Eating Out Healthy

Do you love eating out but at the same time are afraid to do so? Do you think "here goes my diet plan", whenever you go out? Do you also avoid socializing because you are dieting? If you have answered yes to all these questions, then it's time you took a reality check and discovered that eating out can be a happy and healthy experience.

Do you know that:

• No one gets fat from one meal. It takes a number of them for fat to accumulate.
• Eating out once every three weeks is a viable option if you have the self-control to come back on line the following day.
• When you eat a working lunch five times a week it won't work, because you're establishing a pattern which good meals and exercise cannot negate.
• Eating too much and then going berserk on the treadmill the next day leads to tiredness, and endangers your health. Don't do it.

Then should you stop eating out? No. The best solution is to choose restaurants that offer healthy foods and make selections that tie in with what you want to achieve. But if this is not possible, you have to select what you eat with care. Having the odd curry once every two or three weeks isn't so damaging.

Here are some top tips when you eat out:

• Eat smaller portions of fatty foods: If there's something you really want but shouldn't be eating, share it with someone else.
• Ask the waiter not to bring bread and butter to the table: Also ask dressings and sauces to be served separately. That way you can control how much you want to use, or skip them altogether.
• Ask them to reduce the amounts of fattening items: Such as cheese or butter that come with the dish.
• Ask for a starter: If you must have a dish that is rich in fat. And for your main course order something low-fat. Remember that soup and plain pasta are good fillers.
• Serving sizes: These are relevant, so order one serving of meat, fish or poultry, two servings of vegetables and three servings of grains, rice, pasta, cereals etc. By ordering like this, you're much more likely to stay on track.

Cooking styles and methods vary from country to country and cuisine to cuisine. Let's check out the different types of restaurants and see what's on offer:

1. Fast-food outlets
If you eat regularly from these joints, then it will be difficult for you to cut your fat. Fast food joints offer mainly burgers, fries, milkshakes, pizzas etc, which will only add to your calories. Instead, go in for the healthy options -- though limited here -- and eat only salads, fruit juices or fruit salads.

2. British Cafe
The British mainly rely on the griddle or deep-fat fryer to cook a lot of their food. Try to avoid items that are cooked in this way. Instead go in for baked beans on dry brown toast, poached eggs, baked potato with low-fat fillings like tuna, sweet corn or chicken strips with peppers. Another healthy alternative is to have soup, a whole meal sandwich or roll with a salad and lean meat, fish or poultry filling and fresh fruit. Avoid mayonnaise, coleslaw, butter, margarine and sugary sweets and confectionery.

3. Italian restaurant
Italian cooking uses a lot of olive oil, which is healthier in comparison to saturated fat, but it's still fattening. Cheeses like mozzarella and Parmesan are also widely used, especially in pizza. If eating Italian, maximize on the excellent fresh salads available. Ask for dressings on the side or use lemon juice instead. Always aim for tomato-based pasta sauces instead of the cream ones and limit the use of Parmesan cheese. If your favorite pizza topping is Pepporoni, then you would be advised to stay away from it as it has a high fat content. Avoid cream-based sweets like tiramisu. Instead, think healthy and just have a spoonful of fresh fruit.

4. Chinese restaurant
Chinese food is cooked in a wok or a deep-fat fryer. The wok cooks the food quickly, which means that the vitamins are retained in the food. However, Chinese in general is a high-fat type, especially those dishes that are deep-fried in batter. Here too, opt for steamed rather than fried rice and remember that sweet and sour sauce contains a lot of sugar, so don't have too much of that. For dessert, choose the fruit on offer.

5. Japanese restaurants
Japanese food is usually healthy and nutritious. Apart from one or two notable exceptions, most of the food can be ordered easily. Eat lots of Sushi or raw fish, a Japanese delicacy, is low in fat and high in carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Stay away from the tempura batter-fried dishes as they are rich in calories. Even sake (rice wine) is loaded with too many calories, so it is better to give it a miss and opt for the green tea. You can eat a lot of vegetables as the Japanese use little oil. And finally since they are not known to have a sweet tooth, always go in for the beautifully prepared fresh fruit.

6. Indian restaurant
No Indian dish is complete without adding dollops of ghee in it, which increases the fat intake of the dish. So if eating in a Indian restaurant, be careful to select what you eat.

• Go in for boiled rice rather than fried rice.
• Eat wheatflour-based chapattis rather than naan (which is heavier as it is made from maida) or parantha to which fat has been added.
• Avoid cream-based curries like korma dishes.
• Eat little gravy as it has a lot of fat content.
• Don't order papads; they are fried and highly fattening.
• Order Chicken tikka as it is comparatively low-fat.
• Drink water instead of an aerated drink or beer or you may end up with a beer belly.
  
  

Sauna and Steam Health Risks

The next time you plan to go for a steam or sauna bath, think before indulging yourself.
The enjoyment could prove to be risky and could actually endanger your health and well-being.

Here’s why:

• Danger of dehydration. Steam and sauna baths cause dehydration as the excessive heat leads you to sweat profusely. In the process, important salts such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron are lost. Many believe that drinking water before and after a bath can prevent dehydration. But the truth is that no amount of plain water can replace the loss of vital body salts. What's more, as sweat loss progresses circulatory capacity is affected.
• Blood circulation impaired. This happens because sweating causes a decrease in the blood volume, lowers blood pressure and leads to a decline in the circulation of body tissues. The blood circulation is impaired and consequently, oxygen supply to the vital body tissues also reduces. Dizziness, nausea and weakness are common symptoms of this.
• Adverse effect on sperm production. A higher temperature, such as in the case of a steam and sauna bath, is not conducive to proper sperm production. Statistical studies have shown that in any case, sperm production is hampered in an obese man. Subject him to additional heat and it could cause a severe decrease in sperm count, leading to infertility.
• Sweat glands fatigued. Prolonged periods of sweating causes fatigue in these glands, leading to the development of ‘Milaria’, commonly referred to as prickly heat.
• Fungal infections. Appearance of white patches over the body (tenia versicolour) are frequently found after a sauna bath. Sweating in the skin folds also encourages bacterial and other fungal infections. Remember these risks the next time you plan to step into a sauna or steam bath.

Dieting Myths

All of us have tried losing weight at some point or the other. And the most commonly used method to shed those sticky pounds is dieting. Many believe that simply by starving or eating less, avoiding sugars or oily food is the key to a slimmer self. However, that is not entirely true. In fact, dieting and dieters have given rise to a number of myths. If you too believe in some dieting myths, here is your chance to clear them up.

Myth No 1: Dieting means stop eating all favorite foods

Fact: Dieting means reducing your total food intake. However, this can be accompanied by increased intake of high fibre foods such as plain salads so that you never remain hungry.

Myth No 2: While dieting, never eat in between meals

Fact: You should in fact have smaller main meals and go in for low calorie munches such as cucumbers, carrots, clear soups etc as fillers in between. This way you will be able to control your intake at the main meals and hence eat less.

Myth No 3: Carbohydrates such as bread make you fat

Fact: Carbohydrates are the foundation to any diet. A look at the food pyramid clearly shows that the carbohydrates stand right at the base of the pyramid. The recommended allowance for carbohydrates varies between six to eleven servings per day. So it is the quantity that matters. It is not the carbohydrates but the accompaniments with the carbohydrates that make you fat.

Myth No 4: All salads are diet foods

Fact: It is true that plain green salads without any added ingredients is good for dieters as it is rich in fibre, which is important in controlling weight. However, this is not true for all salads. Salads with high fat salad dressings in fact add to the weight due to the high fat content.

Myth No 5: Any amount of fat free food can be taken freely

Fact: Fat free foods does not imply calorie free. All foods do have some calorie content. So if you continue indulging on fat free foods, the calories will keep getting accumulated. Hence you do not lose weight.

Myth No 6: Eat the maximum at dinnertime

Fact: It should be the opposite. You should be eating the least at dinnertime. This is because your body is not able to completely utilise the meal eaten during dinner. Hence you should try and eat the maximum before the evening and only go in for small meals at night.

Myth No 7: Indulge in grilled foods when eating out

Fact: Restaurants can add any amount of fat and other ingredients to sell their products. So if you eat a plate of grilled vegetables you might be mistaken. It just might be loaded with fat to make it tasty and look appealing. So, check before indulging.

Myth No 8: Fat is the only thing that matters

Fact: No food is calorie free. So along with fat, calories also have to be taken into account. It is a fact that the calories from all foods keep getting accumulated. The only thing to remember is that fat gives more calories compared to other foods and that is why its intake should be reduced.

Myth No 9: Brown sugar is better than white sugar

Fact: There is no difference between the two types of sugars in terms of nutrition. Both add on to the calories and are best avoided or restricted while on a diet.

Myth No 10: Skipping meals help in losing weight

Fact: There is a gap of about 10 hours between dinner and breakfast the next morning. During this phase your body has been on a fast and needs fuel. If you don't eat in the morning, you cover up for it in the next meal and hence eat more.