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Posts Tagged ‘Food’

my stomach was making this embarrassing gurgling noise (made sense as it was already way past lunchtime), so I decided to pacify the hunger inside my body.

Unfortunately, Miss Fussy (me) was being…well, fussy. There I was, weak from decreasing glucose and still being finicky over where I could grab a bite to eat.

I love carbs so I thought Chinese food would be yummy. Veggie rolls, Kung Pao chicken, and fried rice were enticing my belligerent stomach with a sweet promise of satiation. Then I remembered. My favorite Chinese place received a letter grade of B — yes, B!!!! — on its last health inspection visit. No way. Sigh. What should a starving brunette do?

Another carbs idea sprung to mind. Subway. I was thinking a tuna or cheesesteak sandwich. Gnawing hunger getting more hostile every second. I arrived at Subway….and the line was endless! Not only was I being fussy, the Diva in me decided to make an appearance as well. Forget Subway.

My time was running out and I was getting crabby from all the trips. Last chance. Carl’s Jr’s yellow star beckoned me as if I was one of the 3 Wise Men in search for the Messiah.

I went in and ordered the Famous Star without onions and no ketchup. I was debating about ordering a larger fries but the prudent side said no. Sigh. Okay. I attacked my french fries first. Mmmm. Freshly cut fries — that’s what it said on the carton.

Next on the agenda was the cheeseburger. I took off a part of the lettuce first. I took a bite. Blah. What the hell?! I did not like the taste, but I was still hungry so I took more bite. Chewed and swallowed just so I could eliminate the hunger pangs completely. Halfway through the burger, I concluded that I was done putting the partially burned and tasteless meat inside my mouth.

With the gurgling belly now satedly purring and the glucose level rising, my mind tuned in and I realized with shock…. I was starting to hate fastfoods more and more. Should I be depressed? Should I cry? Should I scream “Bloody murder!”?

Eventually, I decreed that it was for the best. I would live longer if I did not crave fastfoods every meal time. Maybe it was fate that I looked after my heart instead of being a selfish, ravenous, and fussy Diva. I finished the delicious fries and decided to eat the flat cheeseburger later (if I found the appetite for it).

Love eating Chinese food? Most of us do, but don’t get fooled into thinking that anything and everything on the Chinese food menu is good for you. In fact, most people look to Chinese cuisine as a healthy alternative to fast food, but the truth is that there are a bunch of pitfalls on the menu, including high sodium and fat contents across several different foods across the typical Chinese menu. Here are some of the key culprits and what to look out for:

-Rice: Almost everyone loves having rice as part of their Chinese menu. The problem is that many people confuse “fried rice” with the much healthier brown rice. “Fried rice” is really white rice that’s brown via soy sauce and oil. It’s also high in fat and sodium. Stay away from the fried rice! If you must order rice, order steamed rice instead.

-Noodles: Never, ever, ever a good choice! Did I mention that they’re not a good choice? The amounts of oil used to cook this stuff is almost enough for your next oil change!

-Sauces: Regardless of where or what you’re eating, you should ALWAYS order your sauce on the side. Restaurants almost always pour on much more than you typically would and ordering on the side lets you control your portions. These sauces are also typically high in fat and sodium. Soy sauce for example, a staple of Chinese cuisine, has up to FOUR times the recommended daily allowance of salt in just ONE tablespoon!!!

-Meat: If you can’t recognize what’s on your plate it probably means you should skip it. You’re always better off ordering steamed entrees. That way you not only could recognize what you’re eating, but you’ll be skipping the digestion of meat that’s covered in fat-soaked breading (think General Tso’s chicken!!!).

-Appetizers: Most appetizers on the Chinese food menu are high in fat (think fried wontons and egg rolls). Instead, consider trying steamed vegetable dumplings. Soups are also a good alternative. Most soups on a Chinese menu are very low in fat and are a great way to start a meal. A chicken or vegetable soup is ideal.

In general you should strive to order more vegetable dishes or dishes that have a high proportion of vegetables, such as Chicken with Broccoli. Additionally, when ordering main entrees, look for items that are steamed, braised, roasted, simmered, or stir fried (ask for foods to be stir fried with little or no oil).

Arm yourself with the appropriate knowledge when eating this delicious cuisine and you can be doing yourself, and your midsection, a huge favor.

When you are dining out at Chinese restaurants, try to avoid going to those large buffet place since many of them have a lot of greasy foods.  The best way eat healthy is really to eat a well balanced meal.  It’s important to eat a good portion of vegetables over meat and rice.  You may prefer to stay away from eating several of those egg rolls and other deep fried dishes.  These egg rolls and other fried foods initially stem from the roots of American Chinese type of restaurants.  Here are some ideas that you should consider when dining out:

1. Finding a great restaurant.  Go talk to your friends and family and ask them which restaurants that have experienced.  Look in your local papers and internet site to find a recommend restaurant. You may need to stray away from your local town to find a good one.

2. Choose your right dishes. Don’t forget that you should be sharing your meals with people at your table.  It is traditional to share your dishes as a group.  Start out your meals with a soup for everyone.  This will help your stomach from absorbing the fatty food throughout your meal.  Try to stay away from foods that have a lot of fat – fried dumplings, fried wonton, and egg rolls if possible.  For your vegetable dishes, you are able to choose a Bok Choy, Green beans, or vegetables.

3. Choose a tea flavor.  This is the tea that you will with others in your party. There are many teas available and the some of the common tea are Jasmine, Oolong, and Black.  If you’re not familiar with these tea flavors, you may ask the waiter and try a common and less bitter tea that suits your taste buds.

4. Avoid eating a lot of rice.  The rice will fill you up quickly and there are many carbohydrates in rice.  In general, try to eat more rice than the meat and seafood.

5. Be careful of other food allergies.  You may want to avoid putting MSG (know as monosodium glutamate) into your foods.  Some restaurants don’t allow you to this, but you should ask.  It may offend the waiter if you ask – so ask politely.

6. Avoid other food ingredients.  Some foods are high in sugar and starches (flour) which add to the number of carbohydrates in your food.  Eat food with less salt which could include heavy amounts of soy sauce and other salt gravy.

7. Eat less dessert.  Some of the desserts are high sugar and have fatty ingredients.  It is good to try these desserts sparingly.