Eating Out Without Losing Out

Written by Sam

Going out to eat is always a really tricky thing - it's so hard to find a healthy and nutritious meal without feeling like you missed out on the 'real food' the restaurant offers. I remember one time I ate out with friends and I ordered a vegetarian dish, and I was absolutely miserable as I watched my friends chow down on steaks, ribs, and all that good stuff. Over the years I have found ways to make smart, healthy choices at restaurants without sacrificing any flavor or satisfaction from the meal. In this post, I will go into depth about foods to avoid, key words to look out for, and some overall tips to guide you to a more healthful experience when you go out to eat.

What to Avoid:

1) Fried Food
Food prep is key when going out to eat, or when making any food choices for that matter. Frying the food triples the calories and adds a lot of unnecessary fat to your diet. Even if the food may seem nutritious (Tempura vegetables, for example), frying it pretty much cancels out any health benefits you would get from the vegetables. Also, you may not know what kind of oil the restaurant uses to fry the food in. If they use lard or shortening, it is a significant source of saturated fat, and it will clog up your arteries real quick and put you at high risk for heart disease. Ain't nobody got time for that! So what should you do? The healthiest way to go is to look for the words grilled or steamed in the description. These two methods of cooking require little to no oil, and often times you get to taste the real flavor of the meat or whatever is the main focus of the dish. Personally, I would choose grilled over steamed because you don't sacrifice any flavor with the nice charred taste that grilling adds to the food, but this is totally up to you.


2) The Free Bread :(
It pains me to write this because every time I go out to eat, I almost always eat the free bread that they put at your table (let's be real, Olive Garden bread sticks are divine). Although it seems fairly harmless, the bread can really add on a lot of calories to your meal before you even get to the main course. 1 Olive Garden bread stick, for example, already sets you back 140 calories and lesbihonest, we can't only eat just one, so it's a really slippery slope. My best advice for you is to ask the waiter to take away the bread altogether at the beginning of the meal so that the temptation won't be there; We often overeat because the food is in front of us and not because we actually want it. At the same time, everything is okay in moderation, so if you want one bread stick, then go ahead and enjoy it! Just ask the waiter to take it away after you eat one so you aren't tempted to grab more.

3) Salads
This may seem contradictory because salads have the impression of being the ultimate health food - you can't go wrong with eating all veggies, right? It turns out that salad can be one of the most dangerous foods for that reason - we may eat a ton of it thinking it's good for us, while ignoring the fact that there can be a lot of junk in it. We will use the nutrition facts for a Caesar Salad from Panera Bread as an example:

310 calories, 220 calories from fat (!!!), 24 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 480 mg sodium, 50% vitamin A, 50% vitamin C, 20% calcium

Yikes. In that one side salad alone, you're getting over 1/3 Daily value of fat and saturated fat, 1/6 daily value of cholesterol, and about 1/5 daily value of sodium. There are a good amount of vitamins in it, but you can get that more Vitamin A and Vitamin C by eating 1 medium carrot (203%) and 1 medium orange (85%), respectively. Now imagine the damage an entree salad can do, especially with some of the add on's restaurants offer (bacon, steak, etc.). Of course, there are good salads that you can find at restaurants that you can definitely go for if salad is your thing! First, you want to look for romaine lettuce or any other kind of green aside from iceberg lettuce, since iceberg is mostly just water and has hardly any nutrition (Romaine lettuce is a significant source of vitamin A). Also, avoid the heavy dressings such as ranch, caesar, thousand island, or pretty much any kind of creamy dressing. Instead, go for the vinaigrette's because they are packed with flavor and generally don't have as much oil. A good addition to a salad would be to add chicken breast, a good source of lean protein that will make you feel full. The best tip I can give you with salads is to order the dressing on the side. That way, you are in control and can adjust it to your own taste because a lot of the time, salads are too fattening and salty with the amount of dressing a chef adds.

What you should do:

1) Don't be afraid to ask questions!
We all see those people at restaurants who ask the waiters a million questions about what things are cooked in, how things are prepared, etc. and we may think they're super annoying. But, this is honestly one of the best things you can do (just don't ask a ton of them, you can get to the point by asking a couple good questions)! By doing this, you can avoid a lot of unhealthy dishes and it's crucial you find out what food you are putting into your body. For example, one time I asked the waiter what my sauteed vegetables were cooked in, and he said they were sauteed in butter. If I didn't ask, I would've ordered it because I saw the word "vegetable" and I was sold, thinking it's already healthy. Also, the menu can be tricky with it's wording and it masks how detrimental the dish is for your health. A lot of dishes come with some sort of sauce on top, and a lot of times, there is cheese or heavy cream used in those sauces. This can add a significant amount of fat and calories to your dish that you absolutely don't need, so that's why it is important you clear this up by asking the waiter before you order it! The general rule of thumb is if the food is cooked in vegetable oil or olive oil, then you should be good to go, since those are your healthier oils that don't contain any saturated fat. You are paying for the food and the service, so might as well get your money's worth and ask those questions!

2) Ask for half portions
In my nutrition class this past week, I learned that most of the portions we are given today are up to 3 times as large as we need to be eating in one meal. If restaurants offer the option of having a half size or full size version of your entree, go for the half size. In general, the half size is still plenty of food and you will still be satisfied! It takes your body 20 minutes to recognize it is full, so don't freak out when you aren't full after eating only half of your food; Eat your food slowly, enjoy it, and let your body tell you when it's time to stop. Another trick is to ask for a carry out box as soon as your food comes to you, and then pack some of it right away. By packing it up and getting the food out of your sight, you will eat less and have some delicious leftovers for the next day.

3) Choose Lean Proteins
Whenever you hear lean protein, you always think chicken and fish. These are the two of the healthiest protein choices (tofu and beans are also great choices), but you can actually have steak if you are careful about what cut you have and how many ounces it is. The best choice of steak you want to choose is sirloin - it is very lean and still holds a lot of the flavor that everyone craves in a juicy steak. The nutrition facts for a 3.5 oz serving of sirloin steak is as follows: 206 calories, 5.4 grams of fat, 2.06 grams of saturated fat, and 39 grams of protein. As you can see, it's pretty modest in calories and fat, while packing a lot of protein, which will help keep you full. So even if you have a good sized appetite and want an 8 ounce sirloin steak for example, you are still at under 500 calories for your main dish. The cut you want to avoid is the ribeye - in my opinion, the tastiest but also the fattest cut of beef. This is the nutrition facts for a 3.5 ounce serving of ribeye steak: 466 calories, 37.6 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 30 grams of protein (For the nutrition facts for other cuts of steak, go to the 1st link in the "Sources" section at the bottom of this post). If you want to go the chicken route, chicken breast is the way to go. Chicken breast gets a bad reputation and everyone thinks it's too dry, but if it's cooked properly and well seasoned, it can be delicious. For fish, pretty much everything is fair game, because even the fattier fishes such as salmon are packed with omega 3 fatty acids, which have been found to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and decrease your risk of heart disease. Overall, just be mindful of how your lean protein is prepared and if there are any scary add-ons such as rich sauces.

4) Drink Plenty of Water
To prevent myself from over eating, I always drink a lot of water, anywhere from 2-4 cups when I go out to eat. I still have room to enjoy my meal, but the water fills me up enough that I don't have to eat more than I should be eating. I was eating at a buffet last month (I seriously don't recommend this but I had no choice), and I drank around 4 cups of water with my meal. Because of this, I was able to limit myself to eating 1.5 plates of food, which is a pretty modest amount for a buffet eater. I was satisfied and I still stayed full for a long time afterwards. Water is free and it can be your best friend when you're eating at a restaurant, so take full advantage of it.

I hope all these tips will help you out next time you decide to go to a restaurant. Restaurants aren't as dangerous as many people think of it to be - as long as you stay smart and have the correct principles, your health will be in good condition!

Sources:
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/the-leanest-and-fattiest-cuts-of-steak
http://www.netrition.com/rdi_page.html
http://www.paneranutrition.com/
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/olive-garden-breadstick-with-garlic-butter-spread-88753926
https://www.google.com/#q=orange+nutrition
https://www.google.com/search?q=carrot+nutrition&oq=carrot+nutrition&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j5j0.1587j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
http://www.mommymdguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/QuestionsBabysFirstYearGoingOutToEat1.jpg

Inspiration: is it in you?

by Patrick Vaughan

 

The greatest movies are the ones that get you to think, and they are the ones that inspire you to do more with your life. One such movie that I was "forced" to watch in high school, was the movie Gatica. It was supposed to open our awareness to the potential evils of ever-advancing technologies in my science class.

In a quick summation; this movie was about over-coming insurmountable odds, surpassing the biases of a society that looks down upon those who weren't genetically engineered (yes the movie is about everyone in society, well the rich mostly, genetically engineering their children to be the best that they could be), and that with a strong enough will you can do anything. At least this is what I got out of that movie.

Two brothers were born into this society. One by natural means, with an "expiration date of around 40 years", and the other was then chosen to be genetically engineered so that he could live a longer and therefore a happier life.

So where does all of this fall in with Nutrition and exercise?? Well let us see if you can answer this question first on your own, before I ruin all of the fun and give it away.

So this one brother with an expiration date at 40 years, was not given a health policy, and was barred from any meaningful job due to the fact that he would not possess longevity in any career he choose. He had large dreams though. He wanted to walk across the moon, and thereby leave the world that neglected him.

To do this, he worked, and he worked hard (after pirating an identity from which he was allowed to join the space stations crew.Those who were genetically engineered for "perfection" in this society were just naturals at everything they did. For this reason, they stopped working hard, as their predetermined talent alone would get them anywhere.

Day in and day out he practiced his coding, and he never once made an error in his coding during work hours. In this movie, there are two scenes that were the most provoking to my heartstrings.

He and his brother would swim ever since they were children. Racing out as far as they could go until the other one quit, and by then they would turn around and come back (once the victor was decided upon). A David and Galieth of contests, as one was designed to be genetically superior to the other. However despite all genetics, despite the fact that there will be those who are faster, who are stronger, who can run farther, memorize things in seconds, and etc. There is one thing that will always be immeasurable. This is the human heart.

I don't mean how much blood that can be effectively dispersed with each pump, or how efficiently the muscles can take up oxygen, or even how resilient one is to producing lactic acid. I am talking about the human will. You can watch the scene in this movie link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gYbpM0GWTs).

Again they try when they're older, and stronger. They both give it everything that they've got, knowing that with each stroke out, is another stroke back. This is their final swim in the movie.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll5qiWa6YDk

The conversation:
Anton Freeman: Vincent! How are you doing this Vincent? How have you done any of this? We have to go back.
Vincent: It's too late for that. We're closer to the other side.
Anton Freeman: What other side? You wanna drown us both?
Vincent: You wanna know how I did it? This is how I did it Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back.

For every day you go to the gym, for every project you work on, for everything that you do it is paramount that you give your absolute best. If you can do this in every aspect of your life, there will be nothing that you cannot achieve. Despite the obstacles, despite the fact that others may say you aren't good enough. If you put in the time, if you put in the hours, anything, and I mean anything is possible.

We have numerous success stories out there. I dare you to look up how Will Smith got started. It didn't just happen overnight. He waited outside every single day of Hollywood studios and sold himself until that one fateful day when his career blasted off with the Fresh Prince of Belair.  Micheal Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team and was told that he would never amount to anything in basketball, he showed them wrong. Steve Jobs designed and built a company from the ground up. Walt Disney was told that his cartoons were amateur, and that while amusing were nothing special. We have several locations dedicated specifically to him and the magic he created and brought into this world. Do you think these people every half-a$$ed anything? Life was never easy for them to get to where they ended up. Everyone faces obstacles. Everyone faces challenges that may seem insurmountable at times.

The secret is to look inside yourself. To find that hidden potential. The inner strength that rests within all of us to get in that extra rep, to study that extra hour, to go out and promote yourself just one more day, and to get in that extra stroke in the lake.

Every night no matter how difficult or easy the day was, you still fall to sleep in that same bed. How much more satisfying will it be to know with the utmost certainty that you achieved your goals? You will be laying in that bed later that night despite the fact that you put in 70% effort, or 110% effort in that day.

You may draw your inspiration from the fear of letting down those that you care about, you may draw it from the defiance you feel towards being told you can't do something (the desire to prove someone wrong), you may draw this inspiration from numerous avenues of your life. The point is to find that trigger, and to grind it out every single day.

On every team there is this person who will do anything to not let the team down. Hopefully this will inspire you to be that person.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_wyBftd8gk

Maybe it's good to be a hipster...

 by Patrick Vaughan

In society maybe it's good to be a hipster... at least until a few mentalities change.
So, today I am going to rant.


Society needs to change. The view nowadays is that of the path of least resistance. For those of you unfamiliar with this principle, it is a notion derived from the fact that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

However in choosing this path, we have forgotten how to work, how to really grind, and dig down deep for that extra effort. You have to remember to not cut those corners, because it is that long and winding path from which we learn from experiences to become who we are today.

This is not for all. There are still glimmers of hope; that entrepreneurial spirit, the self-made men and women of our days. However these glimmers have become the few, instead of the many.

My point is that we look towards technology and medicine to do for ourselves, that which we should be doing on our own. Heart burn medication "tums", blood pressure medication, "fat-burning pills", and countless others, all to cure our ills and discomforts.

When we think about the why... why do these things happen? Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, joint stiffness, back pain, aches, heartburn... In most cases this is simply due to lifestyle factors, or in other words, Controllable factors such as our diet and ones exercise. 

For nutrition; heartburn, and other unsavory digestive issues can most of the time be boiled down to not drinking enough water = constipation, not eating enough fiber/eating spicy foods = a bad day in the bathroom, and heartburn is just our bodies way of telling us that the pH balance in our stomach is off = might be eating too many citrus-based foods.

In such cases, your body is sending you a CLEAR and CONCISE message that "hey something you put into my system is upsetting me!". Listen to your body, take note, and alter your habits. Obviously your body does not "like" what you are currently doing to it. It isn't a sign that you should run to the medicine cabinet, it is a sign that maybe you should be eating foods without those certain spices, or that maybe you need to eat/drink more of the correct nutrients/minerals.

Back pain, high blood pressure, joint stiffness, and aches/pains can be a sign that you aren't taking care of your body. These pains are caused by muscle imbalances; using certain muscles more than others, ex.) your back might be more developed than your chest from hunching over at your desk all day causing a muscular imbalance, IE back pain. lack of use; every day that you don't use your muscles (at all) they atrophy - you lose 50% of the gains from the previous day, your bodily posture; (http://stateoffitnessblog.com/2013/06/21/i-cant-stand-it-anymore/) check out this link to learn more about that, and when you continue to NOT exercise your body becomes unaccustomed to the rapid dilation of the blood vessels/oxygen exchange that is needed to occur efficiently upon exercise.

These are also physical signs your body is sending you! Telling you that you need to get up, lift weights, run, and move! Think about it this way. Our bodies are similar to that of sharks, if you don't keep moving, you will die! Although while in humans it shows up as "weakened bone density", "muscular atrophy", "aches and pains". For us, this muscular atrophy and these physical symptoms are akin to going belly-up.

Now I digress. My original point was on society and how we all for the most part have opted to take this path of least resistance.We have become dependent on technology; chained to our desks, prone to taking the elevators over the stairs, used to waiting 45 minutes for a bus, used to sitting down and droning out to humor on the internet or to the mindless chatter on the television....

My challenge to you is to be a "hipster" and to break free of these norms of society. Ride your bike to work or classes, take the stairs, play outside - make your own real life paintball version of call of duty, practice your talents at become the NEXT AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR -, or read a book by a creek.

Most importantly though I advise you all to listen to your bodies. Eat better, start moving, and treat it like the temple that it truly is. I hate the saying YOLO, but it is true. You only live once. However the more work you put into your body now and the better you treat it, the higher the likelihood is that you will be that competent and active elder adult, as opposed to the bedridden and fragile one that we all fear of becoming.

Do yourself a favor and help me, to help you, to change society and most importantly yourself.