Healthy Fast Food?

Well my friends, I think it's about time I shared with you a quick little blurb on my favorite fast food.  That's right, I do eat fast food, though I don't think it resembles the greasy burgers and salty fries you're imagining.  In fact, I think it actually tastes a lot better than both of those, and is most definitely a lot more filling.  Oh, and you know if I'm writing about it, then it's actually legitimately HEALTHY!!!!  Too good to be true?  Not at all!

So where is this magical place?  Why, I'm sure it's in your nearest big shopping district.  It's called Panera Bread, and boy do they serve some good stuff.  Panera is famous for delicious salads, sandwiches, and a bakery that will put most others to shame.  The stores are well designed, modern, comfortable, and welcoming.  And while you may be screaming "NOT FAST FOOD!!!" -- you'd be dead wrong.  The food there is remarkably fast.  Often I place my order, get my little buzzer thing, and by the time I'm sitting down the darn thing is already going nuts (and scaring me half to death.)  Believe me, that food is speedy.  

You know what else is great about Panera?  They post caloric information right next to the menu items.  Now while you may be a little leary as to how accurate it really is, I believe they're required by law to put the same portions in each bowl in order to comply with those measurements, so you won't have to give or take too many calories from the stated number.  

Now keep in mind, NOT EVERYTHING in Panera is healthy.  In fact, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble with both the bakery (those pastries are incredible), and certain greasy sandwiches or cheesy soups.  Now don't get me wrong, everything tastes fantastic, but if you want to stay healthy, watch both the number of calories and the content of each sandwich, salad, or soup.  When I'm in Panera, I usually get the Thai Chopped Chicken Salad.  It's 470 calories for a GIANT bowl of tasty salad that's completely loaded with protein and healthy carbs.  Sure, the dressing is pretty sweet, but is completely manageable.  If you want to make it even better, take out the little Chinese noodles (as good as they taste.)  

Want a better idea of the nutritional information in Panera's food?  Here's a link to that exact information for your dieting knowledge:

http://www.panerabread.com/pdf/nutr-guide.pdf

I believe the best sandwich choices are:

Roasted Turkey and Avacado BLT (510 calories)

Smoked Turkey Breast on Country (420 calories)

And the best salad choices are:

Thai Chopped Chicken Salad (470 calories)

Poppyseed Chicken Salad (340 calories)

Asian Sesame Chicken (450 calories)

BBQ Chopped Chicken (500 calories)

As far as sides go, I'd suggest either an apple or whole grain baguette.  The chips are baked though, so they're not the worst thing going.  

Panera is definitely my favorite fast food joint.  If you keep your head on your shoulders and don't get tempted by the crazy chocolate stuffed croissants or cheesy, creamy soups, you can walk out of that place with a pretty healthy meal in your belly.  Remember folks, not all fast food is bad.

Enjoy your meals, choose wisely, and as always, GOOD LUCK!!!

Shirataki Noodles: A Gift From The Food Gods

A few days ago, I visited a little store called "Nature's Storehouse" in Canton, NY.  They're quite the health shop, who sell every supplement you could ever desire, and every healthy food that seems to skip over the shelves of more common, "mundane" grocery stores.  I found various grains like amaranth, chia seeds, and quinoa, as well as various seaweed types like dulce flakes.  But upon entering that store I was really only looking for one thing: Shirataki noodles.  These noodles are a dieter's dream food, having only 1 net carb per serving, and between 5-20 calories per 4oz depending on whether they are enhanced with tofu or not.  I'm here to tell you today that my search was not fruitless, and I came back to my dorm with three 8oz bags of tofu shirataki noodles.  Let me tell you all right now, THESE THINGS RULE!

First, let's explore a little and find out what shirataki actually is.  Shirataki noodles are thin, gelatinous noodles made from a yam native to Japan called the Konjac Yam.  They happen to be extremely low carbohydrate, due to the fact that they're composed almost exclusively of soluble fiber, which can't be digested by your body (or at least they're not able to be used as an energy source.)  That means they have almost no calories as well, and each of my 8 oz bags has 40 calories.  Let me tell you folks, 8 oz is plenty of noodles, and will go with any meal quite nicely.  They'll fill you up pretty darn quick too, another plus.

So what's the difference between traditional shirataki noodles and tofu shirataki noodles?  Well, by themselves, shirataki noodles have zero carbs, and practically no calories, making them the ideal choice for the super strict dieter.  However, plain shirataki noodles have a bit of a strange texture to them, and can bit a bit "rubbery" to bite into.  Food production industries found that by adding a small amount of tofu to the noodles, the texture can be softened, and at the same time a tiny bit of carbohydrates and protein is added to the noodles as well.  As mentioned before, 4 oz of tofu shirataki noodles still only has 20 calories, so it's really NO big deal at all, and honestly it's nice to get at least a few nutrients into what basically is just a "filler food."  Tofu shirataki noodles (while still rare) are also much easier to find than plain shirataki noodles.

Just for fun, here are the nutritional facts for shirataki noodles and tofu shirataki noodles.

3 oz of plain shirataki noodles:

Nutrition Facts
Calories 2	(8 kJ)
% Daily Value 1
Total Fat	0g	0%
Sat. Fat	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Total Carbs.	0.5g	< 1%
Dietary Fiber	0.5g	2%
Sugars	0g
Protein	0g

4 oz of tofu shirataki noodles:

Nutrition Facts
Calories 20	(84 kJ)
% Daily Value 1
Total Fat	0.5g	< 1%
Sat. Fat	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	15mg	< 1%
Total Carbs.	3g	1%
Dietary Fiber	1.5g	6%
Sugars	0g
Protein	1g
Calcium	100mg

And also for fun, here's 2 oz of regular angel hair spaghetti:

Nutrition Facts
Calories 200	(836 kJ)
% Daily Value 1
Total Fat	1g	2%
Sat. Fat	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	0mg	0%
Total Carbs.	42g	14%
Dietary Fiber	2g	8%
Sugars	1g
Protein	7g

Big difference right?  If you want low carb pasta, there isn't much substitute for shirataki noodles.  They're easy to get creative with as well.  I'm such a seafood lover that in my dorm the other day I cooked a package of tofu shirataki noodles with a can of drained clams, and two sliced mushrooms.  I added some chili powder, mixed it all up, threw it in the microwave, and before I knew it I had a delicious and filling meal that had 30 g of protein at less than 200 calories.  I'm sure the seafood lovers amongst you can appreciate my creation, and I assure you I was in heaven.

I ran across this recipe the other day and think it a remarkably creative example of using shirataki noodles to their full extent.  Looks delicious!

http://shirataki-noodles.recipesilove.com/2011/11/grilled-tofu-and-chicken-with-tofu-shirataki/

To wrap things up, let me say this:  Shirataki noodles really are a miracle food.  I can't wait to combine them with all sorts of other recipes and ingredients, because after seeing what can be done with them I realize I've barely scratched the surface of their potential.  If you can, I EMPLORE you to pick some up ASAP.  You won't regret it.  They're delicious, easy to cook, low calorie, low carb, and could very easily help your diet out BIGTIME.

Love shirataki, be creative, and as always, GOOD LUCK!