Adventure of the Week: Making Healthy Choices

Eating out with friends can be difficult when you're trying to eat healthy. You don't want to be be a Debbie-downer that complains about the food you cannot eat, but you don't want to ruin your weight loss either. I'm often tempted most because I know what foods I should eat, but I always want to to eat the tasty, nonhealthy choices my friends are eating. It's difficult.

I went to a school function to celebrate Lunar New Year (often referred to as Chinese New Year). I was very excited to dine on some Korean bulgogi. I jump on the opportunity to partake in some great Korean food because ethnic food is not one of Concord, NH's strong points. Plus, I love trying new dishes! Generally, I made good choices: beef and pork bulgogi, glass noodles, stir-fried broccoli, and kimchi pancakes. I really tried hard to fill up on the veggies. I treated myself to one pork dumpling, skipped the egg rolls, a bite of Chinese sesame chicken, and a very unnecessary but small piece of cake. I avoided the fried dishes, noodles (didn't like the glass noodles I tried either), most rices, and the booze. Let me tell you, I loved that beef bulgogi. At only 5 Points+ per cup, I can't wait to get it for takeout from the deli down the street from school.

Yesterday, I went to Boston again with some friends. We had a good time hitting some more museums. This time, I was conscious of my eating habits. I had a healthy breakfast at Einstein Bagels before we left (an everything bagel thin with their new light schmear and fresh fruit) to save calories for the rest of the day. At lunch, my friend and I went to Crema Cafe while the boys went for Indian food. I had a turkey panini (not a super healthy choice, but not the worst). I was sure to skip the chips, lattes, and all of the delicious baked goods they had. For dinner, we went to a Jewish deli-style restaurant called Zaftigs. I was not on my best behavior there, but I sure did slug a lot of water. I munched on bagel chips with cream cheese spread, sampled the Jewish appetizer platter (where I practically swooned over my cheese blintz with fruit), and finished it off with a bbq brisket sandwich and fries. In my defense, I ate my friend's vegetables... lol. We strolled down Newbury Street in the cold to get some of the well-known ice cream at J.P. Licks for dessert. I chose a small sized dish with two flavors of low-fat hard yogurt (oatmeal cookie and peanut butter), and I felt I was cheating... it was amazing.

I guess what I'm saying is that I made better decisions while eating out with friends. Sure, I could have made even better decisions, but it was a step in the right direction. What is most important is that I never felt like I was depriving myself. I still have further to go, but at least I'm happy along the way, right? I think that's the key to my life-long battle to get healthy. Now, off to go eat a few of my Valentine's day chocolates... lol!

Happy eating!