Continuing from my previous post on the Malaysian's dilemma of being able to 'eat clean', we need to first know that a balanced meal would need to consist of protein, carbs, and fat. Yes, this means that if you thought eating 'healthy' meant gobbling down vegetables and fruits all day, you're wrong. Those are just fad-diets that probably has a greater mental effect on you rather than actual results. I know someone who used to train at the gym, but practically survived on all sorts of blended fruit juices + a cabinet full of vitamins.. let me tell you that because of her so called 'healthy' diet, she ALWAYS looked tired, sick and nowhere near being fit at all. A balanced meal IS important.

The nutrient ratios for protein/carbs/fat can vary based on what your goals are (to gain weight, maintenance, or to lose fat), but that's a topic on its own and would require another writeup altogether. What I'll cover today will hopefully help ensure that we'll at least get all the nutrient groups covered in a decent meal, minus the hidden nasties.

So, you're at a restaurant and everything seems so unhealthy and oily.. and there seems like there's no way you can ever eat any of it without doing damage to your diet.

PROTEIN

I think the easiest and most practical option to get protein into your meal is to ensure you get a piece of chicken or fish. As for red meats like mutton and beef the problem lies with the restaurants often buying the cheaper cuts of meat, which are loaded with more fat than usual, so you might want to stay clear of the red meats.

Choosing a piece of Chicken/Fish for protein content

I personally always look for a piece of chicken thats soaking in curry instead of the ones that are stir-fried or deep fried. Some restaurants tend to cut up the chicken pieces into smaller pieces, which is bad because if the dish is generally an oily one, what happens is that those pieces of chicken now have a much wider surface area to absorb all that nasty oil. Stick to whole pieces, like a whole chicken breast, which is the leanest part of the chicken or a drumstick, which isn't that bad too. Meat from the wings and other pieces generally have more fat, skin, and less protein in them.

To sometimes bump up the protein content a little, I add a hard-boiled egg to my meal. Fried eggs and yellowish omelettes are a no-no. It's useful to remember that any uncanny tint of yellow on food is most likely oil. It may not be that obvious until you touch it.

CARBOHYDRATES

Choosing vegetables as a source of carbs
If you think this was gonna be the easiest... think again. The problem with how vegetables are prepared in most restaurants is that way too much of oil is used. Frankly, I don't see the need to use any oil at all for vegetables.. but then, I'm sure most cooks would disagree with me on that, so let's not go there. I'm reminded of the time when I scooped up some healthy looking long beans, only to realise in horror later that I could easily squeeze out about 5 drops of cooking oil from EVERY single piece (the oil was hidden n the hollow area of the beans).

Even a stir-fried cabbage dish is prepared with way too much oil than necessary. Notice how some seemingly innocent vegetables dishes leave an almost fluorescent-green layer of oil on your plate once you've finished eating.. but its already too late then. The only oil-free vegetable dish I'm ever able to find at the restaurant are the cut-up cucumbers with pineapples, which I think they soak in a mild vinegar and sugar solution which is way better than the other oily choices, if you ask me.

And of course, who can forget - RICE. Contrary to popular belief, rice isn't a bad thing at all. Think about it.. its oil free, and more than half of its weight is water. It's only when you stuff your face and eat it excessively, that is when it becomes a problem. Just remember that too much of any good thing can be bad too. As for me, I eat rice with some of my meals throughout the day, often at an equal portion size with my vegetables.

FAT

Incorporating Fat into your meal?
Although dietary fat forms part of a balanced meal, you could most likely do without the need to add any additional fat into your meal as what you're eating would already have sufficient (if not excessive) amounts of fat already present in the first place.

I guess the message I'm trying to drive to you is to always take a few moments to think before you reach out and put that food onto your plate - think with your head, and not your tongue! Looks can be deceiving.

Once you understand the basics of what your body needs and doesn't need, and also on how you can make more informed choices, you will soon realise that you will almost always be able to find something to eat at most places without having to bust your diet. Your meals can become the most simplest and easiest part of your quest to fitness if you only opened your eyes. It all depends on how willing you are to do it.