Healthy Restaurant Eating
Joe Serpico

Here’s food for thought….did you know the average restaurant meal has over 1,000 calories? That’s enough to blow any healthy eating plan. Fortunately, by following a few simple guidelines, you can dine out without having to sacrifice good taste and nutrition.

1. Avoid ordering an appetizer. It’s not widely known that some appetizers have more calories and fat than the main course. Plus, many appetizers are fried and served with heavy sauces which will add to your intake of saturated fat as well as trans fats and calories. It’s not a healthy way to start your meal.

2. Say “yes” to salad. Salad is a healthy eater’s best friend. Not only will it fill you up so you’ll consume fewer calories overall, but it will also give you a hefty dose of antioxidants which are heart healthy. Be sure to ask your waitress to hold the croutons and cheese which will further reduce your caloric load. Also, choose your dressing wisely. Avoid cream based dressings and go for the vinegar based ones. You also have the option of using vinegar and olive oil which is heart healthy.

3. Make the right entree selection. Go for broiled and grilled rather than fried. Not only will you save calories and fat grams, you’ll also avoid trans fats which are so prevalent in fried foods. Instead, consider asking for a doubles order of vegetables with your entree. Very few Americans are getting the 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables recommended for optimal health. Plus, by avoiding the starch, you’ll be reducing your caloric and carbohydrate load. Also, stick to tomato based sauces rather than cream based and you’ll enjoy a considerable calorie savings. Lastly, ask for the sauce to be served in a separate dish on the side so you can control the amount you eat.

4. Think about what you’re drinking with your meal. By not ordering an alcoholic beverage, you’ve saved yourself a considerable number of calories. Try sipping iced tea sweetened with a noncaloric sweetener, a diet soft drink, or water with lemon. You’ll be glad you did when you consider the calorie savings.

5. Indulge your sweet tooth wisely. Many of the chain restaurants now offer a low fat or low carbohydrate dessert selection such as a low carb cheesecake. These are wise choices for the health conscious eater and still allow you to end the meal on a sweet note. If a healthy dessert option isn’t available, try a cup of coffee with skim milk to help satiate your desire for something sweet.

6. Learn to control your portions. Many restaurants are serving larger quantities of food than in the past. If this is the case, put aside a portion of your entree at the beginning of the meal to take home with you. If you remove it from your plate before you start eating, you’ll be less tempted to overindulge.

By following these steps, you can make your dining experiences not only healthy, but enjoyable. Your heart will thank you!

About the Author

Joe Serpico is webmaster at aa-fitness-guide.com. For much more information regarding exercise, health, nutrition, and fitness, visit http://www.aa-fitness-guide.com

Tags: Alcoholic Beverage, Appetizer, Appetizers, Author, Calories And Fat Grams, Croutons, Dressings, Entree Selection, Food For Thought, food;, Fried Foods, Fruits And Vegetables, Good Taste, Healthy Eating Plan, Hefty Dose, Joe Serpico, olive oil;, Optimal Health, Saturated Fat, Serpico, Starch, Sweetener, Trans Fats, Vinegar, Waitress, webmaster —

6 Tips For A Healthy Dinner Out
George Williams

Ever wonder how you can possibly lose weight when the average
dinner out contains over 1,000 calories? Well, don’t fret!
Keeping yourself in shape when dining out is simply a matter of
ordering the right menu.

Below are 6 tips for having a healthy dinner out (while still
enjoying your meal like normal!):

– Watch Your Drinks – By not ordering an alcoholic beverage,
you’ve saved yourself a considerable number of calories. Try
sipping iced tea sweetened with a noncaloric sweetener, a diet
soft drink, or water with lemon. You’ll be glad you did when you
consider the calorie savings.

– Have A Salad – One of the best menus to have is salad. Not
only will it fill you up so you’ll consume fewer calories
overall, but it will also give you a hefty dose of antioxidants
which are heart healthy. Be sure to ask your waitress to hold
the croutons and cheese which will further reduce your caloric
load. Also, choose your dressing wisely. Avoid cream based
dressings and go for the vinegar based ones. You also have the
option of using vinegar and olive oil which is heart healthy.

– Don’t Order An Appetizer Unless Necessary – Do you know that
some appetizers have more calories and fat than the main course?
Plus, many appetizers are fried and served with heavy sauces
which will add to your intake of saturated fat as well as trans
fats and calories. It’s not a healthy way to start your meal.

– Choose The Right Kind Of Foods – Go for broiled and grilled
rather than fried. Not only will you save calories and fat
grams, you’ll also avoid trans fats which are so prevalent in
fried foods. Instead, consider asking for a doubles order of
vegetables with your entree. Very few Americans are getting the
7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables recommended for optimal
health. Plus, by avoiding the starch, you’ll be reducing your
caloric and carbohydrate load. Also, stick to tomato based
sauces rather than cream based and you’ll enjoy a considerable
calorie savings. Lastly, ask for the sauce to be served in a
separate dish on the side so you can control the amount you eat.

– Don’t Overeat – Today, many restaurants are serving larger
quantities of food than in the past. If this is the case, put
aside a portion of your entree at the beginning of the meal to
take home with you. If you remove it from your plate before you
start eating, you’ll be less tempted to overeat.

– Say “No” To Sugary, Fatty Desserts – Instead, go for a low fat
or low carbohydrate dessert selection such as a low carb
cheesecake. These are wise choices for the health conscious
eater and still allow you to end the meal on a sweet note. If a
healthy dessert option isn’t available, try a cup of coffee with
skim milk to help satiate your desire for something sweet.

The next time you go out for dinner, keep the above tips in
mind. You will be surprised how many calories you are able to
slash out of your meal just by ordering the right menus! Happy
healthy eating!

About the author:

George Williams is a wine and food enthusiast. He owns Wine Online
Secrets, Wine Rack
Secrets and Free
Wine Storage Info, sites providing free wine information.

Tags: Alcoholic Beverage, Appetizer, Appetizers, Author, Calories And Fat Grams, Carbohydrate, Croutons, Dressings, Fewer Calories, food enthusiast, food;, Fried Foods, Fruits And Vegetables, George Williams, Hefty Dose, olive oil;, Online Secrets, Optimal Health, Saturated Fat, Sauces, Soft Drink, Starch, Sweetener, Trans Fats, Vinegar, Waitress —

Have you been wondering for a long time ‘how can I lose my belly fat’? Do you have a bit of excess tummy flab that you just can’t seem to be able to get rid of? Well stop asking yourself ‘how can I lose my belly fat’ because we are about to tell you how.

There are a number of reasons why you may have gained some fat around your tummy. The trick to losing that belly fat is to control what you are eating or drinking that will cause fat gain and to introduce some exercise into your life, particularly exercises that target the tummy area.

Here are four tips that can help you to love that belly fat.

1. Sit ups and crunches are the two main exercises that people do to lose belly fat. Sit ups are probably the single most effective exercise for toning stomach muscles and getting rid of belly fat. Sit ups are even more effective when done on a stability ball. To lose fat you do need to burn off more calories than you consume so keep this in mind also.

2. Cut out all fried foods from your diet. Fried foods are the worst foods for putting on fat around the waist and they are poor in nutrient value also. Fried food has no nutritional value at all to your diet and all it does it provide you with calories that add to your weight.

3. Stop snacking between meals. Snacking is a big contributor to gaining belly fat. Late night snacking is the worst kind of all as you don’t burn the calories off if you got to bed after snacking. When you consume calories during the day you will burn some of them off with your daily movements, but at night you just relax or go to bed allowing those calories to become fat that doesn’t get burned off. When you snack a lot you will often find that you only intend to have one small snack but you keep on eating more and more and it all adds up around your tummy. If you are asking yourself ‘how can I lose my belly fat’ then you need to tell yourself to stop snacking between meals.

4. Burn those excess calories off. Belly fat is unused energy that accumulates in the form of fat around the stomach. To get rid of belly fat you need to burn off more calories than you consume. Cardio workouts are great for burning off fat and these can include aerobics, walking, jogging, running, cycling or working out on a cardio machine. There are many little changes that you can make that will also help you to burn off calories like parking at the back of the car park and walking that little bit further to the shop or office, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Remember that every little bit of exercise you do helps.

If you are asking yourself ‘how can I lose my belly fat’ then try these four suggestions and you will soon find your tummy getting thinner and you will be well on your way to having those flat abs.

Tags: Calories, Calories Fat, Contributor, Crunches, Diet, Eating Habits, Excess Calories, Exercise, Fried Food, Fried Foods, Healthy Diet, Late Night, Long Time, Losing Weight, Love, Nutrient Value, Nutritional Value, Sit Ups, Snack, Stability Ball, Stomach Muscles, Target, Ups, Worst Foods —

The Daniel Diet is about as far from a fad diet as you can get. While fad diets are, by definition, very new, the Daniel Diet has roots that go back approximately 2,600 years! Most people may try this eating plan as a way to lose weight, but it is specifically designed to help you have a better relationship with God at the same time.

The diet has its origin in the following Bible verse: “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” – Daniel 1:8 (NIV). During this time, Daniel was a Hebrew living in Babylonia, and was saying that he would stick to the dietary guidelines his people received from God. Babylonians were not under the same rules for eating, and they would eat foods that were off limits to the Jews.

Skipping ahead about 2,600 years…

The Daniel Diet was developed by Rev. Elmer Townes. It does not have the exact restrictions as the Jewish dietary laws mentioned in the Bible. However, it serves the same purpose by putting God first, and the weight loss is secondary.

Partial fasting is a big part of the program. Some of the foods you can eat include fruit and vegetable juices, whole grains, water, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. These are all healthy foods. You may have also noticed that they are all foods that are derived directly from nature and not a scientific laboratory.

Foods that are not a part of the Daniel Diet include refined sugar, chemical sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, meat, white bread or rice, caffeine, fried foods, shortening, margarine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, and additives or preservatives. This can be a big change for a lot of people.

As mentioned, this is more than just a diet. In fact, the first step is prayer so you can be spiritually prepared. You will then commit to staying on the diet for a set amount of time, and then letting others know about your promise to follow through.

Spiritual preparation is only the beginning. You will also have to get ready physically. This can take some doing–weaning yourself off the foods that aren’t allowed–but you have to be ready once you make the commitment.

How long you’re on the Daniel Diet is mostly up to you. Because of the strong spiritual component, a lot of people will tie it in with religious observances; Lent, for example. Others will do it as an entire church, or as part of a church group. That being said, a minimum of seven days is recommended if you want to see any weight loss results. Yet, there are even those who choose to dedicate one day per week to doing the Daniel Diet. As you can see, it’s a flexible plan that is more than just a diet and can be done by anybody.

Tags: Babylonia, Babylonians, Bible Verse, Chemical Sweeteners, Chief Official, Eating Habits, Fad Diet, Fad Diets, Fried Foods, Fruit And Vegetable Juices, Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits Vegetables, Healthy Diet, Healthy Foods, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Jewish Dietary Laws, Losing Weight, Nuts And Seeds, Prepa, Putting God First, Relationship With God, Royal Food, White Bread, Whole Grains —