Takeout, Prepared Food, Junk Food

Three Tips To Avoid Overeating At A Barbecue

May 22, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

It’s the start of the summer barbecue season and the accompanying temptation of a table loaded with delicious food.

Here’s three easy tips to help avoid overeating:

1. If you’re full, stop eating and clear your plate right away. If a plate with food on it sticks around in front of you, you’ll keep picking at what’s on it until there’s nothing left. An exception – a study has found that looking at the “carnage” – the leftover bones from barbecued ribs or even the number of empty beer bottles – can serve as an “environmental cue” to stop eating.

2. Do you really need to stand in front of the picnic table, kitchen table, or barbecue? The further away from the food you are the less likely you are to eat it. Don’t sit or stand where you can see the food that’s calling your name. Keep your back to it if you can’t keep distant. There’s just so much control you can exercise before “see it = eat it.” If staying near the food gets to be too much, go for a walk, a swim, or engage someone in an animated conversation. It’s pretty hard to shove food in your mouth when you’re busy talking.

3. Before you grab some tasty ribs, dogs, burgers or pie — ask yourself if you really want it. Are you hungry? Is it worth the calories? Odds are, the tempting display of food in front of you is visually seductive – and may smell great, too — but you’re reaching out to eat what’s in front of you for reasons not dictated by your stomach but by your eyes. Have you decided that you want to splurge on something specific? Try picking it ahead of time and commit to your choice so you don’t find yourself wavering in the face of temptation.

Ten Tips To Make Your Chinese Takeout A Bit Healthier

May 20, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 1 Comment

Are you planning on ordering some takeout Chinese food? Are you careful to order dishes that are filled with vegetables because they probably have fewer calories and less fat ? Think again.

Chinese takeout can be a friend – or the devil in disguise. Commercial Chinese food – or what you usually get for takeout – can be extremely high in fat (a caloric nightmare) and very high in sodium. Then there’s portion size: those little white boxes hold a lot. How often do you eat right out of the box – or refill your plate because it’s too little to really save – and why throw it away?

Ten Tips

1. Learn how to interpret the menu and look for foods that are:

Steamed
Jum (poached)
Chu (broiled)
Kow (roasted)
Shu (barbecued)

2. Aim for a plate filled with more veggies than meat and ask for them to be lightly stir-fried rather than battered or deep fried (crispy means fried). All vegetable dishes are not on the “good choice” list. A serving of eggplant in garlic sauce (eggplant soaks up oil) has 1000 calories; 13g saturated fat; 2000mg sodium. Mu shu pork (without pancakes) has a lot of vegetables and also has 1000 calories and 2600 mg sodium. An 8-inch pancake adds about 90 calories, a 6-inch pancake adds 60 calories. Mu shu chicken is a better choice with about 5g less fat less and 200 fewer calories per serving.

3. Eat with chopsticks: it takes longer to eat and you can’t scoop up as much of the sauce or oil as you can with a fork.

4. Don’t let the fried noodles near your table – or out of the takeout bag – because one package has about 180 calories; 8g fat; 420mg sodium.

5. Soup – like hot and sour, egg drop, or wonton — is a good lower calorie choice (around 100 calories per cup) to fill you up – but is usually loaded with sodium. One cup of hot and sour soup has 91 calories, 3g fat, 876 sodium.

6. Be careful with the thick sweet sauces like sweet and sour. They are often made with flour, cornstarch, sugar, corn syrup. Better choices are hoison, oyster, and hot mustard.

7. Beware the rice: there are around 200 calories in a cup of white or brown rice. A takeout container often contains two cups. Basic fried rice – without any additions — is about 230 calories per cup — 1 cup of chicken fried rice has 329 calories; 11.96g fat; 598mg sodium.

8. Lay off the barbecued spare ribs – four can have around 600 calories. One-half slice of fried shrimp toast has 148 calories; 9.27g fat; 447mg sodium.

9. Try steamed dumplings instead of the more fatty egg rolls or fried wontons. One egg roll has 220 calories; 11g fat; 412mg sodium. A spring roll, with its thinner wrapper and smaller size, is a better choice at about 100 calories and 300 mg sodium. A meat filled fried wonton has 54 calories; 2.52g fat; 111mg sodium. A steamed dumpling filled with meat, poultry, or seafood is probably the best choice clocking in at 41 calories; 0.98g fat; 161mg sodium.

10. How much are you loading onto your plate – especially out of a takeout container? The amount of food that arrives on your plate in a restaurant, or that’s delivered for your takeout order, is often considerably larger than a standard portion. You could be tallying many more calories than you think. Next time you have Chinese take-out – just to give yourself a guideline — haul out your measuring cup to see how big the portion is that you just plopped on your plate. You might be surprised.

Are You Craving A Smoothie or Milkshake?

May 18, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

It’s springtime – and visions of milk shakes might be dancing in your head. A thick chocolate milkshake can have around 750 calories for a large (22 ounce) shake. A medium (22 ounce) Burger King strawberry shake has 630 calories with 15 grams of fat and 103 grams of sugar.

You could have a bowl of strawberries instead – one cup of sliced strawberries has 53 calories with no fat, 13 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein. Add a dollop of yogurt on top and your nutrition and calorie intake from the fruit and yogurt is far different than what you would get chugging a milkshake.

Maybe you think smoothies are better alternatives to milkshakes. Sometimes they are – and sometimes they might not be.

Don’t be side swiped by the idea that smoothies are filled with fruit so they must be healthy. They may be made with some fruit and vegetables, but far too frequently they’re loaded with sugar. Unless you have a protein boost added (a whey protein additive at Jamba Juice adds 45 calories and ten grams of protein) or your smoothie is made with yogurt or milk, they have hardly any protein.

Jamba Juice’s small (16 ounce) “Ideal Meal Chunky Strawberry” has 570 calories, 17 grams of fat and 54 grams of sugar. A small (16 ounce) healthy sounding “Berry Topper” has 480 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 55 grams of sugar.

You can make smoothies at home and control the amount of fruit, vegetables, and sugar that goes into them.

How To Save 500 Calories At Lunch

May 13, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Here’s your Tuesday tip:

Are you planning on having a sandwich for lunch?

You can substitute mustard for mayo and save 100 calories.
If you leave off the slice of Swiss cheese you save another 133 calories.
Ditch two slices of bacon from your club sandwich or subtract two slices from your BLT to save another 84 calories.
Put your turkey, ham, or roast beef along with lettuce, tomato and onions on a whole grain pita (74 calories) instead of between two slices of rye (180 calories).
When you tally up the calories you’ve saved a total of 423 calories.
If you walk to and from the deli or around the block several times and you’ve easily saved yourself 500 calories.

Stopping For Some Fast Food? Here Are Some Calorie Saving Tips

March 21, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Are you too busy to cook and figure, “What the heck, I’ll just grab something quick?” What’s quick: mostly diner food, pizza, donuts, and just about any kind of fast food: basically, cheap calories and a whole lot of fat and carbs? Slick marketing, convenience, and cheap calories really push you to order the “value meal” or to ‘supersize.”

There are some easy small changes you can make that won’t drastically change your meal. They don’t focus on skipping dessert or having a cup of broth instead of a burger, but rather on choosing to make slight alterations in what you would usually order.

Here’s how to save a few calories when you eat at fast food (or fast casual) restaurants:

Go easy on the sauce and dressings: There are lots of calories in mayo, sour cream, salad dressing and other “special” sauces, like those that come with burgers. The amount on your sandwich or salad often depends on the “hand” of the person preparing your food. The best way to control this is to ask for the sauce or dressing on the side and add it (or not) yourself. You really can do this in fast food burger places!
Opt for chicken or fish as long as it’s not fried/breaded/or called crispy – which is just an alias for fried. Order it grilled, baked or broiled. Just be aware that lots of the sauces have a ton of sugar in them. Make your best choice (check the labels or nutrition info) and dip sparingly.
Order your burger or chicken without bacon or cheese: A serving size of meat is 2-3 ounces — about the size of a deck of cards. You’re probably getting well over that with a single meat patty. One slice of bacon adds about 43 calories, but how many sandwiches come with only one slice? One slice of American cheese clocks in at 94 calories.
Downsize. Order a kid’s meal or a junior burger. Opt for regular sizes instead of large sizes: It may seem like a good “value” but there are lots of extra calories, fat, and sugar in beefed up sizes. You’ll still be satisfied. Here’s a comparison. At Burger King, a Triple Whopper burger has 1,020 calories, 65g fat, 57g carbs, 3g fiber, 58g protein. You could get one of these, instead: Plain regular burger: 240 calories, 8g fat, 31g carbs, 1g fiber, 12g protein (280 calories and 12g fat for a cheeseburger; Whopper Jr. without mayo, 1 burger: 260 calories, 10g fat, 28g carbs, 2g fiber, 13g protein; MorningStar Veggie Burger without mayo, 1 burger: 320 calories, 7g fat, 43g carbs, 7g fiber, 22g protein
Do you really need (read “need” not “want”) the fries, curly fries, potato sticks, or onion rings? You can order salad or a baked potato, instead (as long as you don’t smother the potato in butter and/or sour cream). If you absolutely must have fries, order a small or a kid’s size. Large fries can tack on around 500 calories compared to a small order at around 300 calories.
Avoid combo specials: they might have wallet appeal but you get, on average, 55% more calories for 17% more. money. What’s more important, your waistline or your wallet?
Thin crust it: Go for a thin-crust pizza with veggies instead of a thick-crust or deep dish with meat and extra cheese.
Skip the sides: Eating a burger or sandwich by itself is often filling enough. If you do want a side, consider ordering a fruit cup or side salad. Most fast food restaurants now offer them.
Don’t drink your calories. Soda isn’t the only sugary drink. Sweetened tea, sports drinks, non-diet flavored water, juice, flavored milk, and shakes are sugary drinks, too. A 12 ounce can of coke has 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar. Eight ounces of orange juice has 110 calories and 25 grams of carbs.
Treat yourself – but swap out your treats. Go for low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt (careful of the toppings), fruit popsicles, and sherbets instead of ice cream or cookies. Add sprinkles — they have a lot fewer calories than caramel or chocolate sauce.
Salads aren’t always the best pick. The dressing, the cheese, the croutons, and other mix-ins can add a ton of calories.

Some choices to consider:

McDonald’s Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait, 1 parfait: 160 calories, 2g fat, 31g carbs, 4g protein

McDonald’s Apple Dippers with Low Fat Caramel Dip: 100 calories, 0.5g fat

Subway Egg White Muffin Melts, 1 sandwich, except mega and sausage varieties): 140 – 210 calories, 3.5 – 8g fat, 18 – 20g carbs, 12 – 19g protein

Taco Bell Fresco Chicken Soft Taco, 1 taco: 170 calories, 4g fat, 22g carbs, 12g protein

Burger King Whopper Jr. without Mayo: 260 calories, 10g fat, 29g carbs, 13g protein

Burger King Quaker Oatmeal, 1 order: 140 – 270 calories, 3.5 – 4g fat, 23 – 55g carbs, 3 – 5g fiber, 5g protein – the fruit topped maple flavor includes 100 calories of dried cranberries, raisins, cherries, and blueberries

Burger King Egg & Cheese Muffin Sandwich, 1 sandwich: 220 calories, 9g fat, 22g carbs, 1g fiber, 12g protein

KFC Grilled Chicken Breast, 1 piece: 210 calories, 8g fat, 0g carbs, 34g protein

Carl’s Jr. Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Salad, 1 salad without wontons or dressing): 260 calories, 8g fat, 34g carbs, 22g protein

Wendy’s Small Chili, 1 small order: 220 calories, 7g fat, 22g carbs, 18g protein

Denny’s Fit Fare Light Choices (under 550 calories) such as Cranberry Apple chicken Salad or Chicken Avocado Sandwich

Dunkin” Donuts Roast Beef Pretzel Roll Sandwich: 1 sandwich: 440 calories, 7g fat

Some Choices To Think Hard About (and not in a good way):

Taco Bell Chipotle Steak Taco Salad, 1 salad: 900 calories, 57g fat, 68g carbs, 28g protein

Wendy’s Baconator Double, 1 burger: 980 calories, 63g fat, 46g carbs, 58g protein

Burger King Triple Whopper, 1 burger: 1,140 calories, 75g fat, 51g carbs, 67g protein

BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter, 1 platter: 1,450 calories, 84g fat, 34g carbs, 5g fiber, 40g protein

French Toast and Bacon: 1850 calories, 65 g sat. fat

Denny’s Macho Nacho Burger: 1020 calories, up to 1530 calories with fries

Chili’s Southwestern Chicken Pizza, 9 inches: 1550 calories

Chicken Fajitas served with heaps of sour cream, shredded cheese, refried beans, and fried rice: (average) 1320 calories, 47 g fat

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