If you want to lose weight, you can do it and still enjoy eating out, but you need to be mindful of what you eat. For those who provide food to the restaurants and cafes around the country like food service veteran, Larry Polhill Café Valley senior executive, part of his business has been to position his company for the trends in the market and the current trends say healthy is in, so healthy is what he delivers.
Ask for Low Fat Baked Goods
This means the bread they bring to your table and serve with their meals and any bread based deserts you order after your meal. Many restaurants do not make their baked good, they order them from companies like Café Valley who provide baked goods to supermarkets and food establishments all over the country. They have a commitment to providing the best baked goods to serve all potential customers and this means that they will make sure that each establishment has access to healthy baked goods. So there is a good chance the restaurant will have low fat and low calorie choices for you;
Slow Down When You Eat
When you eat, you need to pace yourself and focus on enjoying every individual bit of your food. Take the time and hold it in your mouth and then chew it until it is ground up perfectly to effortlessly slide down your throat. There is a good scientific reason for eating this way. The mouth has digestive enzymes that help break food down and the longer you keep your food in your mouth the more these enzyme have the chance to break down the food and the more complete your digestion will be. This means you will get more nutrients into your system and slower eaters also eat less food. This is partially true because it takes about twenty minutes for your brain to no longer feel hungry. Most eaters are long done by this time. Slow eaters are still in the middle of their meal and when they get this message they know it is time to stop. So you will eat less if you eat slow. Finally you will be able to savor the delicious food that much longer.
Be Careful at the Salad Bar
Salad bars used to be the fall back item in restaurant when you want to be sure to eat healthy. You could always count on the lettuce and tomatoes a being comfort food when you want to be sure you are keeping to your diet. Today however, those small and uninteresting salads have morphed into huge meals with all sorts of meats, cheese and sweet fruits heaped on them. This has transformed the humble salad into a calorie filled behemoth. When you add the popular milk, cream and cheese laden salad dressings on it, you may have been better ordering the fried chicken. Many restaurants even have huge salad bars than when you order them with your meal, you end up eating two meals by the time they bring your menu order. The key here is moderation. If you order the salad bar, stick to the non- fried and non-dairy items. Do not use any creamy dressings and if there is no other choice, use them moderately and if you order the salad, make that your meal. There are great seafood, salmon or even chicken salads that are a full meal and are lower calorie, aim for one of those.
Never Order Fried Anything
Friend by definition means that it cooked in some type of oil on top of the stove. This process is the unhealthiest of any we can think of for cooking. The cooked oils and food becomes toxic and in some cases carcinogenic to the system and in addition to it being really hard to digest, it can cause long term problems and weight gain. Whatever you see on a menu can usually also be ordered sautéed or steamed which is a much better way to consume food. This includes desserts. A favorite is deep fried ice-cream where they flour and dip a ball of ice cream into a fryer creating and oily, runny ice-cream ball. This should never be ordered by anyone much less someone trying to eat healthy.
- Don’t forget your drink!After making a smart, healthy choice for your meal, don’t squander those gains by ordering a high-sugar, high-calorie drink. Choose water or unsweetened ice tea, and if you’re drinking alcohol, opt for a glass of wine or a light beer instead of a sweet mixed or frozen drink.
- Order fish. As long as you stay away from fried menu options, seafood that is steamed, baked, broiled, sautéed, blackened, or grilled can be a healthy choice for a delicious meal.
- Be careful with dessert.Just like entrees, many restaurants offer over-sized portions of desserts. If you’re going out to dinner to celebrate a special occasion, and want to indulge in a sweet treat, consider sharing a dessert with another person in your party. Indulging in a few bites of the Triple Chocolate Lava Cake or Banana Split allows you to enjoy the occasion without consuming all those unwanted calories and fat.
Cake History:
Cake has been around a long time and shared in and with many cultures. Cake came out of bread making, most likely from hard breads containing oats, barley, salt and water. It was in Rome, where beaten eggs and honey got added to the recipe, creating a spongy and sweet type of bread. During the European Middle Ages what we know as the modern cake came into being, as improved cooking methods allowed bakers to create many different versions of cake and also pastries and high-end breads. They also introduced fruits and nuts into and on top of the batters. Cake recipes have been refined since and as travel to all parts of the world opened up, different cultures have added, mixed and matched recipes creating today’s plethora of cakes.
So what started out as a hard as stone rough bread made one at a time over a fire, today is made in homes around the world and by cake suppliers like Café Valley who provide thousands of cakes to retailers in several countries. Larry Polhill Café Valley executive is one of the industry’s key players who has seen its growth.
Benefits of Cake:
Cake Enhances Events and Helps You Make Friends
Throughout history, Cake has been the staple food at celebrations and an integral part of sharing and joy. Cake is served at birthday parties, weddings, funerals and other special events. Cake solidifies connection and sharing. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that eating cake while someone else is also eating cake can build friendship bonds.
If you eat Cake in the Morning it Can Help You Lose Weight
I know you think I am crazy, but it’s true. Scientists found that eating a cake type dessert as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast helped dieters lose weight, with a lower chance of piling the pounds back on when compared to those who were not having cake. The ingredients in cake apparently stimulated the metabolism early in the day.
Cake Makes You Happy
Chocolate cake and cakes that contain nuts increase the serotonin and endorphin levels in the body. This literally makes us happy and helps us to manage anxiety better. Just one slice can begin this process.
Cake has Good Things in It
The flour and the sugar in cakes, provides much needed carbohydrates to keep you alert. Cake is an excellent source of fats and oils essential to our bodies on a cellular level. Cake also contains protein from the eggs for strength, and the calcium from its milk creates strong bones and teeth. Cakes with real fruits in them, have a near complete range of vitamins which can help fight diseases and strengthen our immune system.
Cake is often classified under the heading of junk food, a category of food that usually lacks nutrients and has too much fat and sugar. And with the growth of modern manufacturing and artificial ingredients, there are certainly “cakes” that fit that description. But real cake is so much more than junk food. It can be a symbol of joy and celebration, help you make friends, and provide nutrients and minerals that nourish your body. Let them eat cake!