Eat Out Eat Well

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Fried Food By Any Other Name

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French fries. 

Fried clams. 

Corn dogs. 

Fried dough.

Do you remember when you could eat all of these and still feel great?  Do you remember when you could eat all of these and not gain weight or have it show in all kinds of places you wish it didn’t?

A Staple Of The Standard Western Diet

Fried, fatty food has become a staple of the standard Western diet.

Don’t you see potato chips, French fries, fried chicken, fried mozzarella and fish sticks just about everywhere you turn?  FYI:  in terms of calories – fat, of any kind, has 9 calories per gram compared to protein and carbs at 4 calories per gram.

What Does “Fried” (Food) Mean?

Frying – or cooking food in hot fat over moderate heat –includes sautéing, stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-fat frying. Sautéing uses the least amount of oil and the oil doesn’t cover the food as it’s being cooked.  Deep-fat frying uses the most oil and the food is submerged as it’s cooked.

Frying is actually called a dry cooking method because it’s done without water. Because of the high temperature and the high heat conduction of oil, food cooks very quickly.

When done properly, deep-frying shouldn’t make food really greasy because the hot oil heats up the moisture inside the food making the food steam from the inside out. If the oil is hot enough and the food isn’t in the oil for too long the oil that penetrates stays around the outer surface of the food and keeps the food’s moisture inside. But, if the food is cooked in the oil for too long, a lot of water is lost and the oil begins to penetrate the food.

The ideal temperature range for deep frying is 350°-375°F. If the temperature is lower than 325° oil will be absorbed into the food. Temperatures much higher than 375° can cause additional oxidation of the oil (which is not healthy) and produce dried out food. A cautionary note:  a number of restaurants reuse their cooking oil over and over which leads to decomposition of the oil and partial and unhealthy oxidation.

What’s The Problem With Eating Fried Food?

Long-term, a fatty diet has been implicated in a number of potentially unhealthy side effects. Short-term, a high fat meal can make you feel not so great.

Fried foods tend to slow down the emptying of the stomach causing you to feel full and bloated – or they move undigested through the intestinal tract too quickly, possibly leading to diarrhea.  They can also cause acid reflux and heartburn. Does the term “indigestion” come to mind?

Fried Foods By Any Other Name

On a menu, fried food is not always just called “fried” or “sautéed.”  Here are some other descriptive terms:

  • Pan-fried
  • Deep-fried
  • French-fried
  • Fricassee
  • Frizzled
  • Sizzled or sizzler
  • Browned
  • Crisped or crispy
  • And frequently, anything battered – which is then fried

Astonishing, But True

While we’re used to fried potatoes and fish and meat, it is astonishing what else has been fried. Incredibly, in 2006 fried Coca Cola won “Most Creative” at the State Fair of Texas.

A few more eyebrow raisers:

  • Deep Fried Oreos
  • Deep Fried Pickles
  • Deep Fried Pizza
  • Deep Fried Pop-tarts
  • Deep Fried Spam, Deep Fried Mars Bars
  • Deep Fried Cupcakes
  • Deep Fried Strawberries
  • Deep Fried Olives
  • Deep Fried Ice Cream
  • Deep Fried Jam Sandwiches

Granola: Read The Label And Pull Out Your Measuring Cup

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Granola – I admit it, I love most kinds.  But, honestly, most granola can be considered a “health halo” food – a food that seems like it should be healthy (but isn’t) because of the way it’s labeled, or because of what it’s called, or because of some of its ingredients.

Granola always sounds so healthy, filled with oats, grains and maybe nuts or dried fruit – stuff that can be really good for you – except for when it’s cooked in lots of oil or butter and is sweetened with a whole lot of sugar or some other form of sweetener. It also does not have a lot of protein.

The real kicker can be the serving size.  If you haul out your cereal bowl and just dump in granola you can be in  caloric nightmare land. You really need to check serving sizes with granola – the serving size varies with the brand and can be as small as ¼ cup – which can look paltry even in a teacup. There are lower fat versions of granola – although some low fat versions are not necessarily low in calories.  Some examples of granola nutrition:

I have trouble keeping granola in my house — because I really like it.  I find myself shoveling handfuls of it into my mouth straight from the box when I open the cupboard and it’s there, calling my name.  It does make a great topping for ice cream – in measured amounts — if you’re so inclined.

But, if you love your granola and want it for your cereal, just check the ingredients and the serving size.  Know what you’re getting and what you’re eating.

Is Chinese Food Diet Friendly Or A Diet Buster? Nine Tips To Help You Make Good Choices

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Chinese take-out can be a friend to your diet – or the devil in disguise.  Commercial Chinese food – or what you usually get for take-out – can be extremely high in fat (a caloric nightmare) and very high in sodium (a water retention nightmare).  And then there’s portion size:  those little white boxes hold a lot – and 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?

Nine Tips

To keep the gauge pointing more toward healthy than unhealthy:

1.   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) but don’t think that all vegetable dishes are high on the best 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 1000 calories and 2600 mg sodium  Although there are a lot of veggies, there’s a bunch of fat and sodium. 8 inch pancakes add about 90 calories;  6 inch pancakes add 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 delivery bag – one package has about 180 calories; 8g fat; 420mg sodium.

5.    Soup – like hot and sour, egg drop, or wonton soup 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 cal, 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 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 egg rolls or fried wontons which are both loaded with fat. 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. One 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.

A Tasty Way To Lighten Up Your Burger

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In my neck of the woods, barbecue season is right around the corner.

I happen to love hamburgers, but, needless to say, I don’t love the calories and saturated fat in most of them.

Some Hamburger Stats

Most (not all) hamburgers are made with either ground round or ground chuck and are usually six or more ounces.

A broiled burger made with ground round (85% lean meat) has 70 calories in each ounce with 4 grams of fat (2 grams saturated fat).

A broiled burger made with ground chuck (80% lean meat) has 76 calories in each ounce with 5 grams of fat (2 grams saturated).

How about substituting chopped vegetables for some of the meat?  Onions, garlic, peppers, and mushrooms are some possibilities. An ounce of onions is 11 calories with no fat; an ounce of white mushrooms has 6 calories and no fat.

Switching out an ounce or two of meat for veggies can save you 60 to 150 or so calories and 4 to 10 grams of fat and add a whole bunch of flavor.

Try it – you might like it!

 

Don’t You Wonder What They Taste Like?

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I spotted these at a bakery in Chelsea Market in New York City.

Would a kid want to eat Ernie’s hair or Cookie Monster’s eyes or Elmo’s nose? Maybe yes, maybe no — I guess it would depend on the child’s age and feelings about Sesame Street characters.

And, what about all of the food coloring — and the fat and sugar necessary to mould the shapes of these cupcakes?

Eye appeal — but what about health appeal?