Cipunce Health Tips

Archive for May, 2009

Deep fried. Super sweet. Buttered heavily. Although these terms might sound good, they are not exactly good for our bodies. It can be quite the challenge to find healthy food at a restaurant. However, if you know how to look and what to ask, you will be likely to find something at almost every restaurant you go to. The following are tips on finding healthy food at a restaurant.

Do they tell you what is healthy?

Some restaurants will actually mark on their menu the healthy foods. They may have special section that they mark as light or healthy. They may have some sort of notation next to the items that are better for you on different dimensions. They will often give some nutritional information right on the menu for those. Be careful, though. Just because they deem it as healthy does not mean that it is so. It is usually healthier than their other food but that does not mean healthy.

A lot of restaurants will also have a brochure with nutritional information. You can look through there, and pick out the healthier items. You cannot always tell from the name of something whether it is healthy. Even vegetables can have loads of butter in them to turn a healthy meal unhealthy. Salads draped in dressings, croutons and bacon can go from healthy to unhealthy in sixty seconds flat.

Hold the mayo.

One way to get healthier food is to ask them to hold the potions of the meal that are unhealthy. Many restaurants, even fast food ones, will often allow you to hold different portions. For instance, many restaurants offer a veggie burger. However, on top of it, they may put mayonnaise, cheese and generously buttered bread. This can add a great deal of calories and fat. You can ask if they can hold those things. In the aforementioned salad, you can ask if they can put the dressing on the side so that you can just dip a little of it. You can ask for just a little or no croutons or bacon bits. If you get some sort of dish with oil in it such as a pasta or vegetables you can often ask for light or no oil. These can all make it much healthier.

Can I have vegetables instead of the fries?

Many restaurants will allow you to substitute different items. Instead of French fries you can often get a baked potato. Of course, be careful about loading it with cheese and sour cream. You can often also substitute a vegetable instead. Ask for it steamed and not heavily buttered.

Use common sense

Some of it is common sense, although healthy sounding items can be unhealthy. Obviously, most items like deep fried chicken, oily pizza, creamy pastas and heavy red meat are bad for you. Grilled poultry and many fishes tend to be better for you. Again be on the lookout for ways they may make it unhealthy.

Ask the chef

The chef will have an idea of what is healthy and not. You can ask to speak to him or her. Often they will be able to accommodate you.

Get a restaurant guide

There are books you can buy that list the nutritional information of different chain restaurants. Much of this information can also be found on the Internet.

Eating healthy is important and can extend your life. If you take the time and effort, you can usually eat healthy when eating out.

Learn more about this author, Suzanne Rose.

Vitamin C, also know as L-absorbic acid, is known for its preventive qualities. It’s not only for fighting illness, but can also repair cells and bones. In addition, it helps maintain the cells’ healthy function. It can help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease. Vitamin C is also known for reducing cholesterol. What most people don’t realize is that the body is not capable of storing vitamin C; therefore it must be replenished on a daily basis. Vitamin C also aids in the absorbtion of iron.

Being the most popular vitamin consumed, many people reach for vitamin C capsules to help prevent or lessen the effects of diseases and other illnesses. However, did you know that many foods contain vitamin C naturally?

Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are the most popular way to get your daily dose of vitamin C. But there are other fruits that are high in vitamin C. Kiwis are another big source of vitamin C. In fact, they have four times more vitamin C than the ever popular orange. Cantelopes, watermelon, cranberries, and pineapples are also fruit that are high in vitamin C.

If the citrus taste doesn’t satisfy your pallet, there are other fruits to choose from that contains Vitamin C. The fruits include bananas, strawberries, plums, apricots, apples, blueberries, pears, and mango. Although these fruits aren’t as high in vitamin C as the others listed, they are still a great way to continue adding this vital vitamin to your body.

Generally when people think of vitamin C, they think of fruits, but certain vegetables contain a high dose of vitamin C as well. Some of these include brussel sprouts, collard greens, broccoli, and cabbage. However, red bell peppers contain a higheramount of vitamin C. So you can sneak in a significant amount of vitamin C by adding red bell peppers to your meals.

Speaking of adding vitamin C supplements to your food; parsely and garlic also contain vitamin C. Other cooking herbs that help add vitamin C to your diet include oregano, dill, basil, rosemary, cloves, paprika, and tumeric.

Spinach is another excellent source of vitamin C. Although it is considered a side dish, you could replace the traditional iceberg lettuce with raw spinach leaves when it comes to your salads.

Adding certain beans to your diet will help add to your daily allowance of vitamin C. Beans like lima beans, green beans, and poke beans are an excellent source.

Most people don’t think they can get vitamin C from animals, but they can. Although it’s true that meat isn’t high in vitamin C, it is still present. Oysters, cod, liver, and pork are meats that contain the highest amount of vitamin C.

Another thing to consider when using food as a source of vitamin C is that the amount of vitamin C a particular food has depends on how it is stored, how ripe it is, and how it is cooked. Cooking is something many people overlook. When you cook fruits and vegetables they tend to loose vitamin C. For example, cacoa bean is the source of our chocolate treats. However, in order to make the chocolate bar, it has to be cooked and sweeteners added. Once the cacoa bean is cooked, it looses all of it’s vitamin C nutrients. It’s best to eat fruits and vegetables raw, but if you must cook them consider steaming or boiling them so they will retain much of their vitamin C nutrients.

If you still want to take a vitamin C capsule, consider the foods you are consuming. You may or may not need to take a high dose capsule. Vitamin C in large doses can be damaging. It can cause stomach craps and diarreahea. It is advised not to consume more that 200-500mg a day. Please keep in mind that too much of a good thing is generally bad.

Learn more about this author, Linda S. Watts.