Caribbean restaurant - how to find the healthier choices on the menu?

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helyg
helyg Posts: 675 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am going to a Caribbean restaurant tonight with a group of friends. I know I'm going to go over my calories for the day and am OK with that, but I don't want to blow them by too much - especially as we will probably be drinking cocktails too!

Every time I think of Caribbean food it is always laden with calories - fried jerk chicken, deep fried fish, rice and peas cooked in creamed coconut, macaroni pie etc. Can anyone think of anything that might be on the menu that isn't too bad calorie wise?

I want to go out and have fun, but without eating a whole week's calories in one sitting!

Replies

  • rejectuf
    rejectuf Posts: 487 Member
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    Look for grilled items. They'll have them. And if you're actually worried about calories, you should skip the cocktails.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    They should have some type of grilled chicken or fish, so either choose that or just eat and log. You can eat also smaller portions and take the rest with you, or get some exercise in prior to going to earn extra calories.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    They should have fish on the menu. Or how about curry goat or chicken?
  • helyg
    helyg Posts: 675 Member
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    The plan with the cocktails is to drink 1 or 2 then switch back to my usual gin & slimline tonic.

    I have just looked on Facebook to find the restaurant's menu. The main course choices are:

    Ackee and saltfish dumplings with salad with mango sauce
    Whole roast red snapper with peppers and cassava croquettes
    Flying fish and lobster cocou
    Jerk chicken with rice and peas
    Curried goat with coconut rice and vegetable fritters
    Mixed jerk platter with slaw, macaroni pie and rice and peas
    Ackee, Okra and Coconut Risotto with wilted spinach
    Smoked 3 bean stew with chilli dumplings

    Any thoughts?
  • JMcMilk
    JMcMilk Posts: 2 Member
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    Drink your liquor neat. Go with the best you can afford and approach it like a liquor snob. You'll drink it more slowly, and by getting a nicer liquor, you're less likely to sip it and think "Garbage!" Theres a ton less calories in rum neat vs rum & coke.
  • jerber160
    jerber160 Posts: 2,606 Member
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    I don't like whole fish because of bones...my go to would be the jerk chicken with peas and rice.. a half cup of that isn't that high in cals. I've only had ackee and saltfish for breakfast. no idea what lobster cocou is??? but it's worth a try.. I'd throw in a side of plantains too.
  • helyg
    helyg Posts: 675 Member
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    I think coucou is made from cormeal, a bit like polenta. I presume the flying fish and lobster are in a stew/sauce with it.
  • helyg
    helyg Posts: 675 Member
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    To be honest I don't drink that much, so the calorie content of the food is going to cause more of a problem that the food ones. I'm not some teenager knocking back shots all night - those days are long gone!
  • ZBuffBod
    ZBuffBod Posts: 297 Member
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    Not sure what restaurants you typically visit but sadly not all restaurants labeled Caribbean is actually Caribbean. :-( That menu does not sound fully Caribbean to me...I'm Jamaican by the way. With that said...Jerk chicken is not fried. It is either baked in the oven or cooked on a grill. The name jerk comes from the seasoning used on the chicken. I would ask if they can do a steamed fish but then if these are not Caribbean cooks they might mess up the steamed fish.

    Sounds like your best bet is the jerk chicken. Ask if you can substitute a vegetable plate for the rice and peas....or just eat half of the rice and peas. That's where most of the calories will come. Calories in a cup of rice and peas will be between 250-300 depending on how it's fixed. By the way, can you call them to see if they have an idea of the calories in the jerk chicken meal.

    The curried goat is another option...but I don't know what they mean by coconut rice. The fritters will definitely be fried so you would want to substitute that if you chose the goat.

    Lastly, true Caribbean restaurants are notorious for large serving sizes so I usually split my meal in two.

    Relax and enjoy! And remember one calorie laden meal that takes you over your calorie limit won't make you fat like one small healthy meal won't make you skinny. :wink:
  • nickatine
    nickatine Posts: 451 Member
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    I would go for the jerk chicken , ditch the rice ask for a side of veggies instead.

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