Healthy Dining Out Tips by Cuisine Type
You can eat healthfully when dining out or bringing in food, if you know how. The following list includes healthy food choices (lower in calories and fat) and terms to look for when making your selection at restaurants offering different ethnic cuisines.
These tips have been sourced from heart.org and elsewhere.
Cajun - Cajun cuisine is spicy fare. Many Cajun dishes are high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium or all three, but almost all of them can be made with more healthful ingredients.
Choose more often:
- Boiled crawfish or shrimp
- Creole and jambalaya dishes
- Boiled or grilled seafood
- Turkey or roast beef Po ' Boy sandwiches
- White rice
- Red beans and rice without sausage
Chinese - Chinese food is a popular and healthy ethnic cuisine, but it can be high in sodium. Main dish portions are often quite large, so try ordering fewer entrees than you have dinner companions. Then divide and devour!
Choose more often:
- Steamed
- Jum (poached)
- Chu (boiled)
- Kow (roasted)
- Shu (barbecued)
- Hoison sauce with assorted Chinese vegetables: broccoli, mushrooms, onion, cabbage, snow peas, scallions, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, asparagus
- Oyster sauce (made from seafood)
- Lightly stir-fried in mild sauce
- Cooked in light wine sauce
- Hot and spicy tomato sauce
- Sweet and sour sauce
- Hot mustard sauce
- Reduced sodium soy sauce
- Dishes without MSG added
- Garnished with spinach or broccoli
- Fresh fish filets, shrimp, scallops
- Chicken, without skin
- Lean beef
- Bean curd (tofu)
- Moo shu vegetables, chicken, or shrimp
- Steamed rice
- Lychee fruit
French - French food used to mean high in fat, with butter as a staple ingredient. "Nouvelle cuisine" has introduced a new, lighter way of cooking with French flair.
Choose more often:
- Dinner salad with vinegar or lemon juice dressing (or other reduced fat dressing)
- Crusty bread without butter
- Fresh fish, shrimp, scallops, steamed mussels (without sauces)
- Chicken breast, without skin
- Lighter nouvelle cuisine
- Rice and noodles without cream or added butter or other fat
- Bordelaise or other wine-based sauce
- Fresh fruit for dessert
Greek - Many Greek dishes are prepared with olive oil, which is one of the better choices of oil but can add lots of calories. Some favorite ingredients like feta cheese and olives are high in sodium.
Choose more from:
- Appetizers with rice or eggplant
- Dolmas (rice mixture wrapped in grape leaves)
- Tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber appetizer)
- Roast lamb; shish kabob; couscous or bulgur wheat with vegetables or chicken
- Chicken pita sandwich
- Plaki (fish cooked in tomatoes, onions and garlic)
- Fruit
Indian - Indian food has its good and bad points. It's good because it includes lots of grains high in fiber and less animal protein. Legumes and vegetables are also commonly used — another plus. The problem is that much of the food is prepared with ghee (clarified butter) or is fried or sautéed. Coconut oil and milk, which are high in saturated fat, are also used often.
Choose more from:
- Tikka (pan roasted)
- Cooked with, or marinated in yogurt
- Cooked with green vegetables, onions, tomatoes,
peppers, and mushrooms - With spinach (saag)
- Baked leavened bread
- Masala
- Tandoori
- Paneer
- Cooked with curry, marinated in spices
- Lentils, chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- Garnished with dried fruits
- Chickpeas (garbanzo) and potatoes
- Basmati rice (pullao)
- Mattar (peas)
- Chicken or shrimp kebab
Italian - To most people, Italian food means pasta. Pasta is low in fat, and whole-grain pasta is a good choice when available. It’s the full-fat cheeses and cream sauces that add all the saturated fat and calories. So ask for fettuccini with marinara sauce.
Choose more from:
- Lightly sautéed with onions
- Shallots
- Peppers and mushrooms
- Artichoke hearts
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Red sauces—spicy marinara sauce (arrabiata),
marinara sauce, or cacciatore - Light red sauce or light red or white wine sauce
- Light mushroom sauce
- Red clam sauce
- Primavera (no cream sauce)
- Lemon sauce
- Capers
- Herbs and spices—garlic and oregano
- Crushed tomatoes and spices
- Florentine (spinach)
- Grilled (often fish or vegetables)
- Piccata (lemon)
- Manzanne (eggplant)
- Italian ices
Japanese - If anyone has perfected low-fat cuisine, it's the Japanese. Japanese cuisine highlights rice and vegetables and relies on food preparation methods that require little or no fat or oil. Because of this, most of the fat you eat comes directly from the food you choose. Typically, portions are smaller too.
Choose more from:
- House salad with fresh ginger and cellophane
(clear rice) noodles - Rice
- Nabemono
- Chicken, fish, or
shrimp teriyaki, broiled in sauce - Soba noodles, often used in soups
- Yakimono (broiled)
- Tofu or bean curd
- Grilled vegetables
- Yosenabe (seafood and vegetables in broth); shabu-shabu (sliced beef and noodles cooked and served at the table with dipping sauce); sukiyaki (beef and vegetables cooked in sauce) or su udon (hot noodles and broth)
- Sumashi wan (clear soup with tofu and shrimp)
Middle Eastern - A lot of Middle Eastern dishes are prepared with olive oil, which is one of the better choices of oil but can add lots of calories. Some favorite ingredients like feta cheese and olives are high in sodium.
Choose more from:
- Lemon dressing, lemon juice
- Blended or seasoned with Middle Eastern spices
- Herbs and spices
- Mashed chickpeas
- Fava beans
- Smoked eggplant
- With tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and cucumbers
- Spiced ground meat
- Special garlic sauce
- Basted with tomato sauce
- Garlic
- Chopped parsley and/or onion
- Couscous (grain)
- Rice or bulgur (cracked wheat)
- Stuffed with rice and imported spices
- Grilled on a skewer
- Marinated and barbecued
- Baked
- Charbroiled or charcoal broiled
- Fresh fruit
Mexican - A lot of Mexican food is fried with lard and topped with cheese, so it’s loaded with saturated fat. It can be high in sodium, too. But when you know what to choose, Mexican food can be fresh, tasty and more healthful.
Choose more from:
- Shredded spicy chicken
- Rice and black beans
- Rice
- Ceviche (fish marinated in lime juice and mixed with spices)
- Served with salsa (hot red tomato sauce)
- Served with salsa verde (green chili sauce)
- Covered with enchilada sauce
- Topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes,
and onions - Served with or wrapped in a corn or wheat flour
(soft) tortilla - Grilled
- Marinated
- Picante sauce
- Simmered with chili vegetarian tomato sauce
Thai - Thai food is a wonderful blend of fresh and spicy. It tends to be light on fats, meats and sauces and relies more on vegetables, noodles and rice.
Choose more from:
- Barbecued, sautéed, broiled, boiled, steamed,
braised, marinated - Charbroiled
- Basil sauce, basil, or sweet basil leaves
- Lime sauce or lime juice
- Chili sauce or crushed dried chili flakes
- Thai spices
- Served in hollowed-out pineapple
- Fish sauce
- Hot sauce
- Napa, bamboo shoots, black mushrooms, ginger,
garlic - Bed of mixed vegetables
- Scallions, onions
- Stir-fried dishes
- Fresh spring rolls
Steak Houses
Choose more from:
- Lean broiled beef (no more than 6 ounces)—
London broil, filet mignon, round and
flank steaks - Baked potato without added butter, margarine,
or sour cream. Try low-fat yogurt or mustard. - Green salad with reduced
fat dressing - Steamed vegetables without
added butter or margarine. Try lemon juice
and herbs. - Seafood dishes (usually indicated as “surf” on
menus) - Angel food cake or sherbet
Vietnamese - Vietnamese food is one of the world's oldest and most exquisite cuisines. Its subtle flavors and textures blend the Far East with French cooking for a marvelous dining experience.
Choose more from:
- Canh chua tom (spicy and sour shrimp soup)
- Goi cuon (fresh spring roll)
- Bo xa lui nuong (grilled beef with lemon grass in rice paper with vegetables)
- Ca hap (steamed whole fish)
- Ca kho to (fish steamed with caramel sauce in clay pot)
- Lychee (fruit in syrup)
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