12/11/2006

Question of the Week: Healthy Eating At The Mall

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 am — Filed under:

A lot of us are trying to eat healthy while we are out Christmas shopping. That can leave us confused and hungry at the mall food court.

What do you eat when you are out shopping?

How do you compensate for it?

Do you pack your own food with you, or risk things at the food court?

What are the healthiest options?

You don’t have to sacrifice health at “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” It’s possible to eat healthy on the go. I want to hear how you have done it.

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7 Responses to “Question of the Week: Healthy Eating At The Mall”

  1. Bill Nadraszky Says:

    How about, Just don’t eat!

    Sorry, it is just really difficult. I try to plan what I am going to eat beforehand and that way I don’t get drawn in by Dairy Queen. We have an OK Greek Place called Opa’s in the malls here in Calgary. Otherwise I like burgers as bad as we know they are.

  2. iportion Says:

    Go online and check your favorite places notional menus online

    Go for a child’s size burger than get a side salad. Use the salad to make the burger have bigger mouth feel. Eat with another salad and maybe a reduced fat ice cream come if ready.

    At subway I’d choose a six inch an atkins wrap or a round. Do not get the Atkins fully prepared wraps but create your own. Skip the cheese go for a veggie or a lean meat like roatbeef, turkey or ham. Skip the Atkins dressing full of calories, skip the oil and mayo. Go for things the sweet onion terioki sauce, fat free sweet vinegar.

    A lot of Wendy’s will allow you to swap a salad or chili for the fires

    McDonald’s I’d get salad and swap the dressing out.

    I hear some dairy queens sell sugar free fudge pops.

    Many places sell chicken breast sandwiches.

    Burger king: Order the vegetrain burger but remember to hold the mayo

    Make sure chicken salad isn’t grilled chicken salad

    Taco bell has the fresco menu which is pretty good.

  3. Laura Moncur Says:

    Bill,

    “How about, Just don’t eat!”

    That phrase is what causes bingeing. When you don’t listen to your body, it reacts by making you shaky and light-headed. If you skip the food court at the mall with the advice of “Just don’t eat,” then you end up eating a whole pizza when you get home.

    Eat when you’re hungry, just make smart choices.

    “Just don’t eat” is a short-sighted answer that helps no one.

    Laura

  4. kelley whitlock Says:

    I believe when tempted by the food court in the mall, and slightly lightheaded and parched from power shopping, just make smart choices with lean meat/fresh vegetables- I believe it is all in moderation. If I deprive myself I feel I push myself into starvation mode and want to eat everything- so I eat a little of a treat for good moderate living- although I seem to not be such a moderate spender, hey you can’t take it with you!!

  5. Bill Nadraszky Says:

    Yes Laura, Binging is bad. I think though that most of the foods at the mall just are not that good. When we as a family go to the mall my wife tries to pack fruit for the kids to eat and I end up going through the bag as well. Other than this we do end up having snacks at the mall food court or the greek food. Sometimes we end up in one of the restaurants at or close by the mall but that is often not much better especially if you are very hangry and not careful about the food that you are eating.

    Nice to see the recognition of overeating when you get too hungry as that is something that I have a bad history of doing.

  6. Brian D Says:

    What do you eat when you are out shopping? I try and keep it lite, whether it’s a slice of pizza, a lunch order of mexican, greek, or good ole americana food.

    How do you compensate for it? Walk, park far away, and go to all ends of the mall, unless they are massive..

    Do you pack your own food with you, or risk things at the food court? Risk at all times, it’s a good way for me to spend george dollars http://www.wheresgeorge.com

    What are the healthiest options? Walk, eat greens, a decent protein source, and a small treat if you are accomplishing good things… Course the mall here sucks but that is small town USA.. i love the internet..

    happy shopping and Merry Christmas to all!

  7. anet Says:

    Being a cheapskate has always been my salvation in this area. Even as a teenager, I drank water (soda was just fluid w/ flavoring and wasn’t worth the cost to me) and wouldn’t eat out when avoidable.

    When you eat at the mall invariably its junk. Sometimes my husband remembers to pack some apples or bananas but usally I don’t even think about it.

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