Dining In Vs Dining Out

Dining In Vs Dining Out

Restaurant menus can be landmines of cholesterol-sabotaging culprits like saturated fat- packed meats, buttery and creamy sauces, and supersized portions. Considering that 25 percent of your cholesterol comes from your diet (the body manufactures the other 75 percent), according to data from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, it's important to minimize your intake of cholesterol-raising foods both at home and when dining out.

But just because you're watching your cholesterol doesn't mean restaurants are off-limits; making heart-healthy choices can be easier than you think. Follow these tips on what to order (and avoid) next time you peruse a menu.

High Cholesterol Foods to Avoid When Dining Out

• Whole milk dairy products: Avoid high-fat cheeses and milk, and butter. Substitute low-fat dairy items instead, such as low-fat cheeses and milk, egg whites or egg beaters, and margarine with no cholesterol.
• Meat: Avoid red meat, fried chicken, and bacon, which are high in saturated fats. A better choice is baked or broiled fish, lean meat, or skinless chicken.
• Fried foods: Avoid all fried foods. Stick to foods that are baked, broiled, steamed, poached, or boiled. Instead of French fries, order a baked potato or sweet potato. Choose salad and other fresh steamed vegetables to accompany your meal.
• Dessert: Stay away from sweets as much as possible. For dessert, order a sorbet or fresh fruit instead of the cholesterol-laden chocolate soufflé.

Making Low-Cholesterol Food Choices

Here are some other tips to help you make healthy choices when eating out.

• Ask for condiments, gravies, sauces, salad dressing, and butter to be served on the side, and limit how much you eat.
• Request low-fat or fat-free salad dressing. If it's unavailable, try lemon juice or a little vinegar instead.
• Control how much you eat by sharing meals, or ask for a carryout box and put half of your meal in it before you start to eat.
• Look for items on the menu that have icons denoting heart-healthy items. If the menu doesn't indicate heart-healthy meals, ask your server to recommend something low in fat. Also, don't be shy about asking for substitutes that are prepared with less fat.
• Be careful at the salad bar. Many items are loaded with cholesterol. Stick to fresh vegetables — lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, green and red peppers, and the like — and avoid croutons, cheese, and bacon bits. If there are nuts on the salad bar, add a few to give your salad a kick. Remember to choose a fat-free or low-fat dressing option.

High Cholesterol: Eating in Ethnic Restaurants

These days it's easy to dine at a variety of ethnic restaurants, from Italian to Indian. You can still eat in these restaurants if you make the right choices. Here are a few specific tips to help you avoid foods high in cholesterol when dining in ethnic restaurants:

Indian food

• Instead of fried samosas, opt for papadum or papad (crispy, thin lentil wafers).
• Avoid curries cooked with coconut milk or cream and choose those with a vegetable or dal base. Better yet, choose grilled shish kabob or tandoori fish or chicken.
• Choose rice pilaf with peas instead of Saaq paneer, a popular spinach dish with cheese and cream.

Mexican food

• Avoid tortilla chips.
• Choose dishes made with corn rather than flour tortillas.
• If you order a taco salad, don't eat the shell. Hold the sour cream.
• Quesadillas are filled with meat and cheese and then fried. A better choice would be chicken fajitas.
• Refried beans are loaded with lard. Instead, order frijoles a la charra or borracho beans and Spanish rice.
• Use salsas or pica de gallo rather than sour cream and cheese as garnishes.

Italian food

• Avoid meat- or cheese-filled pastas and those baked with cheese. Instead, order pasta primavera (with vegetables), pasta with marinara sauce, or pasta in a clam sauce. Also, avoid pasta with cream, such as Alfredo sauce, which is loaded with cholesterol.
• When eating pizza, ask for light to no cheese and stay away from the pepperoni and sausage toppings. Some pizza parlors offer salad pizzas, which could be a good choice.
• Italian ice is a wise choice for dessert, rather than cream- and cheese-filled pastries.

By making smart choices, you can enjoy the pleasures of eating out — and still maintain your cholesterol at a healthy level.

Dining In Vs Dining Out

Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/high-cholesterol/dining-out-with-high-cholesterol/

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