Rational Insanity
Ten things to notice in restaurant food
It goes without saying that we all have to be conscious of what we put into our mouths. With this era being one where we are all always on the run, we tend to prefer restaurant or fast food over the usual lutong bahay. If we really can’t avoid eating this stuff, then it would be wise to at least know nasty secrets about these kinds of food so that we avoid them as much as possible.
- Extenders – this is very common among restaurants who want to skimp on the regular ingredients for a dish. Most of the time, these extenders are perfectly harmless like flour or bread mixed into hamburger patties to enlarge them or tofu cooked along with pork or fish dishes to increase the number of cuts on a plate. However, these extenders are not really that safe most of the time, especially with dishes that replace meat with gluten – there are many people who have serious allergies for gluten, and besides, most of these extenders are carbohydrate-based, so what happens is you give problems to your diet watch.
- Sodium – most restaurant food, to avoid from using expensive spices and herbs in their food, increase the salt to enhance the flavor. This is a problem with most people who have hypertension because this particular additive can cause fluid retention and affect the blood pressure of people suffering from hypertension. Those with blood pressure problems should try to avoid ingesting too much salt.
- Preservatives – restaurant food is usually kept in the freezer before you order them, this is done to increase the shelf life of food. Even some food also contains preservatives like Prague powder, and other additives. Some seafood even contains formalin! Be careful, you just might be eating a piece of death from a restaurant.
- Overcooking – too much heat takes away important nutrients from food items. Vegetables in particular should not be cooked for more than three minutes to retain the nutrients that they contain. In restaurants, because of the bulk of the orders, the cooking time is often taken for granted so you get food that is just as good as a piece of paper when it comes to nutrient content. Other foods, like those that are grilled or broiled also form carcinogenic crusts when overcooked. Be warned.
- Thickeners – this is especially common in foods that have sauces. The usual and more accepted way of thickening a sauce is to reduce it and allow the sugars, salts, and starches to concentrate. Some restaurants, however, because of the limited cooking time use flour or corn starch to thicken their sauces, what this does is that it adds unnecessary carbohydrates to the food.
- Freshness – fresh and restaurant don’t usually go together. Mind the appearance of your food, if it does not look like it’s edible, then stay away from it. The texture of food is also something to mind – firmness and good texture indicate freshness. Be sure also that there are no unpleasant odors to the food; otherwise you might get a painful stomach.
- Visual Decorations – a visually appealing dish does not usually equate with delicious food. Look at your food the way a critique would, how does it taste after all the decorations are taken away? Maybe your are paying for the decorations and not for the actual dish.
- Fat – fat is a good way of satiating hunger pangs, so restaurants who want their clients to feel full quickly load their dishes with butter, lard, and other fats. Problem is fats are also loaded with Low Density Lipoproteins or bad cholesterol, so better beware.
- Alcohol – some restaurants put in strong alcohol into their food so that the clients fill slightly tipsy after eating, misinterpreting this drowsy, sleepy feeling as a feeling of fullness. The danger of this culinary technique is again, some people are allergic to alcohol and can react seriously to it. Plus, people with liver conditions could suffer from the addition of this alcohol.
- Glutamates – glutamates are flavor enhancers made from sugar cane. These flavor enhancers are actually harmless but there are people who are hypersensitive to this additive and react with nausea or slight stomach upset.
There you go, mind your food guys, make sure you are eating the right things so that you get the right stuff for your body!
Be rational; be insane…every once in a while! TTFN!
I love you all! Byers!