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Eating Out on a Diet: Greek Food
By WLR Dietitian
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Grease really can be the word for some Greek meals, which
are often swimming in olive oil. But while it’s not so good if
you’re worried about
gaining weight, olive oil is a great
source of heart-friendly monounsaturated fats.
Better still,
many dishes include delicious vitamin-packed Mediterranean
vegetables such as tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and olives,
which when served with bread and grilled meat make a healthy
meal.
Dips
Greek dips make a tasty light lunch or starter when served
with raw vegetables and pitta bread but many are loaded with
oil. Made from plain yoghurt and cucumber, tzatziki contains
around 20 calories per tbsp and is the best choice. Hummus is
made from fibre-rich chick peas, but it also has loads of
olive oil added, with the result that each tbsp provides
around 40 calories. Finally, with a
calorie content
of 60 per tbsp, you’re
best off giving taramasalata a miss altogether.
Meze
This traditional Greek starter includes a selection of hot
and cold appetisers, which are piled in the middle of the
table so everyone can help themselves. This means you can have
as much or as little as you want. Stick to grilled veg,
tzatziki with pitta bread and olives if you don’t want to pile
on the pounds.
Greek salad
Greek salad is on most menus and is a good choice: feta
cheese is a useful source of calcium but is lower in fat and
calories than most hard English cheeses and the tomatoes are
packed with vitamin C, beta-carotene and the antioxidant lycopene that may help to lower the risk of cancer.
A typical
serving without dressing contains 280 calories – but add an
extra 70 calories for 1tbsp dressing and 100 calories for
1tbsp of olive oil!
Moussaka
This traditional Greek dish is high in calories and fat as
the aubergines are fried in oil and the lamb mince can be
really fatty. Add the rich, cheesy sauce and you’re looking at
700 calories in a portion.
More Food Information
You can find out full nutritional information for thousands
of UK foods with the database in WLR.
Try it free for 24 hours.
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