Eating healthfully at mall food court? Yes, it's possible

With Christmas only days away, a hefty portion of the population will spend many hours roaming the cavernous corridors of malls and, almost by default, their food courts.

So we thought we’d give you one less thing to fret about while racing around these last few pre-holiday days: Some pointers for making better food decisions.

Julie Schwartz, a registered dietitian based in Johns Creek, accompanied a reporter from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution around the food court in Dunwoody’s Perimeter Mall last week to share her knowledge about nutrition and  give a thumbsup or a “Heck, no!” to some of the nutrition-challenged reporter’s choices.

“I love helping people make healthy, realistic choices and change their relationship with food,” Schwartz said.

OK. Game on.

While it doesn’t take years of schooling to know that a salad sans an avalanche of blue cheese dressing is a more nutritious choice than, say, a frosted slice of chocolate chip cookie pie, there are some foods that are unfairly demonized.

First in that category: Pizza.

A slice of plain cheese or vegetable is “a perfectly nice option,” Schwartz said. “Cheese is protein – no different than a piece of chicken.”

Depending on its size – and beware, some mall slices are the equivalent of two or three in a regular pie, so consider splitting with a friend – a thin-crust piece may weigh-in around 400 calories, plus a few more for vegetables.

“They’re healthy calories and more filling,” Schwarz said of any added greenery.

She also suggests a side salad or fruit cup to accompany.

“It gives you hydration, fiber and the energy to do more shopping.”

Other tips: Avoid thicker crust pizza unless it’s your primary meal for the day since one slice is the equivalent of three or four slices of bread. Another option is to substitute ham – a leaner meat – for pepperoni.

Next on the questionable list: Japanese stir-fry.

Guess what? It’s another oft-disparaged food choice that is, in reality, one of the best available.

While a smattering of oil is used on the grill, most of the flavor comes from seasoning.

If there is an option of whole grain rice, go for it. But if not, white rice, said Schwartz, “isn’t the evil food it’s made out to be” and it's also a healthier alternative to fried rice.

Other tips: If you’re dexterous enough, eat with chopsticks – it will slow down your consumption and possibly help  you eat less. Also, while chicken and beef stir- fries are completely valid choices, it’s the shrimp stir-fry that offers the lowest fat and calories. And as for that tasty soy sauce, yes, it does add sodium to the meal, but Schwartz suggests simply watching your intake the rest of the day rather than denying yourself.

(Side note: Schwartz is a firm believer in the theory that denying yourself something controllable is more harmful than eating it in moderation. The frustration that comes with forced “dieting,”she said, inevitably leads to multiple bad decisions.)

Step away from the....

Then there are a couple of food types to turn away from, no matter how intoxicating the smell or alluring the visual (and, FYI, the more a vegetable glistens, the more fat has been added to make it look so appealingly dewy).

Most fast-food Chinese spots offer reasonable selections such as beef or chicken and broccoli.  Schwartz said beef is another food that has a bad reputation but is often lower in calories than chicken, depending upon portion size.

But most of these menus also include meats that are breaded and fried. Avoid, avoid, avoid -- unless you plan to counter it with naked salads and gallons of water the rest of the week.

The worst nutritional offenders in any mall food court are usually the most enticing – think chicken wings and fried fish. But that take-out container of fried slabs of fish, shrimp and French fries is more than 1,000 calories – a hefty chunk for someone on a 1,500-calories-per-day plan.

While most shoppers tend to gravitate toward food inside the mall for the sake of convenience, locations such as North Point Mall in Alpharetta are ringed with quick-food spots that also offer acceptable selections.

A baked potato with chili, a couple of tacos (hard or soft shell), a snack wrap with grilled chicken (hold the condiments) and even a basic burger – not the triple-deluxe-bacon-supreme-heart-attack-in-a-wrapper variety – will sate you without causing you to move the belt a notch.

Here is some final guidance from Schwartz as you steamroll through the mall halls this week:

Salads – Leave off the croutons and bacon and apply dressing yourself. Just say no to tuna or chicken salad plates – they’re often one of the most fattening options, period.

Frozen yogurt – It’s dairy-based, which is a plus; add fruit or nuts to neutralize the sugar.

Subs – Skip the oil. You won’t even notice it’s missing.

Beverages – Go with water or unsweetened iced tea and add your own sweetener. Anything with the word “punch” usually hovers around the 300-calorie mark for a small cup, so save those calories for something more fulfilling.

Smoothies – Go with the lowest-calorie option, yogurt-based if possible, and skip the soy-this, whey-that additions. If your choice of sweetener is turbinado or Splenda, pick the Splenda.

And if you're Smartphone inclined, Schwartz is a fan of the Meal Logger app. When you take a photo of the food in question, it will upload it automatically to help you find nutritional information.

"It helps you to take that extra second to think, ‘This is what I'm eating,'" Schwartz said.