That's Fit

Healthy fast food? Could there really be such a thing? A West Hollywood restaurant in California called O!burger seems to think so, and they're not talking cold sub sandwiches either. Burgers, fries, and shakes make up a good part of their menu, along with veggie burgers, yogurt smoothies, and salads.

Their main claim to fame (and health) is that they're 100% organic and striving to be eco-friendly in every way they can. They do have a healthy sounding veggie burger made of spinach and corn, but no mention of fat grams or calories. Is being organic enough to make such a broad claim like "healthy?" Unfortunately I don't live in the area and can't go try it for myself but if you do then give it a shot and let us know what you think!

Love to eat out but hate the damage it does to your diet? Try these easy tips and tricks for having all the fun and none of the flab:

Want an easy way to cut a good chunk of calories from your meal when you eat out? Here it is: skip the bread basket. Dinner rolls can have between 100 and 270 calories, and that's not including the butter. Have two or even three of these before your get your entree? You've got a whole meal's worth of calories before dinner. Yikes!

So it should go without saying that if you're trying to cut calories, you should nix the bread. It's easy -- just ask your server not to bring it. Can't live without some pre-meal carbs? Ask for half the bread basket, or better yet, just one or two rolls. And ask that he or she bring you only whole wheat dinner rolls.

Want some tips on how to have your bread (basket) and eat it too? Check out this post from Noshtopia.

Imagine heading out to dinner with your partner or family, only to be asked to step on a scale and then turned away because you're BMI is over 30. That's what eating out in Mississippi might be like if Representative W.T. Mayhall, Jr. gets his bill passed. The bill would require that people who are obese, as defined by the state, be banned from being served in restaurants. It would also require that restaurant owners keep records of customers BMIs.

According to Junkfood Science, Mayhall authored the bill in all seriousness, although he doesn't believe it will pass. Claiming the "need for government action" in response to the obesity crisis, Mayhall apparently believes that shame and embarrassment will help people take better care of their health.

I think this falls squarely in the "they can't be serious" category. What do you think?

It may seem like no surprise, but a recent study suggests that a full-service restaurant may be a better choice for dinner than fast food.

In fact, what they found was that people who live in neighborhoods near fast food restaurants tend to carry more extra weight than those who live near full-service restaurants. That's not to say that you can't overeat at a full-service restaurant, because we all know that with super-sized portions, it's not hard to do. But the research suggests that it's how we eat -- sitting down, focusing on our food, taking our time vs. eating on the run, in the car, in a hurry -- is an important factor in maintaining weight, at least when we go out to eat.

Eating out can put a serious dent on both your wallet and your waistline. But what if I told you there was a way to save money and calories? There is -- take half of your meal to go. You'll halve the calories in the dish, and you'll have something yummy for tomorrow too.

Don't believe that half the food will fill you up? It can't hurt to try, right? Here's what to do: Eat half your meal, package the rest up, take it with you to the office or your home, and wait for 20 minutes before gauging whether you're still hungry or not. If you are, eat some more -- but it's likely that you won't be once you give your stomach the chance to start digesting what you've eaten.

Also? Practice safe ordering. Try to choose an item that's high in protein, vegetables and fibre, and lower in fat and refined starches.

I think that, in most cases, it's almost always healthier to eat in than eat out. You have control over what goes into your meal and can control your portion sizes. New York recently required that restaurants share nutritional information with their customers, and a similar bill in California was recently ignored by their governor. Why is nutritional information such a big deal? Because in some cases, what you're eating is really, really bad in terms of calories, fat, and sodium.

Men's Health recently went behind the scenes to find out why nutritional information is such a well-kept secret. In some cases, what they discovered was stunning. For instance, did you know that an order of Aussie Cheese Fries at Outback Steak House has a whopping 2,900 calories?

It makes for interesting reading. I don't think there's anything wrong with eating out now and then, or even indulging in some cheesy fries, but I do think that savvy consumers should be concerned when a restaurant won't open up about what's in their food. If you have to hide it, it makes me wonder why. What do you think?

Although it is possible to be perfectly healthy and still eat out all the time, it's not an easy thing to do. Studies have found a strong connection between people who eat healthier diets and people who eat at home the majority of the time. As a society we've really gotten away from the regular "from scratch" home cooked meal -- sadly they've become a complete luxury in many cases! But eating at home can help you avoid many of the temptations of dining out (I can't even count how many times I've gone out swearing to have soup and salad and ended up with a burger and fries instead!) and can save you money too.

When you travel, do you plan your meals for the trip? Many of us just take what is available, since the stress of meetings, presentations and training can make the effort to find healthy food quite treacherous.

But dealing with all that stress and keeping a level head is so much easier if you indeed seek out the best and most healthy foods while outside your home comfort zone.

Want to be best prepared for those questions after your presentation? A high-fat breakfast full of calories and chemicals probably won't get you there. But, some whole-wheat toast, low-fat yogurt and fresh fruit sure will.

Certain celebrities -- I'm thinking along the lines of Jessica Alba, Uma Thurman and Reese Witherspoon -- seem to look good all the time. So we have to wonder -- just how do they do it? Glee Magazine wonders the same thing and has these celebrity-inspired tips for looking slim and healthy all the time:

• Avoid loose, baggy clothes. It's too easy to hide weight gain under baggy clothes. Wearing tight outfits, no matter how much they make you cringe, will motivate you to lose the flab.
• Watch what you eat when you eat out. Mere salad dressing can add 600 calories to your meal. And imagine you're a celeb being trailed by the paparazzi when you eat -- take small, slow bites instead of shoveling it in.
• Water. Why is it that when you see a celeb working out they always have a bottle of water? Because they know how important water is -- not only does it help you stay hydrated while your working out, but it helps ward off hunger.
  

What's your favourite weight-loss tip?

You may think you know what you're doing when it comes to eating healthy while eating out at restaurants, but do you really? Do steamed veggies and egg white omelets sounds like healthy fare? Because they aren't usually, at least not as much as you might think.

Truth is restaurant food usually tastes as good as it does because chefs and cooks have any number of tricks up their sleeves to add fat. Fat makes food taste great, sadly, and so they put it in and on everything. Besides steamed veggies (which are often coated in oil before and after steaming) and egg-white omelets (which are cooked in loads of oil in the skillet), other high-fat restaurant shockers include seemingly plain toasted bread and buns, grilled meats, and even sushi.

To get the healthiest fare you have to both educate yourself and make a point to communicate with your servers and tell them exactly what you do, or don't, want (i.e. no butter or oil added at any step of the cooking process).

Eating out + dieting usually equals disaster. I know for me it does -- I have trouble resisting the allure of the chicken wings, the pizza, the wine list, the dessert. But if I were to give up eating out, it's not the food I would miss -- it's the social aspect, the chatting that happens around the food with good friends and family. For the social diner, here are some tips to help you enjoy good company at a restaurant without ruining your healthy eating:

• Order your sandwiches sans mayo and cheese, and bulk up on mustards and veggies
• Order the smallest burger, and get it with extra veggies and without cheese, mayo and special sauce
• When ordering Chinese, skip the fried (or deep-fried) and so for steamed
• Avoid cream or coconut-based curries and eat either bread or rice -- not both

I've talked about Dr. Katz's healthy advice before, and he's recently weighed in on his tips for eating out. He says that there are two important choices when going out for a meal: The restaurant and what you order. When picking a restaurant, it's important to choose one that has healthy options that you enjoy. Choosing a restaurant with a salad bar is a great idea, or if you want some protein, choose a place the offers grilled meats.

When ordering, avoid meats that are breaded and/or fried. Here's one clue that I find helpful: if it says 'crispy', it's probably breaded and fried. As for your side, choose the salad or veggies always. Skip the fries -- you'll feel better about it.

What are your eating out tips?

How good are you at measuring portion sizes? If you think a portion size is whatever is on your plate, you might need some educating. Standard portion sizes are a measure of food developed by nutrition experts to give us some idea of how much we should be eating, and more often than not, the portion size we should be eating is much smaller than what we are eating. Whether we're cooking for ourselves or eating out, we often over-estimate how much we should be eating, which is why weight-loss programs centered around portion control, such as Jenny Craig, are so popular.

Whether you think you know your portions or not, take this quiz. You'll be surprised by just how much more you are eating than you may have thought.

When you visit that Italian or Mexican restaurant that's a favorite of yours, is it possible to "eat healthy" while still enjoying the cuisine that you love? It is possible, but it takes a good effort and willpower to weave your way through all the potentially unhealthy obstacles.

This article over at eDiets has some great advice on how to ensure your next restaurant trip ends up being pleasant without adding the pounds on. For example, eat salsa with chips instead of cheese or guacamole when dining at a Mexican restaurant, skip the complimentary bread when eating Italian and go light on the sauces and deep-fried items when going Chinese.