The Healthy Choices Restaurants Program
On August 12th we will launch The Healthy Choices Restaurants Program.
The Healthy Choices Restaurants Program was initiated by the collaboration of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco County Health Departments to help consumers to identify local restaurants that offer “Cook to Order” or “Take ½ Home” options.
So next time you go out to a local restaurant look for our logo in their window to see if they support healthy eating.
Obesity is becoming an accepted component of our society. Everyone talks about the evils of what being overweight can cause, but the majority chooses to ignore its impact, until now. Steps to a Healthier Hillsborough County, in conjunction with Pinellas and Pasco County Health Departments, has designed a plan to help educate by offering an easily accessible option. The plan is about healthy restaurant dining, but its message transcends your favorite sit down eatery. It is a basic response to obesity. It is a goal that can be obtained. It is a way for people to change with a single action. The program will allow patrons of partnered restaurants to ask that half of their serving is boxed away to be eaten at a later time, or they can ask for their food to be cooked in a healthier way. The movement is to alter the heavy serving sizes that the majority of Americans face each day and to help them choose healthier options. Portion control is something that even proper nutrition cannot stop. An overeating of healthy foods still causes an unhealthy count of calories. Portion control and nutrition are the proper ways to manage a diet, and the Healthy Choices Restaurants campaign is set to educate such a process.
As with any idea, we are looking for help with execution. The Healthy Choices Restaurants program is looking for restaurants willing to join the fight against obesity. It is an odd request to ask food vendors to control what people eat; it is a request not for the absence of food, but rather the understanding of moderation. Moderation is a common message found throughout many areas of human life, we are simply challenging people to apply it to food as well.
Participating restaurants will display the Healthy Choices Restaurants logo to show that they are offering the healthier alternatives and that all that is necessary for the change is simply a request. Healthier alternatives would be steamed vegetables instead of the fried potatoes, no cheese in the toppings, or something as simple as having your salad dressing on the side rather than drowning everything in a calorie rich substance. These decisions might not seem to be a big difference, but it can reduce your overall calories and also raising the level of nutrition. Substitutions are not the only way to find healthier alternatives, ask for changes to the cooking process such as light oils instead of butters or request if grilled chicken can replace fried even if it is not listed. These changes do not overhaul the flavors while leading towards a healthier option, but instead challenges cooks to work towards flavor with the food, rather than the condiments. Any diner should expect flavorful food without the needs off unhealthy toppings. The Healthy Choices Restaurants program is about portion control and healthier food. Just ask about your meal taking on healthier alternatives by taking half home and having it cooked to order with a healthier mindset. For more information about restaurants that have joined in or if your restaurant is interested in taking up the challenge, please contact Christie Achenbach at (813)247-STEP.
Christie Achenbach R.D., L.D.
Public Health Nutrition Consultant
Steps to a Healthier FL
(813) 307-8015, Ext. 6606
http://www.mysteps.org