Yesterday I received a call from a celebrity client. “I have a dinner meeting at a hibachi steak house. Have you seen how much oil they squirt on the grill? Should I ask them to saute my meal in butter?" This statement made me very proud. I had warned her in the past against the low quality cooking oils that are used in restaurants. I usually tell my clients that the first dietary change that they need to make is “get the bad fat out of your diet." My client has finally seen through the hogwash of poor information about what oils are good and which ones are bad. She has decided to take charge of her health and refuse to eat foods that are low in quality and harmful to her body.
There are many high quality oils that are safe in their raw state and are no longer the "bad boys" of nutrition. These oils can be used in a supplemental form or as condiments. They provide essential fatty acids and vitamins that your body can't produce by itself. They are responsible for maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, a strong immune system, and can even help treat and prevent depression. Supplemental oils include cod liver oil and fish and krill oils; condiments oils can be added to all types of foods for extra favor and nutrition, including raw butter, pumpkin seed oil, pine nut oil and olive oil. They can be drizzled on top of foods or used in raw sauces.
When eating out if you pick restaurants that advertise local organic and grass fed meats and organic vegetables you will be much more likely to obtain high quality nutrients from your meals. We as consumers are powerful and can demand that changes be made; we need to recognize that because of our solidarity restaurants will begin to offer healthier choices.
Here is IQ’s list of some things to ask when ordering out. Don’t be shy, ask your waiter a lot of questions.
1. What oils are used in cooking?
The oils and fats that I recommend to my clients in my order of preference are coconut oil, red palm oil, butter, ghee, organic tallow and organic lard.
I live in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, Ga. I have stocked several restaurants in my area with organic coconut oil and all I have to do is to remind them when I come in to use it for me and my family. As long as the seal of the oil bottle is not broken the restaurant will be not violating any health codes.
When cooking at high temps you should use a good, hearty saturated oil or fat that will remain stable when being heated. I tell to my clients to avoid margarines, unknown spreads and polyunsaturated oils, which include vegetable oils like corn, soy, safflower and canola because of the trans-fatty acids introduced during the hydrogenation process. When these oils are heated they produce free radicals and a toxin called 4-Hydroxynonenal or HNEs.
In 1994, it was estimated that trans fats caused 20,000 deaths annually in the US from heart disease.The most prevalent theory is that the human body is unable to metabolize or remove trans fat so trans fat remains in the blood stream for a much longer period of time and is more prone to arterial deposition and plaque formation. Eating trans fat could increases the risk of other chronic health problems including Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, obesity and infertility in women. Everyone should be especially careful to avoid fried foods. Reusing vegetable oils numerous times at high temperatures denatures and decomposes the oil turning it into a very toxic poison.
My boys and I love Mexican food but we stay away from anything fried, I always carry baked chips in my car.
2. Is that fish wild or farm raised?
I will not eat farm raised fish. The safest wild choices are Alaska and Pacific salmon, Anchovies, Arctic char, Pacific flounder, Pacific sole, herring, king crab, and scallops.
Moderately safe choices include Alaskan halibut, black cod, blue crab, cod, dungeness crab, mahi mahi, blue mussels, pollack, and oysters (northeast and northwest).
Fish to Avoid: Atlantic halibut, king mackerel, oysters (Gulf Coast), pike, sea bass, shark, swordfish, tilefish (golden snapper), and tuna (steaks and canned albacore).
You need to educate yourself and learn things like: What is the mercury content? Is it a predator fish? These fish are more likely to have a build up of toxins. Is it coming from a country that you trust to regulate acceptable standards for toxins?
Farm raised fish are in lower nutrition and they have a greater chance of having disease, pesticide residue and parasites. All farm-raised fish are fed a concoction of vitamins, antibiotics, and some are artificially colored.
3. Is the meat grass-fed and organic?
Most commercial meats are raised on the cheapest feed available and kept in unsanitary conditions. The products fed to these cows, chickens, pigs, and sheep are anything but natural and it affects the meat that they produce. Grass-fed beef is not only lower in overall fat and in saturated fat, but it also has more omega-3 fats. It’s important to remember that grass-fed is not the same as organic. Stores often sell organic that are hormone- and antibiotic- free but these animals are still finished at a feed lot.
From a humanitarian perspective, the advantages should be obvious.
4. Is MSG used?
Stay away from restaurants that can’t give you a straight answer about using MSG.
MSG is one of the worst food additives. The condition called “MSG Symptom Complex,” describes MSG as a excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells and can cause conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Chinese restaurants may add MSG directly to their food and many restaurants use products that contain it. MSG is also found in processed foods like soups, chips, meats, sauces, pre-made meals and much more.
5. Microwaves? Which menu items are heated with a microwave oven?
Microwaving distorts and deforms the molecules of any and all food items. Microwaves also increase the carcinogenic toxins that leach out of plastic and paper containers. Microwave ovens are banned in Russia. If you take the time to investigate the information for yourself you’ll be getting rid of yours.
6. Salt: the deadly secret. Can I order that menu item without salt?
Bring you own sea salt!
Too much salt can cause heart disease and hypertension.
"Betcha you can't eat just one," was a slogan used by a potato chip manufacturer and a secret known by food scientists. What you're really craving are the missing minerals that can be found in high quality sea salt. What is commonly called table salt isn't just salt--it’s refined sodium with added bicarbonates, chemicals, sugars and preservatives, including aluminum hydroxide. Salt companies strip mined or farmed salt of some 60 essential minerals and sell these minerals to vitamin companies. What's left is table salt. The essential minerals from high quality sea salt are good for our thyroid and adrenal glands and it will help keep your blood more alkaline. Order your meal without salt but bring your own high quality sea salt.
7. GMOs
Some studies have shown intestinal changes in rats caused by eating genetically engineered potatoes. Governments should never have allowed these products into the food chain without insisting on rigorous testing for effects on health. Consumer and environmental groups have demanded that the FDA follow the lead of the EU, Japan and other nations by requiring labels on GM foods so consumers know what they are buying.
8. Burned or Charred food
Ask to them to broil, steam or bake your food. If they're going to grill or sear have it have it done quickly and then finished in a oven.
Burned or Charred meats are almost as bad for your body as smoking cigarettes. Charring red meat can create heterocyclic amines or HCA’s, some studies suggest that ingesting these and other compounds might boost the risk of breast, colon, pancreatic, prostate and stomach cancer. Grilled vegetables won’t produce HCAs but they can produce free radicals and if they are over cooked you will lose the nutritional benefits of the food.
9. Breads, Pasta, Rice, Cereals and Desserts
The temptation is very strong, the easiest thing to do is not to let your waiter put bread on your table and just say no to everything else.
The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly different foods affect your blood sugar and your insulin levels.
High-glycemic carbs are the ones you want to avoid in your diet. They’re the carbs with high sugar content and processed carbs like breads, pastas, cereals and the like. Both white and brown rice are high-glycemic. All these foods raise blood sugar quickly and keep it up there for a long time, increasing the odds that your insulin levels will also be high, a guarantee that you’ll put on weight and increase your risk for heart disease.
There are four grains that are much safer than all the others. The ancient grains, as they are called, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Millet and Quinoa. They are much lower on the glycemic index chart and are high in nutrients. If all consumers start asking for these nutritious grains we'll all have better options when we eat out.
10. Soda?
Try cranberry juice and carbonated water. For a sweetener try stevia.
The average person consumes more than one gallon of soda per week. Reducing or eliminating soda from your diet is one of the easiest decisions that you can make to regain your health.
What's worse, diet or regular soda? If I had to pick, regular soda would be the lesser of two evils. Aspartame is a toxic additive that gained FDA approval in 1981, and it was the most hotly contested approval in the history of the FDA. Why was it such a hot debate? Because the diet industry is worth trillions of dollars to corporations. In 92 percent of the independently funded studies at least one potential health concern was identified. Some of the most commonly reported neurological symptoms include headaches, changes in behavior, memory, seizures and depression. Regular soda is high in sugar; it is one of the leading causes of obesity and promotes yeast overgrowth which can lead to numerous health problems.
