If you only eat out at restaurants about once a year it really doesn’t matter what you order but if you eat in restaurants several times a week and you want to stay healthy then you need to know where to go and what to choose from the menu.
The biggest problem in any restaurant is to choose dishes that don’t have lots of fat. Avoid anything fried in batter or served with a rich creamy sauce which has the equivalent of a whole day’s fat supply in one dish. Avoid chips, especially thin ones which have a higher fat content. Avoid garlic and herb bread which is also high in fat. Most restaurants have some vegetarian dishes but ones that have lots of cream, cheese or pastry are not a healthy choice. Salads sound healthy but a Caesar salad is one of the fattiest items on the menu. Avoid Japanese tempura or Thai dishes with coconut cream such as curries. When eating Italian avoid the creamy sauces and remember that lasagne is often the fattiest choice.
Instead of chips or garlic bread choose crusty bread or rolls. Grills are a good choice because they’re not fatty, although some restaurants pour butter all over grilled fish so look out for that. Seafood is generally a great choice; prawns, oysters, yabbies, fish, octopus are all low in fat as long as they’re grilled. Straight potato is a good alternative to chips. Kangaroo and other game meats are usually healthy choices and there’s nothing wrong with a small steak as long as the meat isn’t smothered in a rich creamy sauce. Almost every restaurant has some vegetarian choices which are usually healthy, eg: grilled polenta with roasted vegetables or couscous. Order salads without dressing, or with it on the side so you can add your own. Almost everything in a Japanese restaurant is healthy except tempura. Healthy Thai choices would include; Tom Yum soup, chilli basil chicken, Thai barbecued beef salad or prawns with coriander and plenty of steamed rice. If eating Italian choose a pasta with a tomato based sauce or some other vegetable and most Italian restaurants will happily serve seafood grilled with lemon.
When eating out people are more likely to eat more than they would at home so a simple solution is to park your car 15 minutes walk from the restaurant, that way you burn up some calories getting there and the walk back to the car will be good for your digestion.
Our segment was filmed at The Bower Restaurant, 7 Marine Parade, Manly, NSW, 2095, phone: (02) 9977 5451 where chef Richard Bruno has a wide selection of healthy dishes on the menu.
Rosemary Stanton has just released a new book called Healthy Living Cookbook (Macmillan, rrp $29.95). For more of Rosemary Stanton’s advice on food and nutrition consult:
Rosemary Stanton’s Complete Book of Food & Nutrition (Simon & Schuster, revised edition 1995, rrp $29.95).
Eating for Peak Performance (Allen & Unwin, second edition, 1994, rrp $14.95).