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Carolyn O'Neil and Densie Webb bring common sense to helping people customize a diet.
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Bethanne Patrick: This is Bethanne Patrick with AOL Coaches. Today we're speaking with AOL Diet and Fitness Coach Carolyn O'Neil, author of 'The Dish' from Atria. Carolyn, we're going to be asking you about some dining out questions, how are you?
Carolyn O'Neil: Great! I'm Hungry!
Bethanne Patrick: Exactly. We all are. So, dining out in general, people know that they have to watch their weight, but some people do eat out everyday. What are some dining out tips for someone who never eats at home -- whether it's because of lifestyle, or travel, whatever it happens to be.
Carolyn O'Neil: Well you know, eating out, once upon a time, was a "special occasion" thing. You know it was okay -- birthdays, anniversaries, you know special days -- to just go out and live it up, and get whatever you wanted. But, the reality is that today the majority of people do eat out quite often. Whatever healthy eating goals you have, you have to apply at a restaurant. And what's different about dining at a restaurant rather than eating at home, obviously, is that you're not making the food, so you don't know as much about what's going into it. So looking at the menu, asking the server some questions -- all very important things to get started.
Bethanne Patrick: Now, what about portion control when you're dining out? Because you're not making the food, as you said, and you're also not always dishing it up onto the plate.
Carolyn O'Neil: Right, now I have a couple tips there. Sometimes on a menu it will actually tell you that it's a four-ounce portion, or it's a six-ounce portion, or it's a forty-two ounce portion. And that is where you should be asking your server -- how big is it? And another tip that I have is when you're in the restaurant, as long as you're checking out the room to see who's there, check out the plates that are coming out. That is the best way to get an eye ball, do your research, and say, "wow." You know, it may say that it's a grilled chicken and that it comes with something like string beans or something, and you're like, "Good, I'm going to get my vegetable serving." Sometimes I worry that the portions aren't big enough in the vegetable category, especially at a really artsy restaurant. You may get a grilled fish or grilled chicken and there are four green beans, done in a sort of tic-tac-toe pattern on top. So again, you would want to take a look around and say, hmmm, I would like to "super-size" that side of broccoli or that side of green beans. Because when they come to your table, or to your plate, you may be sort of disappointed. And then again, if the portion is just too huge, I would recommend, instead of having them bring that portion to you, saying "Can you go ahead and box that up in the kitchen? Half of it before it gets to me?" Then two things happen: A) You're not going to be tempted to eat the whole thing, and B) those leftovers are going to maintain their integrity. I think it actually tastes better when you have it later on for lunch or for dinner the next day.
Bethanne Patrick: Very good point, now on to breakfast. Many people love a big country breakfast on the weekends, and they'll say "Well I'll stick to one or two slices of bacon." But what else should people keep in mind at morning feasts on the weekend?
Carolyn O'Neil: Right, well if it is one of those Sunday brunch situations where you're just going out to relax, then you're reading the paper and say, "Let's go out to breakfast," things can rack up pretty quickly in terms of calories and the fat. You know a couple of sausage links -- there goes another hundred calories. Hash browns – oops, there's another 250 calories. So I'm not saying to "say no" to hash browns or sausages. But again, every time you're adding one of those sorts of traditional choices, you're really packing on a lot more fat and calories. What I would recommend is: say you wanted to order eggs, I would go ahead and get a veggie omelet. And if you want to lower the calories further, a lot of places have egg substitute. And yes, it's okay to have cheese, but just get a sprinkling of cheddar cheese or maybe some Swiss cheese, which actually has a little less calories. And if you want orange juice, you know that six ounce glass -- and hopefully it's fresh squeezed or 100% orange juice -- that's terrific. You know you don't need a huge, giant tumbler of orange juice. And wholegrain toast, if you want butter spread it thinly on there and a fresh fruit cup. Again, if you want to splurge on a slice of bacon, it's 36 calories, that's not really that much. So don't feel bad about it. But again, you don't want to eat six slices.
Carolyn O'Neil: Great! I'm Hungry!
Bethanne Patrick: Exactly. We all are. So, dining out in general, people know that they have to watch their weight, but some people do eat out everyday. What are some dining out tips for someone who never eats at home -- whether it's because of lifestyle, or travel, whatever it happens to be.
Carolyn O'Neil: Well you know, eating out, once upon a time, was a "special occasion" thing. You know it was okay -- birthdays, anniversaries, you know special days -- to just go out and live it up, and get whatever you wanted. But, the reality is that today the majority of people do eat out quite often. Whatever healthy eating goals you have, you have to apply at a restaurant. And what's different about dining at a restaurant rather than eating at home, obviously, is that you're not making the food, so you don't know as much about what's going into it. So looking at the menu, asking the server some questions -- all very important things to get started.
Bethanne Patrick: Now, what about portion control when you're dining out? Because you're not making the food, as you said, and you're also not always dishing it up onto the plate.
Carolyn O'Neil: Right, now I have a couple tips there. Sometimes on a menu it will actually tell you that it's a four-ounce portion, or it's a six-ounce portion, or it's a forty-two ounce portion. And that is where you should be asking your server -- how big is it? And another tip that I have is when you're in the restaurant, as long as you're checking out the room to see who's there, check out the plates that are coming out. That is the best way to get an eye ball, do your research, and say, "wow." You know, it may say that it's a grilled chicken and that it comes with something like string beans or something, and you're like, "Good, I'm going to get my vegetable serving." Sometimes I worry that the portions aren't big enough in the vegetable category, especially at a really artsy restaurant. You may get a grilled fish or grilled chicken and there are four green beans, done in a sort of tic-tac-toe pattern on top. So again, you would want to take a look around and say, hmmm, I would like to "super-size" that side of broccoli or that side of green beans. Because when they come to your table, or to your plate, you may be sort of disappointed. And then again, if the portion is just too huge, I would recommend, instead of having them bring that portion to you, saying "Can you go ahead and box that up in the kitchen? Half of it before it gets to me?" Then two things happen: A) You're not going to be tempted to eat the whole thing, and B) those leftovers are going to maintain their integrity. I think it actually tastes better when you have it later on for lunch or for dinner the next day.
Bethanne Patrick: Very good point, now on to breakfast. Many people love a big country breakfast on the weekends, and they'll say "Well I'll stick to one or two slices of bacon." But what else should people keep in mind at morning feasts on the weekend?
Carolyn O'Neil: Right, well if it is one of those Sunday brunch situations where you're just going out to relax, then you're reading the paper and say, "Let's go out to breakfast," things can rack up pretty quickly in terms of calories and the fat. You know a couple of sausage links -- there goes another hundred calories. Hash browns – oops, there's another 250 calories. So I'm not saying to "say no" to hash browns or sausages. But again, every time you're adding one of those sorts of traditional choices, you're really packing on a lot more fat and calories. What I would recommend is: say you wanted to order eggs, I would go ahead and get a veggie omelet. And if you want to lower the calories further, a lot of places have egg substitute. And yes, it's okay to have cheese, but just get a sprinkling of cheddar cheese or maybe some Swiss cheese, which actually has a little less calories. And if you want orange juice, you know that six ounce glass -- and hopefully it's fresh squeezed or 100% orange juice -- that's terrific. You know you don't need a huge, giant tumbler of orange juice. And wholegrain toast, if you want butter spread it thinly on there and a fresh fruit cup. Again, if you want to splurge on a slice of bacon, it's 36 calories, that's not really that much. So don't feel bad about it. But again, you don't want to eat six slices.
