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© Lloyd McTaggart 2009 |
EATING OUT 101
Basics for Survival “Let's Go Out and Grab A Bite To Eat.”That simple little statement can strike fear into the hearts of people who really care about their food. Or at least, it should.
The restaurant landscape in Canada is littered with obstacles to good nutrition and just plain good eating. The fast food industry is likely the most well-known example of this, but there are more. So-called ‘family restaurants’ can also contain lots of surprises in the menu.
How Did You Really Start Your Day? Let's look at a simple breakfast. Are the eggs good for you? How were those chickens raised and fed? Were the pancakes made with fresh, wholesome ingredients? What about the toast - was the bread made with no-additive flour? Does it contain chemical preservatives? Do the preserves contain things like fructose instead of sugar? What actually went into that bacon? And why does that cool children's cereal contain TSP, a chemical cleaner? How exactly are YOU starting your day when you have breakfast at a restaurant?
It Gets Worse As The Day Goes On The challenge of finding really good food (as we define it on our Home page) gets even bigger when you start thinking about lunch and dinner. If you have eaten out a lot in a variety of restaurants, you will likely have encountered everything from artificial gravy to chemical-based soups to mystery meats to...well, you get the picture.
Who Is Responsible? More and more of our so-called restaurant food comes from distributors who source from factories who don't place nutrition at the top of their priority lists. It's not their fault - they simply supply what the restaurant orders. And the restaurant orders what the customers buy.
Which means that it all comes back to YOU because YOU are the one who keeps eating this stuff. After all, if YOU don't care what you're shoveling down your throat, why should they?
Can It Change? Until the average restaurant customer begins to DEMAND better quality, wholesome food on the menus, there is no reason for the Food Service Industry to change. They are following good business practise - to satisfy customer demands, at a profit.
Perhaps the question should not be ‘Can it change?’ but rather, ‘How will it change?’
It's your move.
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The Foodie &
The Restaurant.
At Times,
A Dilemma.How does a person who is serious about sticking to wholesome, nutritious foods actually dine out with a clear conscience? It all starts with a basic understanding of what's what on the menu. Here are some simple starter suggestions:
Avoid most salad dressings - ask for oil & vinegar
Order whole grain breads when possibleOrder extra side veggies & avoid the fries
Try to avoid fried dishes - grilled, steamed, broiled, or roasted are usually better choices
Look for ‘whole foods’ such as fresh vegetable & fruit salads
Avoid desserts with ‘whipped toppings’ unless they're scratch-made. Ask!
Try to avoid soda/pop - tea is your best beverage choice
These are just a few entry-level tips to help get you thinking about what's really inside those menus. Good luck! |
