Dining Out? Know What is on The Menu! Part I

When it comes to dining out, most of the time what’s good or bad for us may not be obvious. Tendency is that we bond over food and going for just the salad can be lame (and that made me feel guilty). The truth is: We have more options than we thought.

For Filipino dishes:

Good is to Tofu (Tokwa in tagalog) – this is a popular alternative protein source. Tokwa is also a healthy addition to any meal. It’s low in fat and high in fiber. Just don’t go for the fried kind (thou I really love it this way) instead you can bake it or boil it. Now that’s healthier.

Better is to Vegetable dishes – Pinakbet or Achara will do since they’re rich in antioxidants. Ask the cook for smaller portions of bagoong (anchovy sauce) on your pinakbet as too much salty condiments are bad for you.

Best is to Fish dishes – Sinigang, Tinola and Inihaw (grilled) are all great choices. These choices are very healthy as they are low in fat and high in protein plus most restaurant adds more veggies to their grilled menus so that’s an addition of healthy fibers that’s needed by our body.

Worst – yes if we have the good, better and best for every Filipino dishes, there’s also a worst part for it too. Any dish with Gata or Coconut Milk. Yes it is really a delightful add on for most of any dishes anyone could ever think like veggies with coconut milk, Laing, Bicol Express (hmmm yumyum) but the key to a healthy lifestyle is actually about moderation. Just a bit of serving of any gata on your dish is just fine.

Indian Dishes

Good is to Chicken Tikka Masala, because cream aside, the sauce features a long list of herbs and spices with benefits ranging from stomach-soothing  ginger to cholesterol-lowering coriander. If you’re watching your weight, Lisa Margolin , a U.S base nutritionist said that you should pluck the chicken out of the sauce instead of pouring the whole thing onto your cup of rice.