26 replies to this topic

[Mishelle]

Calling all my Codex health nuts. 

 

My friend is on a weight loss journey but she refuses to cook. It's not that she can't cook, she just simply doesn't like to. She says that she's still eating healthy because she's buying smoothies from juice it up and when she eats out she usually gets a salad or a protein burger. I personally think it's bs but at the same time I'm not a dietitian so what the fuck do I know. 

 

Is it possible to eat healthy but still eat out? How often do you eat out? 

 

 

[Sweeney]

If you buy healthy food, then you can eat healthy. It doesn't matter who cooks it.

[KaibaSama]

I would check the nutrient report thing on those smoothies. (or whatever that thing is called where it lists the calories and % of vitamins in food). Sometimes things may sound healthy compared to others, but they aren't. If she's going to eat salad, I would advise her against using dressing on it. 

 

It is possible to eat out and be healthy, you just need to be careful about what you eat. As I said, sometimes things that would seem healthy, end up being not so good compared to other options when you check the nutrient report thingy. I remember back from health class two years ago, when we were comparing food options, and we had to decide if a bagel with cream cheese was better than this item from a fast food restaurant (it was a breakfast item, I think from Arby's or Taco Bell), and the bagel actually ended up being worse due to the addition of cream cheese to it. (It was either a fast food item, or another regular food item you think wouldn't be healthier than a bagel with cream cheese, I can't remember exactly what it was). 

 

Even if she doesn't like to cook, she could still make some small things at home that wouldn't take too much time or effort, that way she doesn't have to deal with cooking more than she has to. Plus, eating out all the time will start to get expensive no matter what you order. 

[Gnome]

Yes, I ate arbys roast beef sandwiches 5x a week when my ex worked there and managed to lose 30 pounds.

[Mishelle]

Yes, I ate arbys roast beef sandwiches 5x a week when my ex worked there and managed to lose 30 pounds.

 

ive never been to Arbys so all I know about it is what Jon Stewart told me. Is it true that it keeps you on the toilet a lot?

[Gnome]

ive never been to Arbys so all I know about it is what Jon Stewart told me. Is it true that it keeps you on the toilet a lot?

no lol. The way the roast beef is cooked it gets all the fat out of meat. Its pretty good and lean.

[Futurama]

Read the title completely wrong.

[Padme]

I think it is definitely possible but you would have to be very scrupulous about your choices.

It also depends what you deem 'healthy.'

 

I find eating clean to be synonymous with eating healthy. I try to eat 80% clean at all times typically.

This means abstaining from typical processed foods which is really found in most food establishments. 

Just because you lose weight, maintain weight or don't notice negative symptoms rapidly doesn't mean that what you are doing is healthy.

 

So while it is possible, it is difficult and I find that most people who believe they are eating healthy (or nutritiously) for their body, are in fact, not. 

 

We studied a lot of this in the multiple nutrition courses I took and what a lot of people produced as examples of healthy eating while they were out were not. One of the biggest issues is sauces, condiments and the like.

 

The issue at a lot of juice/smoothie places is the use of refined/processed sugar products. The average smoothie place where I live uses juice cocktails in their smoothies, the fruit is pretty processed so as to be more easy to deal promptly (typically puree's) and often the fibre is removed. They also use mass amounts of yoghurt or syrups in their smoothies as well.

 

I think one of the biggest issues to note, is serving size. People have really incorrect ideas about what is a proper portion and how to allocate those portions for different types of food. Your protein portion and your vegetable portion are not likely to be the same size if you follow traditional food portioning but I see a lot of people having their protein take up half their plate or more... 

[NapisaurusRex]

It is possible to eat out and be healthy, you just need to be careful about what you eat. As I said, sometimes things that would seem healthy, end up being not so good compared to other options when you check the nutrient report thingy. I remember back from health class two years ago, when we were comparing food options, and we had to decide if a bagel with cream cheese was better than this item from a fast food restaurant (it was a breakfast item, I think from Arby's or Taco Bell), and the bagel actually ended up being worse due to the addition of cream cheese to it. (It was either a fast food item, or another regular food item you think wouldn't be healthier than a bagel with cream cheese, I can't remember exactly what it was).

This is totally subjective. A plain bagel with plain cream cheese is healthier than a fast food item, period. A bagel might have more calories, but that doesn't make it healthier. A fast food item might have more nutrients, but they're artificially added and generally not created for bioavailablity. The bagel isn't the best thing in the world to eat first thing in the morning, but the cream cheese is what makes it a good choice.

The short answer is yes, I think someone can eat out weekly and still be healthy,assuming they're making good choices. I don't consider a fast food smoothie/juice a 'good choice'. They're full of sugars, additives, and preservatives... and there's really no excuse for not being able to make either a smoothie or salad at home. My 7 year old has been doing it for 2 years. Salads 'can' be healthy when you eat out, depending on what you omit for it. Like I alluded to earlier, healthy is subjective. It depends on what her personal health goals are. If it's simply to lose weight, then yeah, she could totally eat out once a week and be healthy. If it's deeper than that, no, she probably can't.

[stagsong]

If you buy healthy food, then you can eat healthy. It doesn't matter who cooks it.

 

This. The key is picking the right foods and knowing what you're getting. A burger can be really healthy a salad can be a deathtrap depending on the factors.

[Florg]

This. The key is picking the right foods and knowing what you're getting. A burger can be really healthy a salad can be a deathtrap depending on the factors.

 

Unless it's a vegetarian or vegan burger, it cannot under any circumstances be "healthy".

It can be a healthier option than salads at some places but that by no means makes it "healthy"

[Sweeney]

Unless it's a vegetarian or vegan burger, it cannot under any circumstances be "healthy".

It can be a healthier option than salads at some places but that by no means makes it "healthy"

lolwut

You need protein in your diet, and meat is not an inherently unhealthy way to get it.

[NapisaurusRex]

Unless it's a vegetarian or vegan burger, it cannot under any circumstances be "healthy".

It can be a healthier option than salads at some places but that by no means makes it "healthy"

What? I'm here to tell you a 'vegan burger' is in no way, shape, or form healthier than a real burger, unless by vegan burger you mean salad.

[diebuster]

Sure, just don't eat like a whale and exercise regularly.

[Florg]

lolwut

You need protein in your diet, and meat is not an inherently unhealthy way to get it.

 

You don't need meat to get protein?

 

I suppose it depends on your definition of "healthy".

 

My personal opinion of healthy is: If it's something that if you ate it for every meal, every day, and it would not be good for you. It's not "healthy".

 

If you ate a hamburger every day, for every meal; you certainly would not be considered in good health.

Edited by Florg, 27 July 2015 - 12:23 PM.

[Waser Lave]

You don't need meat to get protein?

 

I suppose it depends on your definition of "healthy".

 

My personal opinion of healthy is: If it's something that if you ate it for every meal, every day, and it would not be good for you. It's not "healthy".

 

If you ate a hamburger every day, for every meal; you certainly would not be considered in good health.

 

Which is where a balanced diet comes in, you can eat any kind of food you like, in moderation. There probably aren't any/many single foods which, if eaten for every meal, every day, would be good for you. And exercise is key too, obviously.

[Katya]

You don't need meat to get protein?

 

I suppose it depends on your definition of "healthy".

 

My personal opinion of healthy is: If it's something that if you ate it for every meal, every day, and it would not be good for you. It's not "healthy".

 

If you ate a hamburger every day, for every meal; you certainly would not be considered in good health.

 

What type of food can you eat every day, for every meal and be good for you?

Nothing.

Eating in a healthy way is to eat everything with moderation, "bad food" included.

Ninja'd by a random Badger.

[redlion]

You don't need meat to get protein?
 
I suppose it depends on your definition of "healthy".
 
My personal opinion of healthy is: If it's something that if you ate it for every meal, every day, and it would not be good for you. It's not "healthy".
 
If you ate a hamburger every day, for every meal; you certainly would not be considered in good health.

Yes, but if you ate an apple every day, and only an apple, you certainly would not be considered in good health either.

Your test for determining healthy things can make even healthy foods unhealthy.

Edit: Yeah, ninja'd by two of you saying what I wanted to say

[Katya]

Great minds... yada yada.

[Fikri]

i'm renting at a shophouse on top of a restaurant and the only thing i know how to cook is instant noodle so i eat out a lot. i don't go to any fast food chain because to me it is a luxury and is reserved for special occasions. the restaurant below my house is buffet style (which is prevalent in malaysia) so you just pick what you wanna eat. i just make sure food are balanced/has veggies/fruits and that's it.

[Sweeney]

You don't need meat to get protein?
 
I suppose it depends on your definition of "healthy".
 
My personal opinion of healthy is: If it's something that if you ate it for every meal, every day, and it would not be good for you. It's not "healthy".
 
If you ate a hamburger every day, for every meal; you certainly would not be considered in good health.

As others have well explained, your definition of healthy is so far past wrong it's idiotic.

[Bone]

Yes, I ate arbys roast beef sandwiches 5x a week when my ex worked there and managed to lose 30 pounds.

 

Just because it made you lose weight doesn't mean it was healthy...

[MozzarellaSticks]

Healthy or lose weight? Because those aren't really the same.

If she is following CICO she definitely can still eat out and lose weight. It's just a matter of options and portion control. Choosing kids sizes, eating less, adding lower calorie toppings. Heck, you can get a mea at Taco Bell for under 500. Thermodynamics is cool like that. It doesn't care what you eat, just how much energy that provides you.

If she legitimately wants to get healthier, with a nutritious and balanced diet, she will have to learn how to plan meals. She can still eat out, but it will be more of a cheat and she will have to be conscious of her options. This takes time, knowledge, and a lot of practice. It's a lifestyle change that doesn't happen overnight.

Her current choices are neither healthy nor low calorie. She won't really last long.

Edited by hariolari, 27 July 2015 - 05:37 PM.

[NapisaurusRex]

You don't need meat to get protein?
 
I suppose it depends on your definition of "healthy".
 
My personal opinion of healthy is: If it's something that if you ate it for every meal, every day, and it would not be good for you. It's not "healthy".
 
If you ate a hamburger every day, for every meal; you certainly would not be considered in good health.

Depends on how you eat your hamburgers.

[pancakeface]

Spending all my rep on this thread. Basically, my opinions

 

1. Healthy does necessarily equate to weight loss. But I'm sure if someone was at an unhealthy weight as a result of poor diet, that would change with healthy eating.

2. Eating out is only bad because it's difficult to control what goes into your food. If you manage to find some place which does balanced meals, avoids dosing everything in msg and salt and what not, then it shouldn't be a problem. Even McDonalds has apple slices if you are so inclined, though why you wouldn't just buy an apple and eat it at home is beyond me.

3. Idk what juice it up does, but as others here have pointed out...most places just use fruit syrups or purees which have been pre-sugared, fiber-removed and possibly even augmented with coloring, flavoring and fragrance (one smoothie bar near me made a big deal about their fruit content, but I realized when they turn their back on you after chopping the fruit, they're actually facing syrup pumps at the back). That said, you can always go to a juice bar and say that you don't want anything but fruit and some water in your juice, they might charge extra or something but there you have it.

4. I think restaurants are increasingly catering for people who want complex carbs, or 0 carbs, or 0 animal fat, or 0 fat in general so it would probably be a lot easier for those in the know of which restaurants to go. Even more so if you're familiar with the staff there and develop a pattern.