Today, dining out has become a regular part of our lives, and how to balance nutrition and health when ordering has become a skill. Today, we have specially invited Zuo Xiaoxia, Director of the Nutrition Department of the 309th Hospital of the PLA, to share her four-character guide to ordering.
Look Around
When you enter a restaurant, don't rush to order. First, check if the environment is clean; places with poor hygiene standards are often prone to microbial growth, making food safety hard to guarantee. Next, see what other people are ordering; dishes with a high "occupancy rate" indicate ample stock and high turnover, meaning the ingredients are relatively fresher. Also, observe the portion sizes to avoid ordering too much or too little.
One Dish Per Person
The number of dishes ordered is crucial. It's recommended to order one dish per person, so the number of dishes corresponds to the number of diners. For example, for four people, you can order two hot dishes, one cold dish, and one soup; for six people, order three hot dishes, two cold dishes, and one soup. Among vegetable dishes, a cold dish is essential; it's served quickly, allowing you to have some food before the main courses and avoid excessive meat intake. If the portions are small and insufficient, you can temporarily add 1-2 vegetable dishes.
A Variety of Categories
Often, we think we've ordered a wide variety of dishes, but a closer look reveals a combination of "few ingredients," such as braised pork, stir-fried pork, and pork meatballs. It's better to categorize food into meat, aquatic products, eggs, vegetables, soy products, and staples. When ordering, try to include a variety of food groups like meat, beans, and vegetables. For meat, try to select multiple varieties, such as pork, beef, chicken, duck, fish, and shrimp, and avoid repeating ingredients.
Proper Balance of Meat and Vegetables
Generally, a meat-to-vegetable ratio of 1:2 to 1:3 is appropriate. When choosing vegetables, focus on a variety of colors, prioritizing dark-colored vegetables. A large mixed salad is an excellent choice, as it includes dark green, orange-yellow, red, and purple-black vegetables, which not only whet the appetite but also provide a rich variety of nutrients. For meat dishes, on the basis of a combination of red and white meat, you can order more types that you don't often eat at home. For example, if you don't eat fish often, prioritize ordering it, and it's recommended to have it steamed, which makes it easier to judge freshness. If there are more people, you can consider ordering chicken, duck, or goose. For even larger groups, consider pork, beef, or mutton. This is because pork, beef, and mutton are consumed relatively regularly, and compared to white meat, they not only have a higher fat content but also a higher proportion of saturated fat, which is not good for cardiovascular health. If you have trouble choosing, consider ordering dishes that contain both meat and vegetable ingredients.
Less Oil in Cooking
Order more dishes cooked by steaming, boiling, blanching, mixing, stewing, or quick-boiling. This helps control excessive fat intake and avoids the cancer risk associated with high-temperature frying. After ordering, tell the waiter to use less oil and salt, and not to pour visible oil over stir-fried vegetables.
Embrace Coarse Grains
Most restaurants mainly serve refined white rice and flour as staples. Given that the dishes are already high in oil and salt, pairing them with refined grains, as well as pastries and fried rice, can not only lead to a faster rise in blood sugar but also easily result in excessive fat intake and insufficient dietary fiber. It's recommended to choose some coarse grains, such as corn cakes, small steamed corn buns, or multigrain porridge.
Choose Low-Calorie Drinks
The term "low" has two meanings: First, if you want to drink beverages, it's advisable to choose low-calorie options like plain water, tea, chrysanthemum tea, or barley tea to avoid excessive intake of refined sugar and reduce metabolic burden. Second, if you plan to drink alcohol, it's best to choose lower-proof options. This is because alcohol is also a source of calories; 1 gram of alcohol provides 7 kilocalories, second only to fat, which can lead to obesity, irritate the stomach and intestines, and increase the burden on the liver and kidneys. If you must drink, it's recommended to do so in moderation. For example, for a 5% alcohol beer, men should not exceed 500ml, and women should not exceed 300ml.