OCR Text |
Show Doctor in ths Kitchen6 by Laurence M. Hursh, M.D. Consultant, National Dairy Council EATING OUT A last growing market for food in the United States is "away from home" eating. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricul-ture, the food service industry accounting for an estimated $28 billion is a major outlet for the food produced by our nation's na-tion's farms. Restaurants and other food service organizations also are a major employer of labor. Nearly 3.3 million persons (including part-time workers) are employed in the food service industry during dur-ing an average week. Well, you say, shall we eat out tonight? And in doing so you join an ever-expanding group of customers who frequent our public pub-lic eating places, large or small, famous or only known in your neighborhood. Choose Nourishing Meals How can you be sure of eating nourishing meals that are at the same time not overnourishing? By practicing the same judgment that you do when you eat at home, plus perhaps a little more discipline. Things can, after all, taste so very good when you are eating out. But the only real difference between eating at home or out, is that you are selecting your food ready cooked instead of raw at the supermarket. The same principles prin-ciples of nutrition apply. You can, and should, get the servings you need from the four food groups just as you do at home meats, fish, and poultry, or cheese, or eggs; the dairy group of milk and its products; the vegetable and fruits group; and the enriched or whole wheat bread and cereals group. At a restaurant a much vider variety of choices is available to you -than you could ever have at home. Also, each member of your family can order what he wishes, instead of having to share the same menu with the others. And then there are no dishes to wash. A Family Treat It's a good family practice to find a restaurant you can afford, and one whose food pleases you. It should also be near enough home so that it can be a family treat that you indulge in with some frequency. It's nice both for you and your children to know the personnel and enjoy being their customer. This can be part of your children's up-bringing, a very important part. But try other restaurants, too, for variety and the excitement of discovery of a place new to you. Menus in the same restaurant often are quite the same week in week out. Chefs, just like home cooks, tend to cook along the same lines. So seek variety, too. Eating out will remind you of all the varieties of food preparation prepara-tion that exist. This in itself may make you inclined to come up with more interesting meals at home as well. |