Live It Articles June 2003

Summer is here and it is vacation time for many of us. You may even be dreading summer and vacation time, because you do not want to lose the momentum you have established toward a permanent healthy lifestyle. Going on vacation does not mean you have to take a vacation from the healthy lifestyle you have formed in First Place.

I am sure all of you have heard and read the recent headlines that our government is putting pressure on restaurants to offer healthy food choices. Not so very long ago, going to a restaurant was considered an occasion, an exciting experience saved for celebrations. For most people these days, eating out is neither exotic nor much of an event. In fact, eating out regularly seems to have become a part of nearly everyone’s daily routine. Overextended, time-crunched Americans increasingly rely on restaurants and take-out shops, and some kids practically grow up in fast-food outlets or on take-out food.

I have been reading a new book by Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D. and Jayne G Hurley, RD, from the Center from Science in the Public Interest titled Restaurant Confidential (www.restaurantconfidential.org). It is full of great advice about eating out and has tremendous statistics. In 1955, Americans spent 19 percent of their food dollar on food that was prepared outside the home. Today, that figure is 41 percent and still climbing. That amounts to 29 percent of our meals purchased outside the home, and 22 percent of our snacks coming from outside our home. Two hundred and twenty two billion dollars is spent annually at restaurants; another $117 billion is spent at company and school cafeterias, stadiums and other venues. There are 844,000 eateries in the United States.

USDA surveys find that food eaten outside the home is nutritionally worse than home-cooked food. On an average, it is 20 percent higher in fat, higher in sodium and cholesterol, and at the same time lower in calcium, dietary fiber and iron. The good news about eating out today is, there is reliable information for health-conscious consumers to make good choices as they enjoy the experience of eating out. Media pressure, plus public demand, is encouraging restaurants to provide more healthful options.

I had an email question from a member who wanted to know how to count an appetizer from Ruby Tuesday. I typed my usual reply to find this restaurant on the Internet and check out the nutritional information for this particular food choice. I have found that nearly every restaurant has a web site with all the information we need, and was very surprised to see that Ruby Tuesday does not give the nutritional information.

I believe we have a part to play in the pursuit of restaurants serving healthier food choices. We need to patronize restaurants that:

• Offer a “healthy” or “lite” section on the menu.
• Allows patrons to make reasonable substitutions, such as baked potato instead of fries.
• Make available low-fat versions of foods, such as ham, sausages, hot dogs, milk, etc.
• Provides fruit and vegetables as side dishes.
• Lists calorie content next to each item on menus.
• Provides nutritional information for standard dishes
• Lowers the prices on salads and fruit, making up for the loss by small increases in the prices of less healthful items.
• Provides half portions at a lower price.

You may not be able to find restaurants that meet all these suggestions, but you can make a mental note of those who do the best job at meeting these objectives. It is then our job to be faithful to choose the healthy choices. I believe some good choices have come and gone because we ignore the good choices when they are available.

First Place has taught us that not only our weight, but also our health is affected by poor food choices. Choose your eating out choices carefully as you enjoy your vacation this summer. Make sure you do not pay twice for your eating out experiences; first with your wallet and later with your health.

May God Bless You on Your Vacation,

Kay Smith
First Place Associate Director


Kay is the associate national director of First Place and has been on the First Place staff since 1987.

Kay is a popular speaker at retreats, seminars, Conferences, FOCUS Weeks and Workshops across the country. Kay is the First Place food exchange expert and writes a monthly article in the First Place E-Newsletter on nutrition. She also was a contributing writer to the Today Is the First Day devotional book. Her delightful personality and love for people endears her to everyone she meets, and they quickly become her new best friend.

Kay and her husband, Joe, live in Roscoe, TX. They have two children and five grandchildren. Two of the young grandchildren are making a name for themselves on the golf circuit. Two of the young grandchildren are making a name for themselves on the golf circuit, and the three oldest grandsons are all involved in numerous sporting events, which Kay and Joe attend as often as possible.