Top 10s Top 10 holiday foods to keep you slim

Date Published:

29/07/2009

It's one mission developing your beach body ready for holiday and another trying to keep it while you're away. Decipher foreign menus with our guide on what to scoff and what to skip to preserve that waistline. By Alex James

"Greek food is traditionally made from locally grown, seasonal, fresh produce so it is one of the healthiest diets around," says Liz Tucker, nutritionist for Be Happy, Be Healthy. "Beware of any dish with fried cheese, which just packs in calories and fat."

Don't eat: Moussaka is a Greek favourite, but could leave you carrying more baggage than Lord Elgin, packing in 650 calories in each serving, while kleftiko, a baked meat dish, can notch up an almighty 740 calories.

Do eat: Fresh fish, stuffed vine leaves, pitta bread or a lamb shish which is high in iron and you can pack in salad for fibre. A double-grilled skewer comes in at 200 calories and 9g of fat.

"Mediterranean diets are deemed the healthiest going because they are high in plant-based fresh food and unsaturated fat. However, many classic Italian dishes are low in vegetables and high in animal protein, so they could actually have more of the unhealthy fats than you think." Warns Tucker.

Don't eat: Bolognese. Italian home-style recipes use a lot of fat. A typical Bolognese has 29g of fat, of which 11g are saturated fat, in each 120g serving.

Do eat: Minestrone soup. When made Italian-style it's good enough as a meal, brimming with fibre-rich beans, carrots and peas, and has only 153 calories, 4g of fat and zero cholesterol, in each 100g helping.

The Spanish are not big vegetable eaters. "Bread for dipping into lots of oil based dips can also be high in fat and calories," claims Tucker.

Don't eat: Paella can also have high calories, around 630 in an average serving. If you must go for a paella, choose one that has lots of seafood and vegetables rather than one that is a big blob of rice with a few coloured bits.

Do eat: Gazpacho has around 68 calories and 3g of fat per 284g serving and is packed with antoxidants from the rich tomato base.

"France is held up as a gastronomic nation but if you load everything with butter, sugar and cream it's bound to taste good," says Tucker.

Don't eat: French pastries such as pain au chocolat which pack in 446 calories and 25g of fat in an average 100g serving.

Do eat: Go for a grilled filet mignon, with vegetables - succulent tasty and there are just 348 calories in a 170g serving with just 16g of fat.

"Most people think confuse Mexican food with Tex Mex, which is loaded with sour cream and fats," says Neil Swift, floor manager of Wahaca restaurant, London. "Nothing could be greater sacrilege. Mexican is much healthier than you'd expect. Even taco shells are often grilled, not fried, to cut out the fat overload."

Don't eat: Chicken wings boast around 39g of fat per 100g.

Do eat: Look for escabeche, a grilled fish delicacy, with 4g of fat and 160 calories per 100g. Go for salsa sauces instead of guacamole. Fajitas with lean meats, packed with vegetables have around 210 calories and 5g of fat per100g. "To drink, try something called horchata(made from ground rice and almonds)," recommends Swift, "it tastes a bit like a milkshake but has absolutely no dairy in it." The hibiscus version is high in antioxidants and vitamin C.

"Thai food can be very healthy as it uses lean meat such as chicken and seafood but it can be cooked in a lot of fat," says Tucker.

Don't eat: Green chicken curry. It might come packed with vegetables but it also whacks in 536 calories and 18g of fat in an average 450g serving.

Do eat: Thai spicy prawns with a chilli dip, which carries 292 calories and 10g of fat in an average 150g serving. To turn it into a meal, add some steamed rice.

"The US is seen as the junk food capital of the world," warns Tucker. The size of America means there are plenty of regional variations, so it is worth looking for local specialities.

Don't eat: The classic cheeseburger. It might sound obvious, but just look at the calories it racks up, an average serving of 250g brings in 705 calories and 44g of fat, almost 75 per cent of the suggested daily limit.

Do eat: A southern USA speciality, the Cajun chicken wrap is a healthy winner, with just 190 calories and 4g of fat per 100g serving.

"Turkey is renowned for its sweet dishes that are fried or dripping in syrup which, even if they seem like a small portion, rack up the calories," says Tucker.

Don't eat: Baklava, it is full of natural ingredients, but contains 56 calories and 4g of fat in just one cubic inch.

Do eat: Olives which are packed with vitamins and, when stuffed with garlic, are high in soluble fibre. There are just 20 calories, and 1g of fat in an average 15g serving.

"The good news is most of this country's dishes win the health thumbs-up," says Tucker.

Don't eat: Chicken tagine and cous-cous, if cooked in oil or butter, the calorie content soon creeps up. You could be taking in almost 600 calories, and 19g of fat in a 400g serving.

Do eat: Moroccan chick-pea soup. As well as the fibre in the chick peas, you'll be eating 40 calories and 1g of fat in a 60g serving.

"Get stuck into the country's healthy variety of fish," says Tucker. "But ask about how the food is cooked. Grilled is best."

Don't eat: Acorda De Marisco seafood soup, which might sound healthy, but is thickened with oil, eggs and bread, and can notch-up 12g of fat per 100g.

Do eat: Grilled sardines. Not the puny offerings that come in cans in the UK, in Portugal they are succulent, tasty and packed with heart healthy omega-3 oils. Expect around 190 calories and 10g of fat per 100g.

Fancy an Amish? Check out cookbooks for the hottest new cuisines

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