I don’t know about you but I love trying new restaurants—especially ethnic restaurants with great reviews.
Last night my friend Pat and I went out for Indian food in San Francisco to demonstrate how to wisely choose a meal out and love it!
Here’s the video: Shrink and Naan
Why Naan? Because there was none. We looked up the calories online for all of our choices (before ordering) and decided “Nah, it’s not worth it.”
We chose the Tandoori Chicken (skinless) for our protein, the Dahl (lentils) for our whole grain, a small portion of rice for our starch/carbohydrate, and the grilled eggplant for our vegetable.
A few lessons learned:
Pat read steamed rice and lentil patties to mean they were both steamed. You’ll see her great laugh in the video as I explained that only the rice was steamed in that dish and the patties are likely fried. It’s important to read menus carefully—restaurants are not typically watching out for your waistline.
As for fried foods, you can hear the sizzling sound of grease in the background—a warning that we had to be careful. And we were… We wisely chose no cream or cheese, and of course, nothing fried.
I knew there was no alcohol, so we didn’t need to struggle with those extra calories or disinhibiting effects. Whew!
We had a great time—wonderful conversation, and truly fabulous spicy food. We left satisfied in all ways and promised to meet up again soon for our next adventure.
So next time you dine out, be sure to curry favor with your health by checking out the nutrition facts about your choices before you sit down to order.
Have a great week!
-Ellen
Ellen is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco and Redwood City, California. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and incorporates the use of mindfulness into the treatment of depression, anxiety, and emotional overeating. She runs a holistic weight loss program called Center for Thoughtful Weight Loss, www.thoughtfulweightloss.com. You can email Ellen at ellen@thoughtfulweightloss.com and follow her on Twitter at @thoughtfullellen.
Copyright © 2011 Ellen N. Resnick, LCSW
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