Healthy-ish Eats

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
#1

Now that I’m in middle age, I find myself 17 pounds heavier than normal. Unfortunately for a very short Asian lady that means I’m now in the overweight category of the body mass index… So I signed up for a fairly manageable weight-loss program this week. Do you have any recommendations for healthy-ish, pescatarian-friendly eats? It doesn’t need to be completely ascetic, and I don’t have to count calories. For example, I had a pretty good salmon bowl at Sweetgreen today.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations! Also if anyone else is in this predicament, it’d be great to encourage each other in this thread.

Sidenote: I managed to lose a pound so far, so I’m feeling pretty optimistic. :grin:

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#2

I feel like you can choose to eat pretty healthy almost anywhere if you want to/need to outside of specific restrictions.

Kismet/Gjusta/Bestia/Baco Mercat/Shibumi all offer tons of veggie/pescatarian dishes that are quite light but also taste amazing. Heck even bastions of heaviness like Animal have light dishes like bonito yams with creme fraiche, yellowtail collar, and rabbit larb…

It seems like it’s more about what you order than attenuating your list of where you actually go.

OTOH, I guess it does cut out lower end places. Tough to order overly healthy at somewhere like Tire Shop Taqueria lol

#3

I blame the FTC 15™

How about holbox? I’m not sure how healthy it is but it’s amiable to the fish feasting folk.

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#4

My best advice is moderation, portion control (both eating out and at home) and a bit more moving around if possible. It’s hard to keep pounds off post 40 (and much harder post 50).

Most work days I try to have lunch as my largest meal of the day and a very light dinner—that helps quite a bit. Weekends I have a tendency to eat (and drink) whatever I want, but again I usually only have one largish meal a day and go light on the others. I’m probably lucky that I’m not into sweets—so I’m not packing on lbs by eating desserts (just by drinking wine).

Good luck!

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#5

Chopped salad w/ smoked trout at Ledlow. :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

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#6

Inaka

Yuko Kitchen

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#7

How about the many ____ Fish Grill places all around town? They all have similar menus and decent grilled fish plates.

Seasalt Fish Grill in DTLA, for example:

http://seasaltfishgrill.com/downtownLA/off_the_grill

Good luck!!

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#8

Urban Plates has pretty healthy options on salads and plates. They usually have salmon and seared ahi, and the sides usually include a fair amount of healthy choices.

We had dinner tonight at Morinoya. You know how Japanese goes - you can eat as healthy or as unhealthy as you want. Macrobiotic blah-blah or deep-fried heaven and everything in between.

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#9

While this may stir controversy, the Poké craze has helped me stay low carb when I need something lighter for lunch during the week. A small or medium bowl with spring mix/salad works for me.
I’ve also found that when I pick up some spicy tuna Poké from my local seafood joint, adding a sous vide egg makes it one of the best brunch dishes I can eat as I watch my kid on the soccer field.
I had lunch with a friend at California Fish Grill the other day, and had opah with grilled zucchini and their Kale slaw…it was pretty healthy and filling.
I find that a falafel pita can also make a solid lunch.
I’ve been going to Pita Pit more regularly lately, and find that they stuff a lot of veggies into the pita before they add your choice of protein…unfortunately, fish isn’t an option there…and I would not eat the falafel there…too dry and mealy.

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#10

Hi @MaladyNelson,

Just in time for Sakura Mochi season! (I kid, I kid.) :wink: (But I love Sakura Mochi!)

  • M Cafe de Chaya has some nice, healthy offerings.
  • Gjelina - Their cooked vegetable dishes are pretty fantastic, and some of my favorites. :slight_smile:
  • Sweetgreen / Tender Greens have some pretty tasty Salads I’ve enjoyed from week to week.
  • Aburiya Raku - Housemade Tofu (Oyaji Tofu), Roasted Kama (Hamachi Kama or Salmon Kama), a variety of Vegetable & Mushroom Kushiyaki Skewers, Sunomono, their fantastic, super-fresh Sashimi offerings (and a small “cheat” with their Takana Inari). :slight_smile:
  • Kismet - I wrote about most of their menu in an earlier thread.

One thing that makes a big difference is trying to stay away from white carbs (swapping it out for brown rice, quinoa, etc., whole wheat / multi-grain bread vs. white bread, etc.).

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#11

Just because it is vegetarian doesn’t mean it isn’t soaked in fat, like hummus or French prepared carrots. Whether you go low carb or not, calories in vs out is what matters. Be careful about sauces, that is where hidden calories come from.

Best thing to do: 4-6 ounces of lean protein, a cup of veggies, and if you want, a cup of rice / plain potato / etc. Something like this is usually about 500 calories and high in protein.

Baja Fresh, Chipotle (if you choose the right stuff) can be healthy. At nicer restaurants, the more plain, the better in terms of sauces etc.

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#12

Best thing to do: 4-6 ounces of lean protein, a cup of veggies, and if you want, a cup of rice / plain potato / etc. Something like this is usually about 500 calories and high in protein.

@Chowseeker1999 reviews would be down to a quarter-tweet. Or, “the upper right corner of this first dish with all the good stuff scraped away is the sum of the DTLAeater-segment of my review…” :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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#13

Yep! Having actually lost 15 and 17 pounds in two separate years (eating and drinking out takes its toll on me), it’s not always that easy! Especially if you want to be muscle sparing in your diet.

#14

Yes, to echo what DTLAeater said, don’t fool yourself into thinking that all of the tasty, interesting vegetable-heavy dishes at the restaurants mentioned here are also low calorie. Without getting into the low carb / good fats / etc etc debate, if we’re talking simply about calories, one of these dishes can easily be 400, 500, 600 calories, and if you’re a smallish woman that can equate to a good chunk of your daily calorie goal. (I feel your pain, as I’m a 5’3.5", 50-something woman who loves food but also wants to be healthy and wear all my pretty clothes. Exercise also makes a huge difference for me.) Tender Greens / Sweetgreen and their clones are good options where you can get some protein with your vegetables and control the amount of dressing / sauce, while still having a satisfying meal. Also to echo someone else, portion control is key for me with restaurant food. In my neighborhood, I love Gjusta, Gjelina, Tasting Kitchen, and one can eat relatively healthy there, but I still usually take half my order home for the next day’s lunch.

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#15

I’m glad you started this thread. While I just pounded a heavy breakfast and greasy dinner last night, I typically seek out healthy options. I know the feeling of an enjoyable meal followed by gluttonous guilt. But as another mentioned above, portion control is a great way to indulge with moderation. I find that cutting out whole categories of foods tends to lead to more intense cravings and poor eating choices. But everyone and every body is different, with different needs, tastes, and health goals. One of my jobs is as a fitness instructor, so I move a lot, but I do try to fuel my body with tasty, quality food. Then there are days like today when I’ve had a day’s caloric intake before 10am :joy_cat:

I’m looking forward to trying some of the healthy faves above. I’m a big fan of the not-so-healthy “health” food places like Grassroots Natural Market and Kitchen in South Pasadena :smile_cat: Persian restaurants work well for healthy eating - many offer to sub the rice for roasted veggies or salad.

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#16

I’ve really enjoyed (most) of my meals at Flower Child.

I also like the Gelson’s salad bar ($2 off per lb on Tuesdays). I get the undoctored ingredients (aside from the tabouli) and then drizzle some (a lot) of olive oil and a touch of balsamic. At the deli counter, I like the 1/2 sandwiches + 2 sides and tend to go w/ the “Jessica” salads (registered dietician designed). Crunchy kale, chopped antioxidant, and the mediterranean tomato and onion salads are good. If they have the argula + chicken (w/ blueberries), that one’s also great. All the ingredients (but not the calorie/fat count) are listed, so you should be able to choose a safe one pretty easily.

And I’ve just started ordering less food. Partner and I used to always over order, so now we try to get just a little less than we think we need (which usually ends up being enough, actually). Cost savings is good, too. :slight_smile:

When I’m not too lazy to go to the Farmer’s Market, I find the greens at Scarborough Farm last a bizarrely long time vs. the stuff you can buy at the super market. Not expensive, either.

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#17

Eating home more often. Greater ability to control portion and ingredients. Portion sizes at restaurants are too large IMO, even salads.

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#18

Mariscos Chente on Centinela
call before you go to make sure that sergio is cooking
(310) 390-9241
they close at 8
and, i believe that sergio’s day off is tuesday
cash only

be sure to tell them NOT TO PUT CHIPS ON THE TABLE or the whole purpose will be defeated,
instead ask for some corn tortillas.

stick with the soup, the ceviches, the shrimp coctel, and the pescado zarandeado and you will be in safe territory

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#19

I’ve tried the prepared salads at Bristol Farms, Whole Foods and Gelson’s. Of the three, I’d give the highest marks to Gelson’s.

WF’s prepared salad case is large and visually impressive. But most of the salads just don’t deliver on flavor.

BF has always been a disappointment for me. For a supermarket, they tend to offer better meat, produce and other basic ingredients than WF or Gelson’s. One would think this would translate into better prepared foods.

Gelson’s offers not nearly the number of salads as WF, but most are worth ordering again. These aren’t Gjusta-level salads, but tend to be more traditional salads, along with some that are kale-ish and avocado-y.

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#20

hummus is soaked in fat?