Ask Anissa: How to start making healthier food choices in malls?

AskAnissa: My office mates and I love to eat in malls because we no longer have time to cook at home after dinner and since our workplace is near there, we have no other option but to dine inside the malls and the food selection are really great though. But I don’t think it’s healthy to be eating always in the malls because of the preservatives and other unhealthy components in their dishes. What can you suggest? – Anonymous
Answer: In the middle of temptation and colleague pressure, eating healthy food in the mall is a test. Not only do the delicious and scrumptious scents tempt your olfactories, but coaxing from your boyfriend and your girl friends to pig out. And since you’re working, your body needs a lot of energy after a long day of work.
Words like “crispy,” “deep-fried,” “extra cheese” and “jumbo” signal food you want to avoid. “Baked,” “grilled” and “low-fat” are better indicators. Since you can’t control the amount of preservatives in your meals, you might want to control your intake depending in how they’re fit to be eaten.
Chicken nuggets, croissants, heavy salad dressings, French fries and other greasy meals can be exchanged with healthier alternatives like salads with light dressing, baked potatoes, grilled chicken and wheat bread. They can still be delicious and a good counterpart for greasy meals.
Sometimes, people cannot take away their wants from them especially on food. So if you can’t say no to bad and oily foods then you can lessen the amount you consume. Choosing regular fries over the large sized fries can make a big difference on your diet. And another good idea is when you can’t stay away from tacos and nachos with extra cheese and jumbo sized serving then share it with your girl friends and colleagues! How about that?
Lastly, always think of the food court as a basketball court. You have to study carefully your food options before eating them all up at once. Eating healthy food is a must and surveying the menu of the food stalls before deciding where to eat will expand your eating prospects.

Tagged as: eating healthy, good food choices, healthy foods