You might be very health conscious while packing food when traveling or might look for restaurants that have healthier food options when dining out. But, there are times when you are left with limited healthier food options. While Dr. Andrew Weil suggests giving up entirely on fast foods, he provides some handy tips if you are left with no option.
Here are five suggestions by Dr. Weil that will help you while ordering your food:
- Order a small quantity of food even if you are very hungry. It is advised to fill in your stomach with healthier foods later.
- Add fiber and antioxidants to your food by piling up on tomatoes, lettuce, and other vegetables. If you are choosing breads, remember to choose whole grain, multi-grain, or brown bread rather than gorging on white breads. If you are choosing a sandwich, opt for bun-free burgers.
- Go for salads as these are easily available in all restaurants nowadays. Salads are mostly having soybean oil-based dressing. Opt for lighter dressings like mustard sauce and salsa, rather than having high calorie dressing such as mayonnaise.
- See a list of nutritional contents of the menu provided by restaurants. Most commonly they have the list posted but in case you can’t find it, you can ask for it. After going through the list ask yourself whether you really want to eat there.
- Add cheese, yogurt and nuts to your food for having that fast-food touch to your otherwise bland food. You can easily buy these from nearby grocery stores.
However, if you are left with no option other than to eat at a fast food restaurant, there are some tips which might help you from consuming excess calories. These tips will help in making those fast foods a bit healthier:
- Avoid deep-fried foods: Anything that is deep-fried, from onions, chicken to potatoes might prove detrimental and inflammation causing to your body. In all cases, try to avoid deep-fried foods such as French fries and deep-fried chicken wings.
- Avoid soft-drinks and sodas: Since soft-drinks and sodas are empty calories and loads of sugar, it is better to avoid sodas while having a high-calorie meal. Instead, choose unsweetened teas, herbal infusions, or plain water.
- Avoid having desserts: Keeping in mind how many calories you have already consumed by eating junk food, there is no need to add a high-calorie sugary finale to your meal.
- Do not choose high calorie condiments and toppings: Opting for mayonnaise, cheese or tartar sauce can add unhealthy fats and excess calories to your food. It is therefore advised to avoid these dressings and sauces. Nowadays, there are rare fast food restaurants that use real cheese. So, you must opt for mustard sauce, salsa, and vinegar to add flavor and spice to your food.
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