Know Your Menu Watch Words

Throw the Flag at Unhealthy Cooking

-- By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer

They are small words. They can be easy to miss. They slip off your tongue as you order your food, without even knowing what you are saying. Yet they mean the difference between a healthy or unhealthy meal. What are these unassuming potential land mines? "Menu Watch Words" -- and it pays to keep your eye on them.

Going out to eat is a lot of fun. You’re having a good time and you might not always think about what’s best for you. You can avoid the next morning "why did I eat that" hangover by planting a few gentle reminders, well-placed whispers in your ear.

Did you know that consultants travel the country helping restaurants say just the right things on their food menus? Unless you ask the server about the preparation of each item, it’s hard to know for sure what’s really healthy and unhealthy. For example, the word "breaded" can add five times as much fat to your meal as the word "grilled." You can fight back by translating the consultants’ wordcrafting into something useful.

Not all "Menu Watch Words" are bad. When you go out to eat, just go prepared. Know which words to look for and which to avoid. Below is a quick hit list of Green Flag "Safe" and Red Flag "Warning!" food options.

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• DAVIDHOMERE "Thank you for the healthy tips green flag words while eating out . I will n..."
• MACHOL "Bet you can't eat it all!? To me, that ranks up there with, "hey, watch th..."
• SNOWBIRDRH "I guess it pays to ask the server to find out exactly how the food is cooke..."

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