Eating out at Restaurants. A Healthy Guide

Eating out

Indian eating patterns are undergoing revolutionary changes with the spectacular growth of restaurants. Here are some suggestions to eat healthily away from home without missing out the fun.

Eat something healthy (Fruits, a vegetable sandwich made without butter, salads) to take the edge off your apetite before you leave home

At a south Indian restaurant select steamed preparations such as Idlies, Idiappam and rice and avoid dishes such as vadas and bajjis

Limit or avoid dishes with coconut or cream

At a north Indian restaurant order plain tandoori breads instead of puris, parathas or baturas etc

For beverages select an unsweetened juice such as vegetable, fruit or tomato juices. Alcoholic beverages = Extra calories

Choose lean meat, fish or chicken without skin

Cooking methods – Choose foods which are boiled, grilled, broiled, steamed, poached, roasted or baked. Avoid foods which are fired au gratin or made with a gravy

Avoid breaded fried foods

Order fruit for dessert instead of a high calorie item such as icecream, pie or an Indian sweet

A guide to Heart healthy cooking

Heart healthy cooking

Changing a diet that you have been eating for years is not so easy. The first thing in putting a new diet plan in to action is to take a look at your eating habits and try to replace negative habits with positive ones

FATTY ACIDS IN THE DIET:

Fats are an essential part of the diet but too much of the wrong kind can be bad for your health. Fats may be saturated or unsaturated. Unsaturated fats may be ‘mono unsaturated’ (MUFA) or ‘poly unsaturated’ (PUFA)

Saturated Fatty Acid (SFA) increases both the total as well as the bad cholesterol in the blood (Eg Butter, ghee, coconut oil, palm oil, dalda)

Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) – Lowers LDL – C (Low density) and HDL – C (High Density) level. (Eg. Sunflower oil, corn oil)

Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA) is a healthy fatty acid which lowers the levels of LDL – Cholesterol and triglycerides without lowering the HDL level cholesterol (Eg: Canola oil, peanut oil, gingely oil, rice bran oil)

Trans fatty acids are formed during the process of hydrogenation. These increase the total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and lowers the HDL cholesterol (Eg Margarine, Dalda)

• Eating to reduce blood cholesterol:
• Substantially reduce saturated fat in your diet – trim all visible fat from meats
• Limit dietary cholesterol – reduce intake of animal products to not more than 120g/day
• Use low fat dairy products and limit milk consumption to 500ml/day
• Avoid high fat dietary products such as butter and cream
• Limit egg yolks to a maximum of 2/3 per week
• Commercially baked goods (cakes, biscuits, pastries and puffs) are often made with egg yolk, saturated fats and trans fats such as shortening (Shortening is any fat that is solid at room temperature) and lard. Consume such foods only rarely
• It would be best to limit fired foods and snacks
• Use only 4-5 teaspoons of the recommended cooking oil per day (not more than 25% of your calories should come from the fats in your diet)
• Regular exercise program may further help in lowering blood cholesterol

NUTS AND THEIR BENEFITS:

Almonds, peanuts and walnuts contain healthy oils, vitamin E and MUFA. They are good sources of protein and fibre. These will help to keep the cholesterol levels in check. One ounce (30g) of the above per day is recommended

ALCOHOL:

Alcohol is sources of empty calories (it includes no vitamins, minerals or proteins) and can be turned in to fat, adding weight to the body. It increases the level of trigylcerides in your blood if in excess. Moderate drinking (1-2 standard drinks per day) may be beneficial. Check with the doctor if it is allowed for you.

CAFFEINE:

Caffeine is a stimulant that gives a boost of borrowed energy. Stimulants containing caffeine are found in tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolates and cola. They may increase the frequency and severity of irregular heartbeats and can increase blood pressure.

A maximum of two cups of coffee may be consumed per day

Reducing your Sodium intake

Reducing your Sodium intake

You may be advised by your doctor to reduce your sodium intake if you have high blood pressure, congestive heart disease or kidney disease. When you think of sodium, the salt you sprinkle on food probably comes to mind. Salt is in fact made up of sodium and chloride. Sodium is an essential mineral for the body. All the cells in the body are bathed in fluids that contain sodium, which helps to maintain the body’s fluid balance

Some of the sodium in your diet occurs naturally in foods. The rest comes from the salt added to foods when cooking or processing. Indian consumes as much as 10g of added salt.

How much salt can you use?

The amount will depend on your specific needs and may vary from ¼ to 1 teaspoon per day (2-5g/day)

Simple steps to cut down salt:

Since the taste for the salt is an acquired habit it is possible to reduce its intake gradually without much difficulty. Here are some general rules to keep the sodium intake within the recommended guideline.

• Avoid foods preserved in salt such as dry fish and meat
• Limit the use of salt in cooking
• Do not keep a salt shaker on your dining table
• Cut down on convenience food – cakes, biscuits, cheese, canned foods, fast food, some are high in sodium even when they do not salty
• Ask for unsalted dishes when eating out
• Use herbs and spices to enhance flavor of foods in place of salt.

-          A dash of lime

-          Onion and Vinegar

-          Nutmeg, Bayleaf, Cinnamon

-          Dry chillies, mustard seeds, pepper

-          Coriander, mint

-          Ginger and garlic

Foods to avoid or limit: (which contain high amount of sodium):

• Pickles
• Baked foods
• Canned foods
• Dry fish and meat
• Papad
• Cheese
• Processed meats such as bacon & ham
• Bottled sauces such as ketchup & soy sauce
• Powdered and canned soups
• MSG (Monosodium Glutamate – Ajinomoto. Apart from the sodium content, Ajinomoto is not recommended for consumption)
• Salted snacks such as chips, nuts and mixture

A word of caution about salt substitutes:

Salts substitutes may contain potassium salts which are contra-indicated for persons with kidney problems. Take the salt substitute container to your dietitian for his/her advice before using the product.

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Five tips for Heart Healthy Cooking

HEART HEALTHY COOKING:

Make your favorite recipes heart healthy by following these simple steps

•  Substitute a lower fat ingredient for a higher fat one . (Try skim milk instead of full cream milk)
• Choose Unsaturated fats. Use oil instead of butter, shortening (Shortening is any fat that is solid at room temperature) or ghee
• Use less of the high fat ingredients. Use less meat, eggs or cheese than what the recipe states. Use only part of the fat or oil called for
• Remove the fat. Trim visible fat and skin. Refrigerate curries, gravy, soup or stew until the fat rises to the top of the bowl and skim it off
• Change the cooking method. Steam boil, roast or microwave without adding fat. Saute with water, juice or broth instead of oil

A Guide to Healthy Food Choices

Guide to food choices

Cultivate the habit of reading the food label on commercial food packages, to get information on the amount and type of fat and sodium in contents

Food group	Food allowed	Food to avoid /limit
Milk & Milk products	As desired – skim milk and productsLimit – Low fat milk & products Cheeses with < 10% fat, Ex Cottage cheese, paneer	Whole milk and milk productsAll other cheese & cheese spreads Cream
Meat, Fish, poultry and alternativesMax 120g/day	Fresh or frozen fish, shell fish, poultry, lean meats. Egg whites. Whole egg or yolk – 2/week. Organ meat – 90g in place of one yolkDry peas, beans, lentils, dhal, grams, tofu, Limit – Unsalted nuts and canned fish in water	All cured and pickled meats and fishProcessed meats such as sausages, luncheon meat, corned beef, canned fish in oil, salt fish
Fruits and vegetables	Fresh and canned fruit, vegetables and juices	Vegetables and fruit fried or in butter sauces or in mayonnaise / oil type dressing, pickles, coconut
Breads and Cereals	Indian breads made without ghee & oil, pasta.Bread Breakfast cereals Unsalted crackers Whole grain products, plain rice	Butter nans, parathas, pooris, baturas, crisp dosas.Cereals with coconut, salted biscuits, crackers and snacks. Biriyani and fried rice
Soup	Homemade, fat free	Commercial soups, bouillion (soup) cubes
Fats & oils(Max 1-2tbsp/day)	Peanut butter, soft margarineCanola, peanut or gingely oil	Butter, ghee, hard margarines, lard, shortening, regular commercial salad dressingsBlended vegetable oil, coconut oil, palm oil
Sweet	Jelly, popsicles, pudding made with skim or low fat milk, jam, honey, sugar syrup, boiled sweets	Ice cream, chocolate, doughnuts, high fat cakes, pastry.Indian sweets made with ghee or dalda Sweets made with coconut or butter
Miscellaneous	All spices and herbsMineral and soda water Coffee, tea, cooca, limited – ketchup 1 tbsp/day	Ready-made sauces – soy, chili, oyster, meat tenderizer, ajinomotoReady mixes

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