Eating out - healthy choices

Hi

Which national cuisine (or aspects of it) is consistent with healthy eating?

I ate a Japanese meal, last night that was really light, even though I ate a fair amount of food.
After a substantial meal, I usually feel heavy and a little tired, but after 8 pieces of Sashimi, I felt energized.
Also, there was no additional fat in the food.
The rest of the meal consisted of seasonal fruit and vegetables (with a few seeds/spices/vinegar), some exquisitely carved.
The presentation made me want to take my time looking at it and eating it slowly

National cuisine?
I like Chinese if it's cooked right and not too much grease or fatty ingredients. Japanese is good too!

Traditional American food is good too, and I don't mean the modern junk food we eat too much of. I mean the sort of food we eat at our Thanksgiving feast every November.-
... Turkey,
...traditional Native American squash,
...green beans,
...dressing,
...fruit salad,
...and cranberries.
That sort of traditional food is filling, delicious and healthy!

Great topic, Uzma.

American-prepared "commercial" Chinese food is among my very favorite foods. Unfortunately, most of it is prepared in a very unhealthy and fattening way. But, you can order most dishes steamed with the sauce on the side. I usually get chicken with vegetables, or chicken with broccoli, steamed, with brown sauce on the side to be used sparingly. I have to go easy on the white or brown rice, and forget the fried, to keep it healthy. I've done that many, many times over the last year. And sometimes I've made a lunch out of steamed vegetable dumplings and soup. That is good too, if you aren't on a low-salt diet.

I also love Italian food, and indulged in it several times a month while losing weight. They key was portion control: I cut my entree in half and gave half of it to my boyfriend, then ate very slowly, taking about half of that portion home for the next day.

I LOVE pizza, and again the key to having it has been portion control: one slice for lunch, or two for dinner, but never more than that. Not to exceed once per week.

To me, heaven would be a place where you can eat all of the Chinese food and pizza you want and still weigh what Uzi weighs

Elissa
xoxoxoxoxox

Hi Uzma,

Here is my take (I am a vegetarian):
Italian- southern style with tomato based sauces is best. many non-cheese dishes,

Chinese - ok if not cooked with oil, but skip the rice,

Thai - same , but stay away from the noodles,

Mexican - not really unless you can get cooked beans and veggie fajitas as several resturants here in Dallas offer,

French wish I could say yes, but asside from the salads and some simple vegetables, not really

Other:
English - there was a good reason this was not on your list - bangers and mash, forsooth!!

Giles,
I can appreciate the fact that you are a vegetarian, I used to be one and still don't eat that much meat.

As far as the English go;.....
I know this isn't the healthiest of foods but I do enjoy, every once in a while, a really greasy English style fish and chips with the big thick potatoes, not the horrible tasting little thin fries like they serve at McDonalds.

The English people that I have met seem like funny people to me, I enjoy them. And they always make jokes about their "traditional" food like cold meat pies with warm beer, greasy fish and chips,etc.

Of course these days in the modern world, anyone, including the English, can get any type of food they want, they aren't restricted to just eating meat pies, cabbage, or fish and chips.
But there is something to be said for an old fashioned, greasy fish and chips!-(Sorry all you "good food" connisours out there, tee hee!!!)-.

Tina,

I know what you mean about the good parts of "bad" English food. I remember many nights weaving home after the pubs closed eating greasy plaice and chips out of an old newspaper. It tasted great, but I shudder to think what it did to me (I have since had heart valve surgery, so I try to keep that sort of thing a memory, and even to much thinking about it is fattening

Tee hee, well then don't think about those delicious fish and chips too much Giles!!!.
Take care of yourself Giles, you seem to have made some significant improvements in your diet since your health problems occured.

That is good!!!.......... continued healthy eating!!!
..... Cheers mate!