THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 10, 1994 TAG: 9407070058
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHENHAAR[sic], SPECIAL TO SUNDAY FLAVOR
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
IT'S BREAKFAST time on the family vacation. At a full-service restaurant, the kids are happy with a bowl of cereal. But Mom chooses one of those fancy waffles. Dad splurges with bacon and eggs.
Ch-ching.
At lunch, the double-decker sandwiches are on special at the fast-food place. Naturally Mom, Dad and each child gets an order of fries and a soft drink, too.
Ch-ching.
Time for dinner, and who can resist the seafood buffet offered in the hotel? The price might be steep but it's all-you-can-eat. Dad, feeling like a beached whale after dinner, is too weak to resist the kids' plea for dessert.
Ch-ching.
By day's end, not only have the food bills ch-chinged to an unacceptable total, so have the calories and fat grams for this unenlightened family.
The highways and byways that many Americans are traveling this summer are mined with fat, salt and high food costs. To return from a vacation with minimal damage to the wallet and the waistline is a challenge, agree the three nutritional experts who helped compile this list of tips for vacationing families and singles.
``No one can eat three restaurant meals in a day and expect not to gain weight,'' said Kristine Rand, a registered dietitian in Norfolk who just returned from a beach vacation with her husband and their three young daughters.
While on the road, the family uses restaurants, but Rand is not timid about placing special orders, inquiring about cooking methods or asking for empty plates so one entree can be split among her children.
``Remember that you are the paying customer,'' said Rand. ``The restaurant is not doing you a favor by serving you, so don't be shy.''
One of the drawbacks of restaurants, according to Bonnie Liebman, a nutritionist in Washington, D.C., is that they rarely provide nutritional labeling. So ``it's very difficult to know exactly what you're getting.''
In a supermarket, a consumer can make a more informed choice. Liebman, who works with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, advises vacationers to shop in a market whenever possible, stocking a cooler with healthful, ready-to-eat foods for assembling into a meal in the hotel room or at a rest stop.
Planning is dietitian Sallie Twentyman's advice. She's publisher of a newsletter called ``The Low-Fat Epicure,'' in Falls Church, Va. Twentyman, along with her husband and their two children, takes a vacation that involves extended car travel every year.
``Before leaving home, we really plan ahead,'' she said. ``We decide how often we're eating out, usually a couple of really nice meals a week. I find that if we talk things out with the kids beforehand, and they know what's happening, they don't feel deprived later when we say no to something.''
Here is a list of tips for eating on the road, from Rand, Liebman and Twentyman. Don't leave home without it.
Make a cooler your refrigerator away from home. Freshen it daily with ice from the hotel or a convenience store. Keep it stocked with lean deli meats and cheeses; fresh fruits and vegetables, especially precut vegetables like carrot sticks, which are easy for the kids to eat in the car; yogurt; whole-grain cereals and breads; peanut butter; vanilla wafers, graham crackers, pretzels or other low-fat munchies; juice boxes and cans; and, low-fat milk. (Buy milk in plastic containers because cardboard tends to get soggy on ice.)
Carry plastic cups, bowls, spoons and forks and a serrated knife for slicing fruits and cheeses. Pack a box of sealable bags, the best way to store many items. The wise family will save money, calories and fat grams by eating breakfast, lunch and snacks from the cooler.
Call your hotel in advance to see if you can have a small refrigerator placed in your room. Even if there is a charge, it probably won't exceed the money you save on restaurant food.
Find restaurants that offer fresh fruits and vegetables, broiled and baked entrees, healthful or light selections. Avoid those that serve mostly high-fat, low-fiber meals. Ask to see a menu before being seated.
In a restaurant, speak up. Ask that dressings and sauces be served on the side. Ask that the amount of oil, meat and nuts in a stir-fry be reduced. Ask that butter be omitted from vegetables, broiled meats and fish.
Consider making a restaurant lunch your main meal of the day. Prices are usually lower and portions, while generally adequate, are smaller.
Consider changing your meal times or the number of meals you eat each day. Even the kids might be able to make do with just two meals, if breakfast is eaten late and dinner early.
An Italian restaurant menu generally offers lots of healthful choices, as long as you stay away from lasagna and pasta with Alfredo and other cream sauces. Spaghetti with tomato sauce is a good pick.
Eat like the locals do. Why spend money on a hamburger in New Mexico that is likely to taste just like one in Virginia? Forget the chains and look for cafes that feature local specialities.
Watch out for kiddie menus. The food might be cheaper, but it is often fried. Let the kids split one adult entree, such as a lean steak, or a platter of steamed shrimp, along with a salad and a baked potato. (Order sour cream for the potato; it has less fat than butter.)
Rethink fast foods. When ordering, avoid items tagged Supreme, Grand and Jumbo. Choose junior or kid-size sandwiches for the adults, too. Instead of buying soft drinks, use juice from your cooler. Get one order of fries for every two people. A few fast-food restaurants will substitute carrot sticks for fries. Instead of fruit pie for dessert, eat fresh fruit from your cooler.
You can save in a restaurant simply by ordering water instead of a beverage with a price tag.
Use caution at the salad bar. Concentrate on the fresh items, such as lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers, avoiding the potato and macaroni salads, croutons, bacon bits and high-fat dressings.
Carry your own low-fat or fat-free salad dressing. Store it in a small plastic bottle from a travel kit, tucked in your cooler.
Take restaurant leftovers back to the room with you. Don't forget what's left in the bread basket.
Do schedule some budgetary and caloric splurges. You might digress from the budget when you find a great fish house at the beach. Or you might use a half-day's fat grams on a towering dessert from a New Orleans bakery. A well-timed splurge can make a great vacation memory.
Drive past all-you-can-eat buffets, where the tendency is to eat more than you need, to get your money's worth.
Sneak in some exercise. The low-fiber content of much restaurant fare combined with long hours of inactivity in the car are doubly bad for you. Bring lunch to a rest stop or park where the kids can run wild. Schedule lots of fun physical activities, such as bike rides and time in the hotel pool. Plan an after-dinner stroll every evening. Instead of driving to a mountaintop to take in the view, hoof it.
Drink plenty of water, not sodas, to rehydrate your body. Pack a plastic sports bottle for each traveler, especially if you're vacationing in a hot climate. ILLUSTRATION: Janet Shaughnessy
KEYWORDS: MARY FLACHSENHAAR by CNB