pretty Dune Restaurant at One and Only on Paradise Island, Bahamas

The evening I visited, executive chef Emmanuel Gibson of Dune restaurant showed us how to make plantain crusted grouper and led us through a tasting of spices used in Bahamian cooking before sending us off to the ocean front dining room where the classroom experience really added to appreciation of the Caribbean spiced fresh seafood dishes. 

Fresh caught seafood of course! Chef Emmanuel Gibson of Dune speaks fluent fish.

Kitchen Clean Lessons


One of the things that impressed me is the attention to sanitation before, during and after these amateur hours in professional kitchens. Everyone is firmly instructed to properly wash their hands, avoid cross contamination between raw meats and fresh vegetables and to wash their hands again before entering the dining room. During the Chefs Plate Gourmet cooking class at the Royal Playa del Carmen resort in Mexico, the lesson in proper hand washing technique included nail brushing and scrubbing up to the elbows. Good moves considering you don’t really know the other guests in your group or whether they’ve just come off the golf course or shopping in town before helping to cook your lunch. It was apparent the food and beverage staff of the hotel, part of the Real Resorts of Mexico, were trying really hard to dispell any fears of Montezuma's Revenge. In fact, the kitchens were gleaming clean.  
So, whether you’re traveling to India or China or taking a cooking class at a restaurant in Atlanta, keep an eye on kitchen cleanliness as well as the cuisine to get the most out of the experience. The only souveniers you want are a few new recipes and new found appreciation for world cuisines.

Mars and Venus Dining Out

Don't Pressure Her to Order the Molten Chocolate Love Cake 

This week of Valentine’s Day dinner dates seems like a good time to address the dining differences between the sexes. She’s on a diet; he wants a big steak is a stereotype of course so researcher Dr. Gayle Timmerman of the University of Texas at Austin put restaurant eating behaviors to the test. In a survey of 146 male and female adults she set out to identify sex differences in the strategies used and barriers encountered when attempting to dine out healthfully in restaurant settings. Turns out there is more compatibility than conflict at the table –good news for couples sharing a romantic meal and discussing the menu any time of year. As reported in the medical journal - Preventing Chronic Disease - Timmerman discovered the top strategies for managing weight for both women and men included saying “no’ to sugary drinks and ‘yes’ to steamed vegetables and whole grain options. Both men and women were good listeners paying attention to hunger cues to stop eating when they felt full. Meanwhile, both sexes included rarely asking the chef to make something special that was lighter in fat and calories. Where is Meg Ryan when you need her?

Dining Differences

OK guys don’t be surprised if your date asks for part of her meal to-go and think of the money you’ll save if she just wants an appetizer for dinner Compared with men, Timmerman found that women more frequently shared appetizers, substituted an appetizer for a meal, ate a salad for the main course, ordered salad dressing on the side, had half of the meal packaged to go, and shared a meal with a dining partner. More women choose mustard over mayo and order foods grilled, broiled or poached.

But, you might have to help her tell the server to remove the bread basket. Turns out men in the study didn’t perceive that as a barrier. And don’t pressure her to order the molten chocolate love cake for dessert. Women reported that eating when not hungry to please other people was an “overwhelming barrier.”

Shared Challenges

While there are plenty of healthy options on many menus today, research shows that the more we eat out the more we weigh. Forty percent of Americans dine away from home at least three times per week. Several factors driving what we order and how much we consume when dining out include taste, portion size, emotional needs, perceived value, and social interaction. All of these things can lead to over consumption for both men and women including a busy lifestyle, being overly hungry when eating out and not wanting to waste big portions. That’s why Timmerman and other behavioral scientists watch what we eat to help tailor effective weight management advice that’s personalized to fit men, women, children and a diversity of lifestyles, food preferences and settings.

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