I had a meeting the other night at Nick's Pizza on Boston Ave., and thought to myself, "I'm the health guru! What could I possibly find to eat there?"
To my surprise, their menu had grilled chicken and tuna salads as well as an assortment of kabobs - not too bad for a pizzeria!
Granted, Nick's Pizza isn't on our Point Plus System, but this led me to thinking that we should not allow our "preconceived restaurant dining notions" to get in the way of attempting new places. And, what's more, that it's even possible to maintain healthy eating patterns while out.
So, I decided to order in and go out for the past week at various "point joints" to get the dirt on what kind of healthy foods there really are lurking in "Medfah."
My suitemate and I started with Panda Palace, the popular late night Chinese take-out restaurant known for satisfying ravenous, after-hour cravings. We opted for the healthy menu choice and ordered the steamed shrimp with mixed vegetables and chicken with snow peas.
I realize that with eight pages of tempting dishes, it can be difficult to pass over the more appetizing foods like lo mein or egg rolls, but this is when willpower and concentration come into play. Remember that food is fuel for the body, and we want to feed it right.
The American Heart Association says that fried, basted, braised, au gratin, crispy, escalloped, pan-fried, saut?©ed, stewed or stuffed foods are high in fat and can be a contributing factor to heart disease. Instead, look for steamed, broiled, baked, grilled, poached or roasted foods.
If you're unsure about a certain dish, ask how it's prepared. Instead of fried rice, try steamed rice, or whole grain brown rice, which contains more nutrients and phytochemicals than white rice. Eating out can be fun, and less stressful, when you know there are healthy choices to choose from.
We were on a roll, and let's just say it wasn't a bread roll! A day later, we went to Expresso's, the Italian pizza/sub place, which has a great selection of "roll-ups," better known as wraps.
Unfortunately, Expresso's only has white tortilla wraps and no healthier whole-grain versions. However, we were excited for the all-white-meat chicken and tuna wraps, grilled chicken breast sandwiches and a great salad selection.
Ask for a roll-up without the mayonnaise and dressing on the side. Some creamy types of dressings are very high in saturated fat and can turn a perfectly healthy salad or wrap into a disaster. Oil and vinegar is the way to go because of olive oil's high content of unsaturated fatty acids and its anti-oxidative substances.
The American Heart Association says that olive oil offers protection against heart disease by controlling LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels while raising HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. Just a small switch - caesar dressing to olive oil, or white bread to whole grain - will do the trick and be the difference between more nutritious meals.
"But we have loads of pizza places on points. How could I not order a pizza, especially when there are so many different kinds?" my suitemate argued with me.
I assured her that pizza is not necessarily unhealthy: there are vegetable kinds, with broccoli, peppers, olives, onions and tomatoes. Grilled chicken and cheese are great for calcium and protein, minus the saturated fat.
But when pizza places make the effort to include even healthier choices, why not try it out?
Andrea's Pizza offers salads ranging from chicken caesar to the cobb, and special dinners like kabobs and chicken breasts. As long as you substitute vegetables for fries, you have a great dinner on your plate! Pasta Pisa is another great "point joint." My suitemate feels that the grilled chicken in her salad was dry but seasoned well, so make sure to tell them not to overcook the meat.
One of my favorite places to use points is still Commons at the campus center, which offers an incredible salad bar - very close to a NYC gourmet caf?©, I'd say. Not only do you have an array of vegetables, mescaline and romaine salad, but there is also whole grain couscous, artichoke hearts, hardboiled eggs, chicken in olive oil and mayonnaise-less tuna salad mixed with celery, carrots and peppers.
Plus, there's cheese, ham and already sliced up cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, grapes and strawberries. If a salad just won't cut it, try a grilled chicken and vegetable stir-fry or let the cooks prepare a sandwich with whole wheat or grain bread and your favorite vegetables or cold cuts.
As for my own food crusade, it proved to be a success. No more point discrimination; it's time to accept points for what they can truly offer! For more info, other restaurants and their menus can be found with online menus at www.tuftslife. com/dining.
