WELLTRAX

HEALTHY RESTAURANT MEALS - By Diana Harf, CPT

OK, so everywhere you go all you see are the Red Light Words I mentioned in the other article.  Luckily, Health.com has prepared the following list of healthy dishes you can find at many of your favorite national restaurants.  If you're not near one of these, go to HealthyDiningFinder.com or GoodFoodNearYou.com on your computer, iPhone or BlackBerry, type in your zip code, and they will show you restaurants in your area, along with suggested healthy dishes offered by them.

Enjoy!

P.F. Chang's China Bistro

•Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Gluten Free): 477 Calories, 12 g fat, 31 g protein 63 g carbs, 7 g fiber

•Cantonese Shrimp: 330 calories, 12 g fat, 33 g protein, 21 g carbs, 4 g fiber

•Moo Goo Gai Pan: 535 Calories, 19 g fat, 54 g protein, 32 g carbs, 4 g fiber

Chili’s

•Guiltless Cedar Plank Tilapia: 199 calories, 4 g fat, 34 g protein, 8 g carbs, 5 g fiber

•Guiltless Carne Asada Steak: 371 calories, 10 g fat, 46 g protein, 11 g carbs, 6 g fiber

Olive Garden

•Minestrone: 100 calories, 1.5 g fat, 19 g carbs, 3 g fiber

•Venetian Apricot Chicken: 380 calories, 4 g fat, 32 g carbs, 8 g fiber

•Linguine alla Marinara (dinner portion): 430 calories, 6 g fat, 76 g carbs, 9 g fiber

Chevy’s Fresh Mex

•Original Famous Chicken Fajitas (without tortillas, rice, sour cream or guacamole): 566 calories, 13 g fat, 62 g protein, 49 g carbs, 15 g fiber

•Santa Fe Chicken Salad (order without cheese or bacon): 318 Calories, 11 g fat, 39 g protein, 28 g carbs, 9 g fiber

Sizzler Steakhouse

•Grilled Salmon (with broccoli): 425 calories, 20 g fat, 49 g protein, 13 g carbs, 6 g fiber

•Double Hibachi Chicken: 430 calories, 8 g fat, 75 g protein, 11 g carbs, 5 g fiber

Red Lobster

•Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail: 120 cal, 1g fat, 0g sat. fat., 590mg sod., 9g carbs

•Rainbow Trout (with fresh broccoli): 225 cal, 9.5g fat, 2.5g sat. fat., 390mg sod., 6g carbs

•Live Maine Lobster (1 1/4 lb, steamed, without butter): 45 cal, 0.48g fat, 0.12g sat. fat., 350mg sod., 0g carbs

- Diana Harf, CPT

Beware These Red Light Words on the Menu! - By Diana Harf, CPT

It's nice when a menu lets you know which meals the chef considers "healthy."  These dishes are frequently set out in their own section of the menu entitled "Heart Healthy" or "For The Calorie Conscious."  But have you ever seen a menu that highlights the UNHEALTHY meals??  I didn't think so.  But if you know what words to look for you can quickly eliminate those that, for one reason or another, are not healthy eating.  If you see any of the following words in the description of a dish, skip to the next one:

AMERICAN RESTAURANTS:  Bacon-wrapped, "Bloomin'", Au gratin, Hollandaise, Scalloped, Creamed, Smothered, Parmesan-crusted

CHINESE RESTAURANTS: Tempura, Egg Rolls, Fried rice, Egg Foo Yong, Sweet & Sour, General Gao, Moo Goo Gai Pan

SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS:  New England Style Clam Chowder, Bisque (any kind), Shrimp Scampi, Fried (anything), Crabcakes, Calamari, Golden Fried

ITALIAN RESTAURANTS:  Parmigiana, Alfredo, Fritto (fried), Breaded, Carbonara

MEXICAN/TEX MEX RESTAURANTS:  Con Queso, Refried, Deep Fried/Crispy, Loaded/Supreme/ Grande, Chimichanga 

DESSERTS:  Everything except sorbet and fresh fruit!

- Diana Harf, CPT

OPEN WIDE AND SAY “YAWN” - By Diana Harf, CPT

The next time you're tempted to stifle a yawn, don’t. According to the author of “Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain”, Patt Lind-Kyle, yawning isn’t rude. It’s actually one of your body's coolest tricks - and brings with it a host of benefits to your body, mind and even your relationships.

Lynd-Kyle says “The truth is, yawning has earned a bad rap. It’s actually the body's way of rejuvenating the brain so that it can function more effectively.” With a yawn, you are stimulating a neural area of the brain that plays a major role in being more conscious and self reflective.  Yawning forces extra oxygen directly to the brain. That aids in relaxation, alertness and maintaining good memory.

Consider this:

• Yawning helps the brain maintain balance. Research has found that yawning helps cool down an overactive brain as it attempts to regulate its temperature and metabolism.

• Yawning can lift your mood. When you yawn your dopamine levels rise. This activates oxytocin, a pleasure and relationship-bonding chemical. The more these chemicals are activated the more frequently you yawn. Yawning is also contagious, because it triggers the mirror neurons that literally prompt you to reflect another person's behavior or emotional state.

• Yawning helps you “reset” yourself. When you yawn you help regulate your body’s circadian rhythms on a roughly 24 hour cycle of human behavior and biological activities. For example, when you are traveling by plane and changing time zones,remember to yawn to change your circadian rhythms. Yawning seems to help to reduce the effects of jet lag.

If you yawned while reading this article, don't be surprised. It's contagious—even in print!

-Diana Harf, CPT