Eating Ethnic

The new National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute obesity guidelines recommend trying different ethnic cuisines to give yourself a tasty treat while still counting calories and fat. Eating ethnic cuisines is a great way to add a variety of taste to your current diet. As an added bonus, many ethnic dishes can be low in fat and calories.
 
Chinese
Chinese offers steamed vegetables, lean protein choices and the option of brown rice. But watch out for the high sodium that makes them taste so good! Try opting for a low sodium soy sauce, for example. You’ll never know the difference!

Chinese can also be high in fat if you order fried rice, breaded chicken or fried fish dishes. They usually use plant fats such as vegetable or peanut oil. Always ask to have them use less oil so your total fat intake is not through the roof.
 
Thai
Thai is also an excellent way to increase your vegetable intake. If you’re into spicy, you can really crank it up with Thai! But beware, all the coconut dishes are high in fat and so are any peanut sauces.

Italian
Italian is great if you select red sauces instead of white sauces. Instead of the alfredo select primavera, piccata, sun-dried tomatoes or crushed tomatoes. I always tell my clients to stick to the two pieces of pizza and a side salad with lots of vegetables rule and you will feel satisfied. When it comes to pizza, meat toppings and extra cheese cause your fat and calorie intake to go up. Load up on vegetable toppings and lean protein, such as chicken, ham or canadian bacon.

For a great Italian recipe you can try at home, check out this recipe for Italian seafood pasta!
 
Mexican
Mexican is my favorite! Get some fajitas and share them with a friend. I recommend counting out the tortillas before you eat the entire basket, which is so easy to do! A serving is nine to 13 chips, depending on their size. Salsa and picante are great because they really add flavor and have such a low calorie level. Rice and beans are good as well, just watch out for the amount.

Try this low sodium recipe for Pita Pocket Tacos. 

The key is to keep your dishes simple, ask for sauces on the side, plan ahead if you decide to eat a larger portion and enjoy the variety of flavors ethnic foods introduce to our diets.