EAT THIS, NOT THAT:
A HEALTHIER WAY TO DINE OUT
Whether you’re splurging on a fine dining experience or a fast food fix, eating out should not become a habit. An expensive meal is often
a delicious memory, but will not typically win awards for being diet-friendly. Fast food is notorious for being low in nutrition and high in
everything else – salt, fat and calories.
Be smart when you eat out. Plan ahead so you can make better choices. Here are a few tips:
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Check out the online menu for “healthy” options.
Ask for salad dressings on the side and stay away from heavy sauces and gravies.
Always choose grilled or baked rather than fried foods.
Drink water rather than sugar- and calorie-laden drinks.
Instead of
Try
Salad w/bacon, cheese and ranch dressing
Salad w/grilled chicken and vinaigrette
French fries Baked potato
Sandwiches with tuna salad, ham, meatballs
Sandwiches with turkey or chicken breast
Thick-crust pepperoni/sausage pizza
Thin-crust veggie pizza
Milkshake Yogurt parfait
DECODING THE MYTH
A STICKY SITUATION
DO PLU CODES REALLY INDICATE
GENETICALLY MODIFIED PRODUCE?
You have this sticker thousand times in supermarkets, but you have never really given it much
thought. This sticker is the price look-up (PLU) code sticker attached to those bananas or tomatoes
you buy every week in the grocery store. The four-digit number identifies the produce by type and
variety, making checkout easier and inventory control more accurate.
Over the years, the code system got a little sticky. Designed by the International Federation for
Produce Standards in the early 1990s, it outgrew its usefulness. Consumers began to embrace whole
and organic foods, while avoiding genetically modified (GM) foods as some studies have associated
GM foods with health risks.
Therefore, the labeling system had to change. Today, a code that begins with the number nine
indicates an organic item. A code that starts with the number eight is a GM product. However, the
new coding system did not solve the problem. The “8 label” it is not mandatory and has not yet
caught on with consumers, so growers and retailers rarely use it for obvious reasons.
Therefore, certain GM products such as corn, sugar beets, zucchini and yellow squash continue to fly
beneath the shopper’s radar. So when browsing GM products do not rely on the PLU code. Instead, visit NonGMOshoppingguide.com
and study a long list of brands by category. You can also purchase the ShopNoGMO app for your iPhone. BRH&F
Fall 2013 brhealthandfitness.com
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