Do you love dining at French restaurants and enjoying the cuisine? Do you struggle with what to order because you are wanting your food choices to be healthy? If you are on a calorie-restricted diet, it is possible to dine at a French restaurant, and not exceed your desired amount of calories. Traditional French food is served in separate courses, and the French tend to spend longer dining than we do at meals to savor each course. In terms of the food preparation they use a lot of fresh ingredients and the courses served are small. “Hors d’oeuvres are followed by soup, an entree, salad, cheese and dessert. A meal is often preceded by a light aperitif to whet the appetite and ends with a digestive to aid digestion.” A few good rules to remember are to stick with fresh salads, broths, chicken, seafood, and dishes that have been braised in wine. Although they are quite pleasing to the palate, many of the dishes made with heavy creams and sauces can be too high in calories and fat.
Soupe a l’oignon: Onion soup is a classic item that is normally topped with a piece of crouton bread and Gruyere cheese. Request that your soup is prepared minus the bread and cheese. The soup should not exceed 100 calories, 3 grams of total fat, and 2 grams of protein if you do not have the crouton and cheese.
Mussels Mariniere: Mussels steamed in a fragrant broth of white wine, butter, onion, garlic, and herbs. Typically served as a starter at French restaurants. In terms of the calories they average around 170 calories, 8 grams total fat, and 14 grams of protein.
Salade de la mer: A seafood salad that could include shrimp, scallops, tuna, or salmon and is often served with cherry tomatoes and avocadoes. It has 320 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 34 grams of protein.
Escargots: A serving of 6 snails in garlic butter will have 200 calories, 10 grams of total fat, and 23.5 grams of protein.
Salade Nicoise: A fresh salad with tuna, olives, and vegetables. It has around 450 calories, 13 grams of total fat, and 69 grams of protein.
Bouillabaisse: The fish stew recipe prepared with the freshest of ingredients. It has around 400 calories, 15grams of total fat, and 56 grams of protein.
Coq Au Vin: A hearty stew that is made with chicken braised in wine, and vegetables. This dish averages around 395 calories, 21 grams of total fat, and 32 grams of protein.
Crème Caramel: Caramel custard is a dessert that has 260 calories, 10 grams of total fat, and 4.5 grams of protein.
Crepe Suzette: The crepe with sauce has 220 calories, 10 grams of total fat, and 19.5 grams of protein.
Poires pocheés au vin rouge: An elegant dessert of pears poached in red wine have 206 calories, 2 grams of total fat, and 5 grams of protein.
Sources:
http://stanford.wellsphere.com/weight-loss-article/restaurant-dining-guide-healthy-french-food-choices/890524
http://calorieking.com/
