Visiting ethnic restaurants is a cultural treat. Unfortunately, some ethnic dishes can be just as high in fat, sugar or salt as our Western foods – a concern for dieters or those with health concerns. Make sensible choices so you can enjoy traditional foods while still eating healthfully.
Try to order entrées containing the most vegetables. Choose foods baked, broiled, braised, grilled, roasted, steamed, simmered or sautéed. Limit anything fried, breaded and/or deep fried or swimming in rich sauces. Sauces are usually high in sugar, fat and sodium. Have them served on the side.
Some cultures traditionally add lots of salt to their dishes. However, sodium content largely depends on the chef. Request no salt, if you have hypertension.
Here are some healthier choices in several ethic restaurants:
Greek nutritious choices include grilled fish and spinach or other greens sautéed with olive oil and garlic. Try chicken, pork or prawn souvlaki (grilled meat on skewers), hummus with pita, couscous, dolmades, baba ghanoush, tzatziki sauce, stifado stew, lamb or fish with steamed vegetables. Share the spinach pie (spanakopita); it’s as rich in calories and fat as a bacon cheeseburger!
Italian cuisine offers tossed salad, shrimp cocktail, tomato or broth-based soup (like minestrone), grilled calamari, grilled chicken, chicken cacciatore, gnocchi, marinara/red sauce, steamed, broiled or boiled seafood. Limit the cream sauces (like Alfredo) and fried meat.
Mexican cuisine healthful choices include grilled fish tacos and grilled chicken, gazpacho, chicken or vegetable fajitas, grilled chicken-based dishes (like arroz con pollo), grilled seafood-based dishes (like camarones de hacha), salsa and picante sauces, soft tacos with chicken or beef, tamales, chicken flautas, chile con carne (hold the cheese) and pico de gallo. Go easy on the chimichangas, quesadillias, crunchy tacos, taco salad, chorizo sausage, sour cream and sopapillas.
Indian health-boosting meals are vegetable curry with dal, chicken or beef tikka and curried vegetables, tandoori chicken or fish, steamed rice, raita sauce, lentil soup, naan bread, lassi, chicken vindaloo. Be prudent of dishes with “crispy” in the name, as well as anything fried, like samosas (pastry puffs).
Chinese nutritious choices include hot and sour soup, wonton soup, steamed (not fried) spring rolls, teriyaki chicken skewers made with steamed or boiled chicken or shrimp, steamed vegetables, steamed (not fried) rice. Share the lemon chicken (the meat is breaded, deep-fried and in a sugary sauce).
Thai restaurants offer a variety of healthful dishes like yam or yum salad (vegetables and noodles), larb (meat-based salad), steamed dumplings, seafood-based dishes (like steamed mussels). A soup called Tom Yung Gung, made with shrimp and several herbs and spices has a powerful mix of antioxidants that researchers suggest may inhibit tumor growth. Choose less often: Deep-fried spring rolls, satay, peanut sauce or dressing, fried fish, sweet and sour sauce.
Eve Lees was a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Counsellor for 30 years. Currently she is a Freelance Health Writer and Speaker.
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Eve Lees has been active in the health & fitness industry since 1979. Currently, she is a Freelance Health Writer for several publication and speaks to business and private groups on various health topics.