Radio and television mirror (July-Dec 1950)

EATING II RESTAURANTS HOW TO AVOID HIGH CALORIE FOODS AWAY FROM HOME By VICTOR LINDLAHR Noted Nutritionist This new series, planned by an authority on weight control, will help you look well and feel well — while eating well ! Every diet-conscious person knows the hazards of eating out whether it be at a soda fountain or at a fashionable restaurant. Everything sounds so good, looks so tempting! But eating wisely is merely a matter of cleverly outwitting tantalizing menus. The first obstacle to overcome is the bread and butter habit. While checking a menu, most people nibble a buttered roll. It's not safe for a person watching their weight. A 2" x 2" piece of buttered corn bread equals 375 calories, enough to lose the fight against fat for a couple of days. An ordinary slice of bread is worth 60 to 65 calories. And those thin, papier-mache types you find in so many restaurants are even trickier— they average one hundred and fifty calories each, double the value of a piece of bread. Add butter to any of them and you're fighting a losing battle against fat. How do you ward off tantalizing rolls, especially if you're hungry? Well, I order my salad first. I always ask the waiter to bring me some celery or sliced tomatoes while my companions debate the menu. Fresh vegetables, like radishes, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, minus dressings, take the edge off your appetite and supply your body with necessary vitamins as well as the wonder working enzymes that actually burn up fat. Another great friend of the weight-conscious person is soup. Consomme is safe and nutritious. Julienne soups are particularly good, because the vegetables have a minus value. Clear chicken soups and other broths are tasty and non-fattening. But beware of the rice or noodles floating in the bowl. Leave them alone or they may cost you ten points. Avoid all thick soups. Your enemies are bean, pea and cream of mushroom and tomato soups. Bouillons, too, are a bit deceitful because they are salty. However, many soups that seem complicated, like clam chowder or pepper pot, can be brought into the safe class by asking the waiter to strain them for you. When it comes to the main course, you must order more wisely than ever. Since you have already satisfied your appetite to a certain extent with soup or vegetables, it shouldn't require as much will power to resist fatty foods. And in the next column you'll find a handy list to guide you. MEATS: Always order broiled meats — lean slices, a chop, steak or hamburger when it isn't fatty. Steer away from fried and oven roasted dishes, and meats that are breaded, served with gravies or cooked in a pie. FOWL: Take broiled chicken or stewed chicken, provided the luscious cream gravy and dumplings are ignored. Shun fowl that is roasted, casseroled or served in croquettes. FISH: In salads or cocktails, shrimps, lobsters, oysters and clams are particularly recommended when eaten with a chili sauce dressing. Safe cooked fish are sea bass, cod steak and flounder when served without butter or flour sauces. Take yours with lemon or chili sauce. EGGS : Boiled are best. Fried eggs are dangerous in calorie content. But eggs scrambled slowly in a pan dabbed with just enough butter to prevent sticking are friends. A plain omelet is safe, too, when the cook uses his grease spoon sparingly. . Substitute chipped beef for ham or bacon. DRINKS : Safest are lemonade, orange juice, unsalted tomato juice and skimmed milk. Beware of soda fountain concoctions. All alcoholic beverages, without exception, are fattening and stimulate the appetite. . • DESSERTS : Almost any fruit is the answer to the desire for sweets at the end of a meal. With canned fruits, just pass up the syrup. Victor Lindlahr's expert comment on food and health is heard M-F, 10:45 A.M., EST, over ABC, sponsored by Serutan. 72