TAKING THE HEART-HEALTHY PROGRAM ON THE ROAD: EATING ON THE ROAD

June 2nd, 2010

I’ve learned that when ordering food I have to be very specific. Once I asked if an entree was prepared with butter or olive oil. I was assured that it was sauteed in olive oil. But when the dish came, it was swimming in butter. Rather irate, I called over the waiter who haughtily informed me that it was “sauteed in olive oil, but finished with butter!” Now I just say that I want no butter or cream in any of my food.

Breakfasts are getting easier all the time. Most hotel restaurants offer egg substitutes which I can enjoy scrambled or in omelettes. Moreover, you can order egg-white omelettes just about anywhere; they’re quite good, and no one is surprised by the order. Ask for your toast or muffin to be presented without butter. Margarine is usually available.

But most of the time I bring some breakfast food to my room to enjoy while watching the morning news. I pack some oat bran cereal, bananas and a few snack items. That way all I need is some skim milk and juice, which I can get for “take-out” at the coffee shop along with a cup of decaf. This saves time and money, since the lines are long in the morning as all those businessmen want to be fed at the same time, and the prices are ridiculously high.

Those snack items I pack come in really handy, especially in the evening when I return to my room after a long day’s work. It’s at those times when one can be easily tempted to indulge in a chocolate bar or chips or biscuits from the mini-bars often placed in the room. Instead, I have my fruit and non-fat biscuits to munch on. Planning ahead really pays off.

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Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol

One of the first things I do when I check into a hotel is take a look at the menus in the restaurants for lunches and dinners. Happily, the major chains offer a number of low-fat choices to accommodate their health-conscious clientele. If I spot something I’d really like, but it’s made with butter and cream sauce, I ask whether it could be made without those offending ingredients. That way when I go into the restaurant later during my stay I won’t be surprised or disappointed.I’ve learned that when ordering food I have to be very specific. Once I asked if an entree was prepared with butter or olive oil. I was assured that it was sauteed in olive oil. But when the dish came, it was swimming in butter. Rather irate, I called over the waiter who haughtily informed me that it was “sauteed in olive oil, but finished with butter!” Now I just say that I want no butter or cream in any of my food.Breakfasts are getting easier all the time. Most hotel restaurants offer egg substitutes which I can enjoy scrambled or in omelettes. Moreover, you can order egg-white omelettes just about anywhere; they’re quite good, and no one is surprised by the order. Ask for your toast or muffin to be presented without butter. Margarine is usually available.But most of the time I bring some breakfast food to my room to enjoy while watching the morning news. I pack some oat bran cereal, bananas and a few snack items. That way all I need is some skim milk and juice, which I can get for “take-out” at the coffee shop along with a cup of decaf. This saves time and money, since the lines are long in the morning as all those businessmen want to be fed at the same time, and the prices are ridiculously high.Those snack items I pack come in really handy, especially in the evening when I return to my room after a long day’s work. It’s at those times when one can be easily tempted to indulge in a chocolate bar or chips or biscuits from the mini-bars often placed in the room. Instead, I have my fruit and non-fat biscuits to munch on. Planning ahead really pays off.*154\85\2*Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol