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The Lean Plate Club
With Craig Stoltz
Washington Post Health Section Editor
Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001; 1 p.m. EST
Welcome to The Lean Plate Club, hosted by Washington Post health and nutrition writer Sally Squires. On Tuesdays at 1 p.m. ET, Sally leads a discussion for people who want to eat healthier, move around more and otherwise get better but not bigger. We're not about fad diets or crash weight-loss plans; we're about eating wisely and living healthy for the long haul. This week, Washington Post Health section editor Craig Stoltz hosted the show in Sally's absence.
We want to hear from you -- your tips, strategies, meal plans, successes, warnings, setbacks and more. Of course Sally will be happy to answer questions, and turn others over to the Club. None of this, of course, is a substitute for medical advice.
Sally Squires has covered health and nutrition for The Post since 1984. She holds masters' degrees in nutrition and journalism (both from Columbia University), is co-author of "The Stoplight Diet for Children" and covers heart disease, cancer, psychology and many other health topics in addition to nutrition. She usually eats a salad for lunch, sits unluckily close to the Health section's legendary cookie depository and (for this phase of her ongoing battle of the bulge) swears by "The Firm" series of exercise tapes.
Stoltz
has none of Sally's impressive credentials but labors under a decade-long medical directive to control his weight and eat wisely, takes a statin to lower his blood cholesterol and keeps track of everything he eats on a Palm handheld computer, a fact most of his acquaintances no longer find interesting.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Craig Stoltz: Well good afternoon, Lean Plate Clubbeurs. It’s Craig Stoltz, editor of the Health Section, filling in to host today’s discussion on healthy eating, and on our Holiday Challenge, while Sally travels to New Orleans, where (as we revealed on the pages of today’s Health section) she will enjoy a holiday dinner of, among other things, deep-fried turkey. We’re told this is a Southern recipe in which the entire bird is submerged in boiling oil (peanut?) to cook. Many swear it’s the juiciest, tastiest way to prepare a turkey. We have no reason to doubt that, but we pray for Sally’s safe return.
Meantime, I’m here to handle what questions I can and encourage those of you who are joining us live to share healthy eating ideas, tips, warnings and superstitions-- particularly those that can help us all wake up on Friday morning weighing only slightly more than we did on Thursday morning. Sally’s Holiday Challenge update, appearing in today’s Health section, is full of coping tips to get you started.
And speaking of the Holiday Challenge, we’ve gotten great feedback to the seemingly radical concept of maintaining weight through the holiday season rather than trying to lose it, and many readers have offered their own attempts to meet the challenge from now until Jan. 1 as subjects for our reporting. So look for fellow Clubsters' holiday eating stories in upcoming weeks.
And now, on with the show.
Alexandria, Va.:
Hi Craig,
Glad you can fill in for Sally today. We need all the help we can get pre-holidays!
The holidays are temptation enough for me, but overall I've pretty well mastered the art of cooking healthy. I have armloads of good recipes and ideas for healthy snacks. What kills me is going out. Especially because I often travel for work. How am I supposed to survive in a restaurant? I used to have a strategy of just ordering whatever looked like it had the most vegetables. But I am always driving myself nuts trying to figure out what is the lesser of the evils... fried, cream sauces, possible presence of butter, too much cheese, not enough vegetables,you name it. I often will order a side of vegetables but I'm often disappointed... many restaurants do not put much effort into it and I end up with soggy, overcooked broccoli, which just turns me off even more. And books on healthy eating only really cover what happens in your own home -- the only tip I've ever seen is "don't even look at the menu, just order a grilled breast of chicken and vegetables." Yeah right, I'm going to go to a nice restaurant and just order something I can make better for myself at home? So I'd love to hear some tips on surviving dining out. It's the dining out that always seems to derail my efforts to be healthier.
Please help and Happy Turkey Day!
Craig Stoltz: Truth told, Alex., I often do better in restaurants than at home, since portion control is built in (if you order modest portions, that is). I often try different restaurants’ veggie burgers; at Mexican restaurants I order the taco salad with beans only instead of chicken or beef (though of course if you eat just 4 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards—sorry, Canasta decks don’t count—you’re doing fine). Or a bean burrito saddled with a big glop of salsa (but watch portion sizes; I’ve seen some bean burritos the size of a newborn baby).
Other places I order from the vegetarian part of the menu. While any given dish might be high in dairy fat or calories, I find even those wind up being healthier than a typical meat dish. And the fat--if derived from something other than dairy--is usually less saturated. (At Indian restaurants the vegetarian choices are particularly interesting.) Even at steak restaurants I have a strategy: order the “petite” steak, which appears to be a remnant of the days when restaurants had different dishes aimed at men and women. Yes, I feel a bit girly ordering the petite steak rather than the Super-Cut 20-ounce Big Guy slab-o-flesh, but a little mirth in the eye of a steakhouse waiter is a small price to pay for feeling better afterwards. Steak houses usually have excellent (and huge) veggie sides; I could easily make a meal of a salad, mashed potatoes and spinach.
On the Web, go to americanheart.org and feed the word “restaurant” in the search field at the top of the page. You’ll find links to two documents about how to cope with restaurant menus. My favorite part is a long list of words often found on menus that reveal (or conceal) fat, calorie-rich dishes: who knew “stewed” and “basted” might be danger signs? Scroll down further on the “restaurant” search findings and you’ll see a very useful guide to eating healthy at that much-beloved yuppie dining shrine, the thai restaurant.
Also on the Web you’ll find cspinet.org, run by the tireless antagonists and public servants at Center for Science in the Public Interest, a private membership group that seeks to protect consumers from various health risks. For $4, they’ll mail you a printed report restaurant-eating guide they’ve assembled, based on many studies and explorations they’ve done.
Any Club members care to share their ideas for eating well at restaurants? Particularly the "nice" kind Alex is more intersted in? Strategies in French or Hip American restaurants warmly welcomed.
Rosslyn, Va.:
Craig,
I actually have a question for Sally, but perhaps you can track down an answer for me? My husband and I are both tuna fish addicts. We eat a tuna sandwich every single day, mostly to avoid the cost and health implications from eating out every day. Between the two of us, we eat five cans of tuna a week, probably ingesting 15 oz. each. At that rate, should we be worried about mercury? I've heard that pregnant women and children shouldn't eat so much tuna, but what about healthy, athletic adults? We've been eating these sandwiches for years! (made with lowfat mayo, of course!)
Craig Stoltz: By happy coincidence, this is something I’ve done some reporting and editing about. Based on my lay understanding, the biggest risk from seafood mercury is to pregnant women who eat tuna steaks or other fresh tuna, but not (at least not as much) the canned variety. And since the threat is greatest to a developing fetus, those who are not in a child-bearing way have less reasons to worry.
Opinions on this are very strong and opposing, mostly because both anti-mercury environmentalists, who are working to reduce mercury in many products and environments—air, water, dental fillings, vaccines, etc.—and the mercury-using or –abiding industries have seized on it and challenged each others’ credibility. By my reading, a report issued by the National Academy of Sciences in July of 2000 is a rigorous and dispassionate assessment, and it concludes that the greatest risk is to pregnant women eating fresh tuna steaks (as well as shark, swordfish and other long-lived, big-bodied, high-on-the-marine-food-chain species), not to the broader population eating the common canned variety.
Having said all that, the key to a healthy diet, we’re told time and again, is a varied diet, not a restricted one. One reason offered for this is that, for all the promising research about micronutrition, bottom line is we don’t know much about what’s really responsible for the healthy qualities of “healthy” food. So it’s best to eat lots of lower-fat (and even some higher-fat) foods, and a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, to ensure you’re exposing yourself to many sources of micronutrition. For this reason, and not fear about mercury poisoning, you may want to consider other lunch alternatives: provolone-l-t on whole-grain bread; peanut butter and jelly; etc. Tuna is a low-calorie protein high in the sort of fats known to have significant nutritional value. But it appears wise to not overdo any one food, even a healthy one.
Anybody have any easy-cheap-healthy lunch choices to recommend?
P.S.: Outraged anti-mercury activists and pro-mercury industrialists may send their letters of complaint directly to Sally Squires, c/o The Washington Post.
Falls Church, Va.:
Craig,
Nice to have you aboard! I must confess to still missing you on the Monday travel chats. Just wanted to chime in with one of my Thanksgiving day favorites -- pumpkin custard. It's healthier than pie and even easier. I actually use the pie recipe on the back of a can of Libby's pumpkin. Instead of pouring into a crust I pour the pumpkin mixture into ramekins or a baking dish and bake according to pie directions. I also use egg whites, rather than whole eggs. It's a delicious guilt-free holiday treat. And remember- pumpkin is good for you.
Enjoy.
Craig Stoltz: What a great suggestion, FC! A wily method of preserving the joyful buzz of traditional holiday foods yet eliminating some of the calories and fat. (For non-readers of the Food section, a ramekin is like a single-serving size souffle crock. I know this only because I read the word in the Food section and had to look it up.)
And implicit here is the fact that pie crust is really high in fat and calories. Anyone who has "cut the butter
in" to the flour and sugar mixture can tell you it's rich stuff you're lining the bottom of the pan with. (I think I've been spending too much time reading the Food section lately.)
And thanks for your kind words, Falls Church. Of course my colleagues in the Travel section, a k a The Flight Crew, continue to hold forth online every Monday afternoon.
washingtonpost.com:
During the week, share your tips and progress on the Holiday Challenge in our message boards.
Healthy eating in restaurants:
Cheers Craig,
Thanks for doing the chat. My safest bet at a restaurant is to order grilled, steamed or baked salmon. I always ask them to nix the butter or oil and serve it with lots of lemon. Most restaurants -- especially American and French offer salmon and I have never been looked at askance or had my request turned down. Salmon is so rich and flavorful it needs no oil or butter anyway. Shrimp are another great choice -- high protein and low fat. Just make sure they are fried.
Craig Stoltz: Great suggestion on salmon. In fact, it reminds me of another strategy of mine: order fish whenever possible (yes, broiled or grilled or steamed). My wife and I don't make much fish at home, and I know that three servings per week of fish is recommended for heart health, so I use my meals out to compensate. If you haven't had Sea Bass, it's showing up on many upmarket restaurant menus, and I think it's great.
And for shrimp, I suspect you meant just make sure they are *not* fried, yes?
Speaking of canned tuna...:
I have heard that the canning process destroys the Omega 3 fatty acids. True?
As far as high protein alternatives to the tunafish sandwich -- one of my favorite lunch snacks is yogurt with trail mix. I get low-fat or fat-free yogurt, and I love the trail mix selection at Trader Joe's because they don't salt the mixes. The soy nut mix is particularly healthy and high in protein -- but I'm also a sucker for the ones with chocolate chunks.
Another good substitute is cottage cheese, which is high in protein. You can make it kind of savory with chopped radishes and ground pepper and eat it on wheat bread for even more protein/fiber. Or you can make it sweet by eating it with chopped fruit, like canteloupe. I prefer low-salt cottage cheese, since you can add your own salt if you want.
Craig Stoltz: Thanks, S.O.C.T. As for canning tuna and losing Omega-3 fatty acids (the good fat in fish), I have no idea. I'd bring this up with Sally when she returns.
Great suggestions. One of my healthy-food vices is Horizon Hill organic vanilla yoghurt--6 oz. is 120 calories. My wife sprinkles low-fat granola on hers for breakfast, similar to your tip on TJ's trail mix.
Other ideas for dressing up cottage cheese? The blandness and texture has always sent me running.
Tyson's Corner, Va.:
I just came from the "What's cooking" Live Online section of the post. Someone there posted a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake with 536 calories and 40-something grams of fat PER SERVING! I can't believe that in today's world of healthly cooking and obesity in this country, that this kind of cooking still goes on. Thank goodness for this chat as a balance.
Craig Stoltz: Thanks, T.C., for your kind words. I guess I should quit spending so much time with the Food section (note to my colleages in Food: joking!).
But yes, they do tend to address, with at least some of their recipes, real "foodie" foods--authentic, gourmet, ethnic, etc.--and ignore the health question (for those recipes) at least. But they also do some wonderful stuff with low-fat and fast meals, and particularly with fruits and veggies. Beans, too. And they always include the nutrition info., so those who need to want to know can pick and choose.
Heathy Lunch Suggestions:
I'm a fan of hummous and whole wheat pita. It's filling, and requires no assembly. Also fantastic foods instant soups. Filling and healthy. They're full of protein, iron, fiber, etc. Haven't figured out the downside to these, other than fairly high sodium content.
Craig Stoltz: Hi, H.L.S. Yes, hummous/whole wheat pita is really nutritious and healthy. As for the soups, I forget the brand name, but there is a brand of those add-boiling-water dry soup cups that has cut the sodium considerably. Green package: Healthy Valley, maybe?
Washington, D.C.:
Hello! I am a long time lover of meat, but lately I have found myself steering away from meat... just naturally. It's the weirdest thing. Anyways, I'll try to have fish a couple times a week, a great steak once or twice a month, but I hate chicken and don't want pork. My question is, what other way is there to incorporate protein in my daily diet in a relatively low-calorie manner? Oh and by the way I am not a huge fan of most beans. Thanks!
Craig Stoltz: This one I turn over to our Club, WDC. Low-calorie protein sources? I offer two: I really like a (don't laugh)Toffuti bagel spread that my colleague Susan Morse brought in to the office last week; It was (I think) 80 cals/2 or 3 tbsp., and tasted WAY better than non-fat (blarf) or even most low-fat cream cheeses. So a bagel (200 cal) plus the toffuti spread clocks in at under 300 calories and is pretty filling. The other is whipped peanut butter. Because it's only whipped and not cut with any calorie-lowering stuff it's good, a bit lighter, and you knock off a few calories (10 to 15 percent, if I recall) in the deal.
Other suggestions?
Re: Hummus:
Doesn't it have a lot of fat from the tahini (sesame seed paste)?
Craig Stoltz: Yes, but since it is non-dairy and non-meat, its fat is the healthier, non-saturated variety. Just measure out the amount--2 tbsp. is a serving, but I almost always double that--carefully so you don't wind up taking too many calories.
Arlington, Va.:
No wonder so many people dread Thanksgiving! I agree that it would not be healthy to eat that pumpkin cheesecake every day, but come on, Thanksgiving is a celebration of plenty. Not dieting, not counting fat grams, and certainly not lecturing others at the table about how unhealthy their meals are. I'm a vegetarian, but there will be no comments from me about the bird. Likewise, if you choose not to eat the cheesecake, that's your business. On Nov. 23, the lectures can resume.
Craig Stoltz: Thanks, Arl. I believe I speak for all Clubbeurs when I say none of us intends to inflict our health/diet concerns on others--please report all violaters, especially those with the bad manners to lecture others at the holiday table, to Sally Squires, who will take appropriate punitive action.
But those of us who are heart- or health- or weight-concientious are happy to find lower-cal ways to still indulge in holiday favorites. I'd rather come out of Thanksgiving happy and only 2,500 calories richer than I would happy and 4,000 calories richer.
Anyone else want to add to this thread of the discussion?
In Defense of "What's Cooking":
So what if the pumpkin pie recipe is loaded with fat? There's nothing wrong with a splurge occasionally, especially around the holidays. The problem is when people splurge three meals (or more) a day.
Craig Stoltz: The battle lines form. . .
Hey, I posted that recipe!:
Whoa, that was a bit judgmental, Tysons: "I can't believe that in today's world of healthly [sic] cooking and obesity in this country, that this kind of cooking still goes on." I eat one slice of this cheesecake once a year, and have stayed at 115 for the past five years, so I really don't think that it is destroying my health. If you prefer not to eat this type of thing, that's fine, but there is no need to be so critical.
Craig Stoltz: . . .and deepen! *Can't we all just get along?*
Albany, N.Y.:
Another good sandwich suggestion: low fat cheese, hummus, tomato and fresh spinach on whole wheat. Yum!
Craig Stoltz: Thanks, Albany. Yes, lower-fat cheeses make a great sandwich.
Falls Church, Va.:
Jalepeno or banana pepper slices go really well in cottage cheese.
Craig Stoltz: That'll add some. . .interest to the meal.. .
Washington, D.C.:
More healthy lunch ideas:
-Edamame, whole soy beans in the pod.
-Pre peeled baby carrots -- I end up eating them like chips, absentmindedly finishing off however many I bring.
-Wilt fresh spinach in your office's microwave for about 30 seconds. Drain the water and toss with a dressing of equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar, with a splash of sesame oil and sesame seeds. Not as complicated as it sounds. Just pack the spinach in one Tupperware-like container, and mix up the dressing at home in a second, smaller Tupperware.
Craig Stoltz: Great spinach idea, WDC. I have been warned not to make any more comments about edamame, so I will have to let that pass.
Takoma Park, Md.:
Well, a basic question. Many of the discussions here focus on protein intake as a seemingly all-important part of meals. I realize this variety is important (including protein), but sense that we've all been influenced by Atkins, Zone, et al. Americans already get too much protein, yes? So a lunch of soup and salad should be acceptable. I'm just worried about all the darned emphasis on protein, and hoping my kidneys will thank me. Am I too sensitive (dare I say splenetic!?)?
Craig Stoltz: Takoma: I can tell you that I, for one, am no Adkins acolyte, and Sally isn't either. For me, it comes down to this: The three choices among macronutrients are fat, carbohydrate and protein. We know that fats are calorie-dense and need to be limited in calorie-control diets, that the saturated type is very heart-unhealthy, and that trans fats are just as nasty as saturated fats. So most healthy eaters limit fat consumption. Carbos, particuarly processed ones like non-whole-grain breads and white rice, are not very nutrition-rich and too much of them can lead to strain on the body's ability to process glucose, a pre-diabetic condition. This leaves protein, which many healthy eaters try to take in lower-calorie, lower-fat foods. So it's not that protein is highly regarded, it's just an important part of a balanced diet.
Anyone care to add to this?
Alexandria, Va. re: healthy lunches:
I typically stock up on frozen items from Trader Joes. They usually have a good selection of lo-fat lo-cal foods. But read those labels carefully. Things like the black bean burrito have more calories that you'd think! I usually supplement with a banana or tangerine.
Alternately, I graze all day. I bring things like individual applesauces, pieces of fruit, snack bags of pretzels, yogurt, Luna bars, etc. And eat about every 2-3 hours.
Craig Stoltz: More good ideas. Clear message: buy stock in Trader Joe's.
Split-Pea Soup!:
It's amazing stuff -- you get veggies and fiber! Try Trader Joe's 98 percent fat-free dried cup that you just add water to. It's a great mid-afternoon snack at less than 200 calories. It's also vegetarian (no ham).
Craig Stoltz: Is there a secret TJ campaign going on here?
Low-fat cheese:
Frankly, I think low-fat cheese sucks. And I've really tried to convince myself that I like it, but I just don't.
Instead I go for smaller quantities of cheeses with a real punch, like blue cheese or gongonzola on a salad, or a shave or two of asiago or parmegianno-regianno on pasta or a sandwich. You still get that rich, cheese flavor from a smaller amount.
Craig Stoltz: I agree the non-fat and very low-fat "engineered" cheeses are hard to eat and impossible to enjoy. I prefer the naturally lower-fat cheese, like provolone and some mozzarella. But your idea of limited quantities of The Good Stuff is a fine one.
Re: eating out:
I feel for the chatter who has trouble eating right when he (she?) isn't cooking at home. I have that same problem. Also, the foods on the menu are so tempting. I try to find grilled entrees if I choose a meat or fish, and eat vegetarian more often than not. But sometimes I end up with a dish that is less healthy than I wanted. In that case, I just shrug and enjoy! The next day (or later that night if it was lunch), I will eat lightly. It all balances out in the end.
Of course, none of this applies if I'm eating out to celebrate! On my birthday or anniversary, I'll eat whatever I want and enjoy every succulent bite guilt-free!
Craig Stoltz: Great message, E.O.!
My Thanksgiving Plan:
I plan to sample everything I want -- in small portions. Plus I'm running a turkey trot Thursday morning to help make room!
Craig Stoltz: Great stuff: Don't forget the Output end of the weight maintainance equation. It's not all about controlling inputs.
Arlington, Va.:
I'm all about Progresso soups. They're ready out of the can, most are less than 300 calories for the entire can, minimal fat (even the potato only has 12 grams in the entire can), and they taste really good.
Craig Stoltz: Finally, a Mainstream Grocery product makes the scene. Yes, Progresso is very veggie-intensive.
Low Cal Protien:
Washington, D.C. should try veggie burgers. A lot of
brands are made with soy (hello protien!)
and are relatively low in calories/fat. Also,
Philly brand cream cheese makes an
excellent strawberry fat free that tastes
much better then any other fat free I've
tried.
Craig Stoltz: Thanks, L.C.P.
Laurel, Md.:
An eating out tip (from the far-from-perfect waist-watcher)
I also order from the vegetarian menu, or put together veggie sides, but I'm not shy about asking for something special: ie "I'll have the taco salad, with beans only, and hold the sour cream and cheese, but pile on the spicy salsa."
Especially in ethnic restaurants you won't miss the fat if you pile on those spicy low-cal condiments. And they're usually more than happy to substitute these for the fatty toppings.
Craig Stoltz: Thanks, Laurel.
Craig Stoltz: Hate to sign off, folks, but my time's up. Sorry I couldn't get to everybody. Our Health Section colleague Abbie Trafford is just starting her chat, called "Normal, Yet?" dealing with the ongoing changes to the national and personal brainscape following Sept. 11.
For more on eating healthy, check out the Lean Plate Club discussion board (I hope there's a link on this page?), where you can post ideas and queries 24/7.
Sally will be back in this spot next week, where she will among other things clue us on on this whole deep-fried turkey thing. And look for next Tuesday's intallment on the Holiday Challenge, where she'll report on several Clubmembers' efforts to maintain their weight.
Speaking of which, if weight maintainance is on your menu Thursday, we wish you good luck, good company and an utterly clear concience. See you next week.
washingtonpost.com:
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