Dine out healthy!
Don’t you love going out to eat? Trying new restaurants? Going for brunch and getting the omelet with all the trimmings: toast, potatoes, maybe some fruit. How about getting the babysitter and going out with your significant other to go to your fave spot in town? Yep, me too. I love it. I love ordering off the menu and anticipating the colors and smells that will jump off the plate when the server places my meal in front of me. But how do I feel afterwards? After I’ve scarfed down buttered eggs, buttered toast, potatoes sautéed in….butter? Well, when I think back to it I feel pretty badly knowing I had not worked out the day before and didn’t know when I would work out again.
These days its different for me personally because I feel a responsibility to myself and to my bootcampers. When I eat out, I think about portions and ingredients. I think about fat content, sugar content and how many carbs versus protein is in my meal. It sounds like no fun, but really it can be empowering.
It’s not that I don’t eat dessert or that I don’t order the occasional pasta dish. I just make the right choices when I do. For instance, when we go to brunch I usually order an omelet but I make the choice to ask for egg whites, I also try to include as many veggies as possible. I ask for the multigrain or whole-wheat toast, but dry. I sometimes ask them to hold the potatoes or give me a side veggie instead of the potatoes.
If I’m out for lunch, I try to order a salad but it is really important to get the dressing on the side. The dressing holds so much fat and calories it will ruin any diet. Ask for balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the side and use sparingly.
And what about dinner? There are so many amazing restaurants here in Montclair. Osteria Giotto, Table 8, Blu, Uptown, Aozora and many more. Something to keep in mind is portion control. And think about how hungry you really are. Drink some water before the meal. Get a sense of how much food you would need to just curb your hunger, not fill you up to capacity. Skip the bread basket! Ask them to not bring it to your table. You don’t need it and it will stop you from really enjoying the meal you are about to order. Ask for lighter sauces, ask for extra veggies, skip the fried appetizers. When eating sushi, make sure you use light soy sauce and use it sparingly.
I recently discovered the new food joint that opened up on Bloomfield Ave at the corner of Willow. ELEVATION BURGER. It’s a great, bright corner space with amazing burgers and fries among other things. The burgers are made from beef that comes from organically-raised, grass-fed cows. The fries are made with olive oil so there are no trans-fats. It’s good stuff. You just have to make sure to order one burger at a time—even if they are soooo gooooodd and you want another. Come back in a few days if you want more.
Bottom line everyone, we can enjoy the food we love, we just have to love it in moderation and with modifications. Take small bites and leave food over. The portions are too big in most restaurants. Just eat enough to not feel hungry anymore. Go out to eat, support local businesses and enjoy food. And be thankful that you have a way to burn it off—COME TO BOOTCAMP!
Liz S.
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