Best Bites: Panda Express

You are craving Panda Express for lunch.   What are the healthiest choices to make?

Lowest Calorie Entrees: Choose one of their "Wok Smart" dishes which are less than 250 calories such as:

• Broccoli Beef (130 cal)
• String Bean Chicken Breast (170 cal)
• Kobari Beef (210 cal)
• Potato Chicken (220 cal)
• Mushroom Chicken (220 cal)
• Black Pepper Chicken (250 cal)

TIPS:

• Avoid fried meats and appetizers: skip if it's described as "crispy"
• Limit rice: One serving of white rice is 420 cal and fried rice is 570 cal so split it with a friend or get the mixed veggies for 70 calories instead.
• Check the website before heading in for nutrition information and the nutrition calculator!
• You can still find a lower calorie dish here but just remember most of the dishes are loaded with sodium

Worst Picks:  The highest calorie items are the Beijing Beef (690 cal) and the Fried Rice (570 cal)

Best Bites at the Ball Park

Lizard says:  At the ballpark? Eat a hotdog and have a beer!  (Well, unless you have season tickets.)

The bottom line:  It's not surprising that most ballparks have very unhealthy food.

• Hotdogs have about 300-400 calories 
• Cracker jacks, popcorn, peanuts, nachos, pizza, and burgers can set you back about 500+ calories each.  
• You may be able to find a grilled chicken sandwich or a salad but not all stadiums have many healthy choices.

Part of the ballpark experience is having an incredibly delicious hotdog and washing it down with a nice cold beer,  right? With that said, you just need to plan ahead.

Lizard recommendations for the ballpark:

• Park far from the field for some extra exercise.
• Eat a healthy meal before going to the park so you aren't starving when you get there.
• Bring healthy non-perishable snacks such as nuts (1/2 cup), protein bars or a PB&J sandwich.
• Enjoy your beer and hotdog (or treat of choice); you can even split it with a friend!

Best Bites: Peanut Butter

In case I haven't mentioned it, I really love peanut butter! I eat it on sandwichs, apples, crackers and even waffles and sometimes on a spoon.  So, when it comes to choosing a peanut butter I'm extremely picky.  In addition to peanuts, many peanut butters also add ingredients such as oil, sugar, corn syrup and trans fat.  Why ruin an amazing food?


Limit Ingredients:  Look for peanuts-only or peanuts and salt.

Brands: Trader Joe's brand, Whole Foods brand, and Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter are all great choices as they are only peanuts and salt.  Whole Foods has a peanut-only version which is freshly ground and is found in the bulk food section; it's thick but incredibly delicious.

Stirring: The main complaint people have is they have to stir some of the more natural peanut butters (because they lack added oils to keep it from separating).   Stirring may seem like a chore but I prefer less ingredients in my peanut butter so I don't mind.

Remember, peanut butter is delicious but high in calories, so watch your portions!

Best Bites: Crackers

You are looking to buy crackers, but there are so many choices!  What is the healthiest cracker?

Many common crackers  contain enriched flour, food coloring, trans fat (aka partially hydrogenated oils), high fructose corn syrup, sugar, added fibers, preservatives and other food additives.  Who needs all of that?

My advice is to buy a cracker with only a few ingredients.  Make sure "whole wheat" one is the first ingredient listed.

• Reduced-Fat Triscuits have whole grain wheat, soybean oil, and salt.  That's it!  
• Trader Joe's and Whole Foods make similar crackers 

These crackers have few ingredients, are high in fiber and very tasty!   They can be used as part of a healthy snack with apples, cheese and cinnamon.  More recipes to come.

Best Bites: Jimmy John's

You are heading to Jimmy John's for lunch.  What should you know before you order?

Lowest Calorie Sandwich is ~325 calories:  Choose turkey or ham on "French bread for subs", veggies, and avocado spread or mustard for added flavor.  
(Order: Turkey Tom with no mayo or Pepe with no cheese or mayo.)


Tips:

1. Avoid the "French bread for clubs or slims," which is 350 calories.  Instead choose French bread for subs (some of the inside bread is taken out) which is 250 calories or the wheat bread which is also 350 calories but has 5g of fiber.
2. Replace the cheese with avocado spread which is only 15 calories and adds great flavor!
3. Remove the mayo which adds almost 200 calories; choose the mustard which is less than 10!
4. Say NO to the cookie which is 420 calories!
5. Don't add caloric-beverages such as regular soda, tea or juice. Stick to water, diet soda or light lemonade.

Worst Sandwich:  It's not too surprising that the "J.J. Gargantuan" would be loaded with calories (try almost 1,000!) but did you know the Club Tuna is almost 850 calories?

Jimmy John's has an amazing nutrition website where you can add and remove sandwich items, side items and drinks.  Check it out before you head in!

Best Bites: Starbucks

You want a fast breakfast on the run and you head to Starbucks.  What are the healthiest options?

Best drink options (tall size, 12 oz, non-fat milk and no whip cream):

1. Cafe Latte or Skinny Flavored Latte:  90-100 calories and 9-10 g protein
2. Plain black coffee with optional artificial sweetener and skim milk (plain coffee has very few calories) 

Black coffee may be obvious, but why lattes? Even though lattes have more calories than plain coffee, they have protein which will help keep you full if you aren't eating other protein foods!

Best food options: 

1. Perfect Oatmeal with nut topping: 240 calories and 7g protein (watch out for the brown sugar and fruit toppings which combined will make the oatmeal 390 calories)
2. Egg white, spinach and feta wrap: 280 calories and 18g protein

Say NO to bakery items - the mini donuts are about 130 calories, but with no protein or fiber you will be hungry in no time.   Most of the muffins, scones and other baked goods range between 350 - 500 calories each!   Most people believe muffins are healthy but this is NOT true!  Even "reduced-fat" or bran muffins still are loaded with calories and fat.  One example is the zucchini walnut muffin which will set you back 490 calories and 28g fat!  

Worst drink: Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha (large, whole milk, with whipped cream) will cost you 700 calories!  It sounds absolutely delicious so stick to a small with skim and no whip cream and it's only 270 calories.