Article By: Johnny Fontana

Many diets emphasize “calorie control” as a means of keeping those “pounds of fat” to a minimum.  But people often forget that all calories are not created equal. We may place label them under the same big blanket category, but the difference between a good calorie and a bad calorie can be tremendous. While some calories are amazing for you, others can infiltrate your boy and do as much damage as toxic chemicals — often because some of them are (or at least should be considered) toxic chemicals.

When you break it down, food manufacturers are smart and lazy. They have created certain formulas for chemicals that have an almost universal purpose in food. This is why you can grab processed foods from each aisle of your grocery store and see the same ingredients. From cake mix to cheese, frozen dinners to fruit drinks, I bet that a handful of identical ingredients will pop up in just about every food.

These most pervasive of ingredients are usually the ones that are the most highly processed. They serve a specific purpose and our bodies become conditioned to certain flavors or tastes. The major downside is that most of the highly processed ingredients have been linked to major health issues. On top of that, they are in just about every prepackaged food you can find.

Here is the list of what ingredients to avoid. Don’t be surprised if the grocery store suddenly gets cut into a fraction of the size after you cut out these out.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)- As with any political campaign, there are two sides to the HFCS story. And like a political campaign, there is big money in HFCS.  Because it’s a big-time money saver, food manufacturing companies like to use it in just about every food they make — and have a high interest in keeping it around.  They dump millions into fighting the negative campaign people like me have tried to launch against HFCS. Don’t listen to them.

High fructose corn syrup is an insulin destroyer that messes with your head and has been linked to many health issues. Without getting too crazy into details, you want your body to be insulin-sensitive in order to live a healthy and fit life. People who develop diabetes are insulin-resistant, which is mostly caused by constantly high insulin levels. HFCS sends insulin through the roof.  The more you eat it, the more insulin-resistant you become.  Not good. It also suppresses the amino acid that triggers your brain to tell your body that you’re full. And that is part of the reason the food companies throw it in everything — it makes you eat more and more.

Nitrate & Nitrite- As a result of our nation’s obsession with meat, our diets feature heavy consumption of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, two chemicals used to preserve meats. The catch here is that nitrates themselves are no big deal and aren’t terrible for your body. However, once you heat it up, the chemical reaction changes them to nitrosamines which, are a big time cancer-causer. Considering you likely heat up your meat before you eat it, you are allowing this process to take place each time you eat meat. The easy fix is to buy nitrate-free meat.

Hydrogenated Oils- Hydrogenated oils are used mostly in solid foods. Since regular oils are liquid, food companies pass the oil through a heating process, adding some hydrogen molecules to the oil. This allows the oil to harden a bit. Processed foods where oil needs to be added but are meant to be solid will likely have some type of hydrogenated oil. This stuff helps you gain weight, slows down your metabolism and is great for making you susceptible to more diseases. Sounds like a winner to me.

Enriched Wheat Flour- Ah, the word enriched. Sounds so great, like it will be adding some benefits to your life. The food companies want to make you think that as well. They say, “Hey, we added some great nutrients to the wheat flour,” when in fact they took out the vast majority of the good ones and put back a few, just okay ones. Typically, about 11 of the essential vitamins and minerals are taken out and 4 chemicals are put back in. They still call it wheat flour, make whole wheat bread out of it, and the majority of the country goes on thinking they are buying a good loaf of bread. You need to find whole grain wheat bread, which still has its 11 vitamins and minerals intact.

Artificial sweeteners- I think the majority of the country knows about the negatives of artificial sweeteners, but just doesn’t understand either what classifies an artificial sweetener or how bad they actually are. The big issue here is that these things are pretty much completely lab-created. Aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium and saccharin are all sugar substitute chemicals that are commonly used. Splenda, Equal, Sweet and Low, etc., are all artificial sweeteners and just about any “diet” food product has artificial sweeteners in them. The major health concern with all of these sweeteners is not a huge deal… just cancer!

Reading nutritional labels to see what the ingredients are is the absolute best way to cut these out of your diet. They aren’t good for you and aren’t meant for your  body (which is why the earth didn’t create them). It might take some getting used to, especially cutting out HFCS, but once you do, your body with thank you. Without changing the total amount of food you eat each day, simply cutting these out will have you shedding pounds and feeling much healthier. Give it a try for a week to see how easy it actually is.

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

Never before has so much emphasis been placed on our country’s weight and overall health. At the same time, we are now more overweight and less healthy than ever before. Over 30% of the population is considered obese, a number that has doubled in the last 30 years. A decent amount of our country’s youth is expected to die before their parents, due to health issues developed from being overweight. It is obvious that we are facing a major crisis and to think that it’s all because of food is tragic.

I truly believe that one of the biggest issues with our diet is the lack of fiber content. Our ancestors were getting upwards of 100 grams of fiber in their diet each day, while we on average get just over 10.

Lack of fiber can be directly correlated with many health-related diseases and issues that can develop over time. Fiber does so many wonderful things for the body, but we are set up for trouble when we only get a third of what is recommended (30g) each day.

Why So Good?

Fiber

Beans are one of the most densely packed, fibrous foods on the planet. One cup will give you between 11 to 17g of fiber. The fiber in turn works as a major health booster and illness fighter. High-fiber diets put you at less risk for a heart attack or colon cancer. The fiber also helps to regulate blood-sugar levels and ensures you are more insulin-sensitive (a good thing).

Protein

But beans don’t just boast a high amount of fiber. They also offer a hefty serving of protein as well. A cup of beans will usually get you around 15g of protein. Between the fiber and the protein in each serving, your blood and nutrient flow will be working in optimal conditions.

Micronutrients

Along with the quality macronutrient benefits from the fiber and protein, the micro nutrients in beans are also stellar. Beans have about half the folate, tryptophan and manganese that is recommended of each daily. You also will find nearly 200% the daily value (DV) of a compound called molybdenum. Although there aren’t necessarily any major health benefits to molybdenum, having a deficiency can lead to health issues, and few food are as rich in molybdenum as beans. You will also find about 20% the DV of iron in a cup of beans, which is crucial, especially for females.

Pack A Punch

For just over 200 calories, beans are surely worth more than their weight. 15 grams of fiber, 15 grams of protein, no sugar and only 1 gram of fat sounds pretty good to me.

How To Eat?

You can either cook beans on your own or buy some canned beans. Cooking them is a bit of a pain and if you are anything like me (ADD) you will forget that you are cooking them and screw them up. I like to buy canned beans but usually strain them to get rid of the high amounts of sodium that is typical in canned beans. As a general rule of thumb, the blacker the bean, the sweeter the juice (darker the better).

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

With spring comes the start of the season for many fruits and vegetables. The spring and summer months seem to be the time of year when most tropical fruits are eaten. Pineapple is one of the most popular, bursting with both tropical flavor and smell. Not only does it taste great, but underneath that tough shell is a fruit loaded with nutrients.

Pineapples have been credited with keeping your immune system strong, giving you energy and aiding in digestion. Since the spring and summer months are also our most active, who has time to be achy, sick or tired? Get on some daily pineapple and you’ll be on your way to enjoying your spring and summer like never before.

Why So Good?

Energy

Pineapples are packed with trace minerals which are essential to human vitality. One such mineral is manganese, of which pineapples hold over 100% of the daily value. Manganese is great for energy production because it fights off free radicals that can harm the mitochondria. Mitochondria are known by scientists as “cellular power plants” because they generate ATP, which is a main source for energy. It also contains a B vitamin called thiamin, which is another energy aid. Eat a little pineapple in the morning and you will be storing up energy for the rest of the day.

Get Some Bro

An enzyme-rich compound called bromelain is a major source of pineapples’ extensive health benefits. Actually, enzymes found in bromelain have been extracted and used as dietary supplements. It is great for preventing inflammation, which can lead to a host of health issues.

Bromelain is found most abundantly in the core and stem of a pineapple. This compound is a great digestive aid and is regularly recommended to people with digestion issues. Plus it gives you an excuse to put down some Pina Coladas the next time you’re sitting poolside.

How To Eat?

I don’t think I have to tell you how to eat pineapple. Fresh or frozen are both great choices, and because of its energy- producing value, I recommend eating it in the morning.

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

I remember watching “Popeye the Sailor” at my grandfather’s house when I was a little kid.  Even though I was born decades after the show originally launched, I still grew up watching the show.

I think we all know that Popeye is famous for slamming down a can of spinach in order to win his girl Olive back, but did you ever think of the cultural impact this image made?  In a day and age where cartoon characters are more likely to be seen chomping down a fast-food hamburger or drinking a soda, we have lost track of the importance of someone like Popeye. As Popeye began to fade off the television screen, whole foods began to fade off of our nation’s dinner plates. It is funny (actually it’s kind of depressing) that this sailor who lived in a garbage can may have literally been holding one of the keys to health. Popeye may have depended on spinach to provide him with super strength, but it also boasts a whole host of other health benefits as well.

Why So Good?

Power Packed

Last month the first spinach season of the year began, marking a time when it is most widely abundant and tastiest. Words like antioxidants and phytonutrients are tossed around quite often these days by people who hope to sound like they know something about nutrition. But when talking about spinach, it is hard to avoid using those terms — spinach boasts at least 13 different flavonoids, packed with antioxidant and anticancer benefits.

Cancer Fighting

The anticancer benefits of spinach have gotten a ton of attention by researchers. Neoxanthin is a carotenoid that has been linked to fighting prostate cancer. Neoxanthin has shown to prevent cancer cells from reproducing and in some cases even cause cancer cells to self-destuct. Spinach is also very rich in kaempferol, which has been linked to preventing ovarian cancer.

Get Your Vitamins

Of all the vitamins we talk about, vitamin K may get the least amount of recognition. The fact that vitamin K helps build and maintain strong bones should not ignored. One cup of spinach holds about 180% the daily recommended amount of vitamin K.

What Else?

The lutein in spinach is fantastic for eye sight, iron (35% DV) is fantastic for women and vitamin E is very beneficial to the brain. You will also find some Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, folate and manganese in spinach. And at only 7 calories per serving, spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.

How To Eat?

Go O

Some may be resistant to try spinach after the E. coli scare that happened a few years ago.  People should not worry, however, because that e. coli outbreak was most likely the result of animal waste.  Purchase organic spinach to be safe, as those who grow spinach by conventional means do not do a great job of protecting their crop. You should still wash the leaves even if you buy it bagged, like you would with salads.

Cook It Up

Other than that, you can boil, sauté or eat spinach raw. It proves as a great side to an entree or can be the base for a dinner salad. I personally love a spinach salad with some strawberries. I doubt the creators of Popeye really understood what they were doing by putting a can of spinach in his hands, but they couldn’t have picked a better of a food.

Otherwise, use real butter and ghee just as you’d use the butter you find in most grocery stores.

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

A friend recently sent me a message asking whether she should eat more fat or more carbohydrates. This really sparked my attention, making me realize that a lot of people have the same question. It is not necessary to follow one of the high-fat or high-carb diets, you just need to pay attention to what type of food (carb, fat, protein) your eating. The fact that she is thinking about this is a major step in the right direction.

No one has ever become overweight from eating too much protein, but those who have taken fancy to consuming high amounts of carbs or fat have. If you adopt a diet high in both carbs and fat chances are that you will have weight issues. I highly recommend to pick one of the two and have that lead your daily food consumption. Although I carry a heavy bias towards a high-fat & high-protein diet, you might be a carb junkie. I’ll explain the differences in the two in the following paragraphs.

Benefits of Fat

If you have been following my posts for a while, it is probably obvious that I am a big fan of fats. I would love it if we would start calling them lipids so people would get over this stigma that fats make you fat, but that likely won’t happen soon. Good fats provide a wide variety of benefits that carbs can’t even attempt to compete with. From a beauty standpoint, they are great for hair, skin and nails. Fats help increase cell production, especially in the brain. They also are very beneficial for your heart and other organs (believe it or not). Your joints will also thank you because fats tend to act as an anti-inflammatory. If you eat the healthy fats (avocado, animals, nuts & good oils) you will see a tremendous amount of health benefits from them.

Negatives of Fat

The one major downfall of fat is that it is high in calories. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, as opposed to 4 for both protein and carbs. Other than that, the good fats are pretty flawless.

Benefits of Carbs

The one major benefit of carbohydrates is the fiber count found in them. The majority of fiber that the typical American consumes comes from carbohydrates. They also are our bodies first and main source for energy. Glycogen stores are used by our muscles, especially in physical activity.

The vast majority of fruits and vegetables consist mostly of carbs. The good news here is that most fruits and vegetables are low in calories, so the majority of the carbs in them come from fiber.

Negatives of Carbs

It is a lot harder to tell the difference between a good carb and a bad carb, as compared to a good fat vs. bad fat. Is bread good for you? Are potatoes good for you? How about rice? Most people aren’t prepared to answer these questions and have a hard time deciphering which carbs will be helping them as opposed to hurting. For the most part you have great carbs that are low calories, high fiber (fruits & veggies) than you have bads that are high calorie, low fiber. Carbs are also typically high in sugar, which leads to insulin and blood sugar spikes. If you are looking to lose weight, those spikes are your worst enemy. Bacteria in your stomach loves sugar, this can actually lead to inflammation.

My Recommendation

I suggest that you stick with a high-fat and high-protein diet. I am a believer that unless you are a cardio endurance athlete your daily intake of carbs doesn’t need to be higher than 40%. There’s really no great health benefits to most carbohydrates aside from the fiber, which you can get from proteins and fats. One of the only real cases you can make for carbs is the fact that they provide us with energy. The activity levels of most Americans isn’t high enough to require “carb loading”

Stick with the fat, it will keep you lean.

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

I hope that no one simply read the title of this post, decided they were convinced and just started shoving sticks of butter in their mouths. If you read any of my posts on other animal-derived products, you will see there is almost always an asterisk underlining the title. This may be one of the biggest asterisk-blanketed posts I have written yet, because of the difference between good and bad butter. The typical butter you get at the grocery store is one of the worst, single food items you can buy. However, if you are lucky enough to live in a state or city with stores and markets that present a wide variety of health foods, then the good butter can be found.

The butter you find in stores today is loaded with saturated fat from grain-fed cows that are pumped full of hormones and stand knee-deep in their own manure. This is the stuff you should avoid at all costs and never even think about purchasing. But “real” butter that comes from grass-fed, organic cows that are raised on open pastures actually boasts a variety of health benefits. This stuff can absolutely be eaten from time to time and I think you will be amazed by all the good stuff inside it.

Why So Good?

Saturated Isn’t So Bad

I know that your first rebuttal to my “Butter is good for you” claim will be that it holds saturated fat. Saturated fat is widely considered to be an enemy of man, leading to many heart complications. In many cases, saturated fat is terrible for us and should be dodged like a ball thrown from the big kid in your 4th grade Phys Ed class. However, saturated fat that comes from natural foods (butter, avocado, eggs) has shown to hold some health benefits and isn’t nearly as bad for you as you might think. The saturated fat in butter has been shown in many studies to increase good cholesterol levels. Other studies have shown that saturated fat from good foods is not necessarily linked to higher rates in heart disease. Some of the healthiest cultures in the world traditionally have diets that are high in fat and saturated fat.

Nutrient Packed

Butter is filled with nutrients, especially the fat-soluble vitamins that our culture traditionally lacks. Our immune systems and vision both benefit from vitamin A, which is found in abundance in butter. Vitamin D is also found in butter, which helps build bones, aids in calcium absorption and fights against the common cold. Other essential fat-soluble vitamins such as E and K are found in butter as well.

Lose Weight

Real cows hold a special chemical called conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) which can actually fight weight gain in humans (yeah, some fats help reduce fat). As if that wasn’t cool enough, CLA can help prevent against fat around the abdomen. On top of that, CLA has many anticancer benefits and helps fight against infections.

Ghee

Ghee is basically the same thing as butter, but has the milk solids removed from it. Ghee has a few more benefits than butter because the removal of milk solids makes it great to cook with at higher temperatures without going rancid. For thousands of years many Eastern cultures have considered ghee to be an amazing food. They believe it speeds metabolism, fights against disease and is all around essential for good health. It’s hard for me to discredit the ancient Eastern cultures, because they had no incidences of heart disease or cancer.

How To Eat?

I don’t think I have to get into a big lesson here on how to eat butter. Most Americans use far too much butter (the bad kind) in our diets and put it in/on just about anything. While I am telling you that butter is good for you, I am not giving you a free pass to add butter in every meal. If you love to use butter for cooking, try out some ghee instead. Ghee can be raised to much higher temperatures than butter since the milk products are taken out of it.

Otherwise, use real butter and ghee just as you’d use the butter you find in most grocery stores.

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Article By: Johnny Fontana

If I told you that you could eat the exact same food you are eating now, but lose weight and develop a better body composition (body fat %) would you be into that idea? I think it would be really hard to find someone who would say no. I am not telling you to cut out certain foods or start counting your calories. I’m really not asking you to change your diet (the things you eat) at all, just to change when you eat them.

Western civilization (yes, that includes America) has developed some of the worst eating habits known to man. Sure, we typically eat food that is toxic to us, but that is not the point I am trying to make here. What we have done is arranged our eating habits in a way that sets us up for failure. We eat only a few meals per day, each packed with a large amount of food, and typically put off until later in the day. On top of that, we eat a ton of carbs at one time or a ton of fat at other times, which throws our bodies into a scramble.

This post will focus mostly on the bad foods that you eat and when to eat them. I don’t expect everyone to eat great foods all the time, but the trick is learning how to manage them. Here I will examine sugar intake and teach you how to properly eat sugar. Typically we are all-or-nothing-type people, eating loads of sugar at one time. This usually is around dinner or late-night snack time, which I shouldn’t have to tell you, is terrible for you.

All At Once

Nutrient timing is absolutely key to losing weight and getting a better body composition. Since we tend to have a problem with eating way too much sugar, I will use that as an example. Let’s say that you eat 50 grams of sugar throughout your day.  You can actually lose weight and lower your body fat by simply changing what time you eat that 50 grams. Let’s say you are currently eating 15 grams of sugar at lunch, 30 grams of sugar at dinner and 15 more grams for dessert or late snack. These large amounts of sugar later in the day will send your insulin through the roof, which is about the last thing in the world you want to do. On top of that, if your meal is comprised mostly of carbs, then you are in real trouble.

The Long Slow Burn

If you simply switch those 50 grams to 15 at breakfast, 10 for a late-morning snack, 10 at lunch, 10 for a late-afternoon snack and 5 at dinner, you will be in a much better position. By spreading out those 50 grams of sugar, you won’t be getting such an insulin spike. On top of that, by eating sugar earlier in the day, your body will have more time to burn it off.

Sugar & Insulin

I talk about insulin a lot, so if you are confused why I am bringing it up  read here to get a better understanding. By simply spacing out the sugar and putting it into more meals, you will be doing yourself justice. If you know that you are going to eat an entire Hershey’s bar today (not recommended), instead of eating it in one sitting break it up into multiple snacks. Eat a quarter with breakfast, a quarter with a snack, a quarter with lunch and a quarter with another snack.

Notice that I’m saying “with” in the last sentence. The food combinations that you eat will also play a big roll in your body’s ability to properly process the foods. I will get into this topic further in my next part of this series, so stay tuned.

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Article By: John Fontana

There are few foods that truly deserve to be designated “All-stars” for nutritional, abundance and economic reasons. Of that all-star team, cabbage may very well deserve to play the role of captain. In baseball, a player that can hit for average, hit for power, run, catch and throw is called a “5-tool player.” In the world of food, cabbage may be one of the only 5-tool players in the game, consistently over-performing, while being under-appreciated.

The saying “never judge a book by its cover” has never held more truth than with cabbage. From looking at it, you would never expect cabbage to be so healthy. When you break into the heart of green cabbage the dominant color is white, which is not exactly the typical color we look for when hunting for healthy foods. Even if you look at the nutritional breakdown, checking into the vitamins and minerals, cabbage doesn’t seem to be all that amazing. Sure it is high in vitamin K and vitamin C, but other than that, it doesn’t seem to be all that amazing. But look deep into the chemical makeup of cabbage and you will find some health properties that can’t and shouldn’t be avoided.

Why So Good?

Fight The Enemy

As with many of the foods featured on Shadow Fit, cabbage does a great job protecting and fighting against cancer-causing free radicals. Cabbage holds certain phytochemicals that can increase the rate at which specific enzymes help to kill off free radicals, while also fighting against carcinogens.

The metabolism of estrogen plays a key role in women’s health and certain phytonutrients found in cabbage called indoles help the body metabolize estrogen in a positive manner, reducing the risk of cancer.

Special Veggies

Cabbage belongs to the Cruciferae family which is made up of broccoli, chard, sprouts and bok choy. Multiple studies have shown that cruciferous vegetables are in a league of their own when it comes to protecting the body from cancer. In these studies, people who ate less overall vegetables, but more crucifer veggies still had a lower risk of cancer (especially prostate). Cabbage can have a positive impact, helping protect against lung, colon, breast, bladder, prostate and ovarian cancers.

Calm The Fire

Inflammatory reactions that our bodies have to free radicals are the building blocks for many health issues such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, ulcers and allergies. The antioxidants found in cabbage can help reduce inflammation in the body, which will help prevent many of the aforementioned diseases. Anthocyanins, one type of antioxidant found in cabbage, can help keep keep blood vessels and connective tissue healthy and operating optimally.

What’cha Got?

As stated earlier, cabbage is host to high levels of vitamin K and vitamin C but also contains manganese, folate, calcium and potassium. Raw cabbage will hold about 2 grams of fiber per cup compared to 4 grams of fiber for cooked cabbage.

How To Eat?

Cabbage has a wide variety of uses but my guess is that it is most commonly used in coleslaw. Both raw and cooked cabbage show different health properties, so an effort should be made to incorporate both types. Even when cooking cabbage, you should only sauté or steam it for around 5 minutes or less on low-medium temperature. If you cook cabbage for too long on too high a heat, sulfur will be released giving you a nasty rotten egg smell, which I doubt you are looking for.

My favorite way to eat cabbage is by making cultured vegetables, which essentially turns cabbage into real sauerkraut. Cultured veggies are some of the healthiest and easiest foods to prepare in the world. To give you a quick rundown, all you have to do is chop up a variety of veggies, mix them in with a culture started, throw them into an air sealed container and let them sit at room temperature for about a week. When the week is through, you will have a food that is truly amazing for you and does wonders for your gut.  Just a heads up, the taste will be sour and the smell during the culturing process isn’t the greatest. I recommend storing the cultured veggies out of the way while they are “culturing” and then putting them in the fridge (which will subside the smell) after the week is through.

real sauerkraut

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Chips are one of americans favorite snack to munch on. With hundreds of different brands and thousands of different flavors, it can be tough to make a selection. If you are one of those people who needs chips in their life but still trying to keep it healthy, you got your hands full. While there are some not so bad brands and flavors out there, many of them are terrble for you. Should you be picking a Lay’s Classic type chip or do you need to go with a brand like Kettle in order to keep it healthy?

Article By: John Fontana

You’re flipping back and forth between the pages of a menu trying to figure out, “What do I want to eat?”  But you’re finding little luck.  Your first move was to look at the salads, since they are generally regarded as the healthiest choice on the menu, but they aren’t working for you today. None of them seem too interesting, and on top of that you are hungry. So a salad gets eliminated from the list of options, and it’s on to the sandwiches and entrees.

Now an even bigger problem is facing you — what can you eat that isn’t packed with a million calories? You have been doing well all week with diet and exercise and do not want to blow it with one bad choice. The big problem is, you don’t know what’s considered a “good choice” and a “bad choice.”

You probably face this situation at least a few times per week. While some restaurants are just doomed and it is near impossible to find a healthy option, you can likely find a few hidden gems in most of them. Here’s how:

1. Nothing Fried

I hope this is an obvious tip to most of you, but it surprises me how many people don’t know how to point out which foods are fried and which aren’t. Sure, everyone knows the obvious ones like french fries and fried chicken, but what happens when the word “fried” is not in the name of the food? Anything with the words “battered” or “breaded” will likely be deep-fried. If you’re at a Mexican place, the chips are probably fried, and many appetizers such as mushrooms and calamari are fried as well. If you aren’t sure if a food is fried, ask your waiter. Do not make the mistake of eating fried foods.  They are some of the absolute worst foods you can eat.

2. Don’t Double Up

I see this issue a lot at restaurants, especially with breakfast places. I went to breakfast with a friend recently and they ordered a meal that came out with pancakes, potatoes and toast. That is three carb-based food items in one meal, which is a bit of an overload. My big point here is to avoid meals with two carb sources in them. If you have a sandwich, you shouldn’t be getting potatoes (especially fries) as a side. Carbs are Americans’ favorite foods because they taste great, and restaurants want you to enjoy their food so they throw an abundance of carbs at you. Don’t fall into the trap.

3. Pick One Of Each

Look to order a meal that has one fat, protein and carb source each and nothing more. The fat source will likely come from whatever the food is cooked in, and then it should be a piece of protein (i.e. chicken, fish, lean meat or tofu) and then a carb (if necessary). If you are still confused, here is a good way to look at it. A carb will typically be white or light brown (mashed potatoes, rice or pasta), a protein will typically be from an animal and a fat will be in the form of oil.

4. Avoid The Sauce

Foods that are based around a sauce are typically not a good idea when you’re eating out. A little bit of sauce is alright, but something that has the name of the sauce in the title should put you on alert. Pastas with Alfredo sauce are sky high in both fat and calories. The sauce alone will put you well over the amount of calories you should be eating in a meal. Any dish that has a sauce or dressing on it, ask them to put it on the side.

5. Get Some Color

Many restaurants will ask you to pick a side of your liking or allow you to substitute the current side for another one. A rule of thumb here is to get some color out of the side.  Basically this translates to getting vegetables. Since most people don’t particularly enjoy the taste of vegetables, restaurants love to butter them up. Typically spinach or broccoli will be drenched in butter since those are people’s least favorite. Ask them for steamed veggies if that is an option or just ask them to cook your side with little or no butter.

Save Hundreds… Of Calories

While it is relatively easy to go out to eat, enjoy your food and keep it healthy, many people struggle with this idea. For the most part, you go out to eat to enjoy company more than to enjoy food, so don’t feel like you need to indulge like crazy. Plus if you play it right, you can get a bite of others’ unhealthy meals while not having to eat the entire thing. By taking a little time to think about what it is you are about to order, you can save yourself hundreds of calories and hours of exercise. There is no need to burn a good week just because of one meal. Be smart about it, take a minute to look it over and make a decent decision. The restaurant’s job is to make food taste good so I doubt that anything on the menu will be awful.

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