Weight-Loss Greek food healthy choices?

[SparkErosion]

Okay, I love greek food, and I was wondering what some healthy choices would be. I know now that gyros are very bad....I've done alot of reading on what 'healthy' greek food is. There's a steak sandwich that I absolutelly love, marinated and seasoined and broiled on a vertical skewer in a pita...however, despite being a lean meat, it appears to be very greasy. Why, I don't know. So I'm afraid to eat it. Not only that, I'm not sure of the calories of any of these dishes I'm trying.

So far, here's my take on what's healthy to order:

1) Falafel. I heard this is good because of the chickpeas, I've heard its relatively low in fat and also packed with protein. It is fried though so gotta watch it in moderation. I'm thinking if I order this I'd get the apptizer and use it as main meal (only 3 pieces) with something else like hummus.

2) Eggplant (Baba Ghanouj)
Not too sure on this one, you'd THINK it'd be ok, then again I saw it on a 'no no 'list somewhere. Why I don't know. But the description of it:
Blended Eggplant,spices,garlic,olive oil and lemon juice with a pita. And its absolutely incredible, I've tried it. Similiar to hummus.

3) Tabbuli. Now I'm not a big fan of tabbuli, my mom made it once for me but I did not care for it. I happen to hate tomatoes with a passion (only large quantities). I tried tabbuli at this restaurant though...it was quite good even with the tomatoes. Its mainly parsley, with a little grain, and has onions, tomatoes, olive oil, spices and lemon juice with a pita. It was wonderful. Very green. I've heard green is good!

4) Dolmas. I like these alright I guess, but they're not my favorite. Kind of hard to get used to. Grape leaves stuffed with rice..

5) Pork souvalaki pita (pork lion)
This is basically marinated flame broiled pork cubes...or chunks of lean marinated pork you'd find on a skewer. Quite tasty..I've had this and it's supposed to not bad.

6) Kefta Kabob. I've also tried this, although it wasn't my favorite. Kabob of lean seasoned ground beef and lamb.

My favorite of them all:
Greek Salad. I love these so much. The dressing has lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar (sodium bad..). It also has cucumbers, feta cheese, 2 types of bell peppers, and greek olives, with lettuce. When I found out feta cheese is pretty high in saturated fat, and they put ALOT on the salad, I got both the salad dressing and feta cheese on the side so I Could control it. Its fantastic.

I've also tried the baklava...which is of course bad obviously. But I've heard its similiar to other pastries, with about 550 calories for a small piece. Still hard to swallow on a reduced calorie living style.

Am I Spot on with this? Anything else I need to watch out for?

Thanks

 

[Jeanette401]

I'm not sure on additional things to watch out for, but it seems like most Greek restaurants I've been to have a roast chicken meal, which is generally my 'safe' choice. Not sure on the baba ganush - probably depends on how many calories the olive oil adds. 1 tbs of olive oil is about 100 calories, so if you get that much on top of the rest, it can add up! I love hummus though, so if this is anything like it... eat it with celery so you're adding almost no calories to the yumminess

 

[Monster2]

1) Falafel. I heard this is good because of the chickpeas, I've heard its relatively low in fat and also packed with protein. It is fried though so gotta watch it in moderation. I'm thinking if I order this I'd get the apptizer and use it as main meal (only 3 pieces) with something else like hummus.

Personally, I love falafel, but it's not commonly available around here.
I have NO idea about the nutritional content, but you seem a bit confused. Either it's low in fat or it's not. Whether it's fried or not is not nearly as important as knowing how much fat and calories it contains. You already know oil in the frying adds fat content, but how much? I don't know. It's worth finding out if you love to eat it! You could also try cooking it yourself in some sort of light oil (don't know much about frying either, sorry)
....
also, baklava should be BANNED!!!! there's nothing healthy about it. Sugar, carbs, and fat.
Yes, it tastes awesome, but.... it comes at a very high price. Almost any other desert is better for you. Heck, a double cheeseburger with mayo is probably better for you, ounce for ounce.

 

[seoalexray]

Eat healthy; choose right foods to lose weight, stay fit and be active.