Rosalee Brown
MANY MORE persons are now eating outside the home than in former years, and people look forward to eating out on long holiday weekends as they take a break from cooking.
One way to avoid the pitfalls of the supersized meals served at many food establishments is to ask for a 'doggy bag'. Doggy bags, which are not actually for Bruno, are a sensible choice, since portions now served in restaurants are larger than in former years. Studies, including that done by Nielsen and Popkin, indicate that over a 20-year period, portion sizes in restaurants and among food manufacturers have increased. Burgers have increased by about 23 per cent, soft drinks by about 52 per cent and snacks such as potato chips to as much as 65 per cent. A serving of French fries in 1954 was 2 ounces and 210 calories compared to today of 5 ounces and 525 calories. Dinner plates have also increased from 10 inches to 12 inches.
Some advantages and disadvantages of 'doggy bagging':
Get two for the price of one by creating more than one meal from one order. Ask the waiter to portion your order in half before it is served and package half for you to take home, preventing the temptation and also keeping it hygienic.
You can also arrange to portion only the protein, and add vegetables to make a completely new dish from your take-home portion at another meal.
You will consume fewer calories if you divide the meal in half, and this will help you with your body fat reduction efforts.
You could indulge in that sumptuous high-calorie main dish you were afraid to touch if you divide it in two or three portions and order a larger salad.
Doggy bagging has a few down sides: depending on the type of restaurant you dine at, your food might not be cooked to order and would have been sitting for some time before you placed your order. Cooked food should be kept at 140 degrees F or higher. Foods will not stand up for long at these temperatures and unfortunately because of this fact, this rule is often broken. Cooked food really should not be kept standing for more than two hours.
Cold foods such as salads, dressings and cream fillings should be kept cold at 40 degrees F or lower.
When the above rules are breached, harmful bacteria multiply, increasing your chances for food-borne infections.
If your food was carefully prepared and held at the correct temperatures, but you breach the rules at home, you increase your risk of food-borne infections just the same.
Cooked foods should be stored immediately or under two hours if the correct temperature is maintained.
Your leftovers should be thoroughly reheated after they have been properly stored, to prevent infection. If pieces of meat are large, cut them into smaller pieces so the heat can quickly penetrate the food. Foods should be reheated to at least 165 degrees F.
You can check these temperatures with a thermometer or use your oven thermostat to have a feel of the required temperatures.
Remember between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F is the danger zone and bacteria will have a ball.
Don't stock too many doggy bags in your refrigerator, they should be had within a day or thrown out, they are not safe to freeze; foods are best frozen immediately after they are cooked and cooled. Go doggy bagging, but safely.
Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
