holiday food

[Becoming Mandy]

Hello,

I'm off to new york in 7 weeks. i'm from london and wanted to ask about america food. everyone keeps telling me that i won't be able to have salad or veg and i wanted to know if this is true. i plan to carry on atkins the best i can over the christmas but am worried about what i can eat. all i keep thinking about is if i have one bite of somthing not allowed then i wont stop eating for the 11 day i'm there and i dread to think about how much weight i will put on.

any suggestions?

Mandy

[Bren]

OH my! We have plenty of wonderful Atkins friendly food here! Salad and vegies are a mainstay. I can think of very few restaurants around here that I cannot get a GREAT Atkins meal at. Salads are a big item here! We even have salad bars in alot of places. Someone told you wrong!
Vegies, salad, grilled steaks, burgers, chicken........you name it we have it!

Where abouts are you going in NY? NYC?

[kate58]

There is great food no matter what way you eat in the US, but there are some things to watch for that can catch you unawares.

BUT the biggest difference is that if you ask how something is cooked or ask for it a different way the staff are generally REALLY helpful about it and not at all sniffy about you being fussy. So it is pretty easy to get things the way you want them.

One striking difference is the sheer size of portions - they tend to be enormous! For example buy a beef salad roll in a take away deli type place (with the plan of ditching the bread) and it will likely contain about 3-4 times the quantity of meat that a similar roll would have here. In most fast food places, what we call a medium portion of something (fries, drinks etc) is the same size as a small one in the US.

Unexpected foods can be sugary too. American coleslaw will have sugar in it, which generally coleslaw doesn't this side of world. Also restaurants often glaze their veg with sugar rather (or sometimes as well as) butter. In fact there is a lot of hidden sugar in places you might not expect it - that's a problem here too, but in my experience is even more so in the US - so be sure to ask.

[Becoming Mandy]

i'm staying near Seventh Ave. at 55th Street New York i hope that helps. It's the hidden carbs that i'm worried about but i will just stick to meat, fish, salad and veg if i'm not sure i'll leave it. i plan on keeping some nuts and seeds with me so if i can't have a meal i can snack on good things. last christmas i put on about 14 lbs as i couldn't stop eating once i started with the sugar and i'm not going to make the same mistake again.

Mandy

[matawguro]

When I visted my sister in the US last year, I whooshed 5 pounds after a 2 month stall. Funny thing, I was actually eating more in the US than here in the Philippines.

[not2late]

You're going to be in Manhattan, right? (My NYC streets are a bit fuzzy---haven't been there in years.) IF you are, you have PLENTY of places to eat that will be Atkins friendly. Stick to the basics--roasted or grilled foods. Avoid sauces like gravy. And don't be afraid to ask the waiter/waitresses about the food. People are more food "aware" and they will ask what's in the food.

[TitianWasp]

New York is a wonderful place to eat, and typically at better restaurants, they will be accustomed to people altering the design of the food substantially to accomodate diets and allergies. Be nice about it, you can usually get whatever you want.

How funny they said you cannot get salad or veg. I wonder why that is. We have so much agriculture and so many vegetarians here. Did they give you a reason why?

[hopejoy]

You're going to have a wonderful time! I love eating out and find it easy to stay on Atkin at a restaurant. It's all about making good choices and not being afraid to ask. Waiters can be very helpful to steer you in the right direction of low carb...
Have fun!
liz