Do you regard eating out as a golden opportunity for a gastronomic blow-out? If so, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has you in its sights. Tomorrow, it launches its 2006 Happy Heart Eat Out campaign which runs until June 30th. This year's theme is Portion Size Matters, as how much you eat can be as important as what you eat. Anne Dempsey asks two busy people to come clean about food matters with comments from Janis Morrissey, IHF dietician.
Jane Stephenson is an event organiser. "Lunch is usually at home and I try to do it healthily, but sometimes have a sandwich which can be quite heavy. A better alternative is a chicken Caesar wrap which I buy, low fat, salad and chicken.
"Friday lunch can be a bit of a treat, with fish and a glass of wine somewhere like Caviston's in Glasthule.
"I eat with friends or my mother, Moira Stephenson, who ran a restaurant in Connemara with my father for 12 years and really appreciates good food.
"Eating out is more typically work-related. I bring speakers to Ireland and take them to eat so have a number restaurants I like, offering very fresh ingredients.
"Regarding portion size, I lived in the US for 10 years, where helpings were horrendously large. It just put me off and some people here eat a lot when out too. However, in a fashionable Dublin restaurant recently, the portions were too small, a starter with three scallops on a huge plate, and a small main course. My male escorts often find they need more food in these places.
"I like sauces served on the side, my mother would be suspicious of something drowned in sauce - what are they trying to hide?
"I don't like the feeling of being totally stuffed and usually skip dessert, though if someone else is having one, I'll take a bite of theirs. I hope I'm not coming over as too good.
"What are my sins? I get my sweet taste met by having wine rather than dessert and have been known to have the occasional cigarette at the end of a good meal."
Janis says: 'While wraps offer a lighter alternative to sandwiches, Jane could also go for a bowl of salad with dressing on the side, and choose a salad-based starter and/or a fruit-based dessert when entertaining clients with dinner. Jane could also opt for white wine spritzers or alternate wine and water. Obviously for a happy heart, she could cut out even that occasional cigarette."
Niall Shanahan is a PR campaigns executive. "The quality of food rather than the quantity would dictate my choice. Most days I eat lunch out: a pub near my office makes the most amazing soups, light but nutritious.
"On a really hectic day, it's lunch at the desk, anything from fruit to a sandwich to a sinful but rare burger and chips. If there's a big deadline, you might have nothing at all, but again that's rare enough.
"Value for money can't be gauged by how bloated you feel when leaving a restaurant, though I think Rip-Off Ireland concerns have influenced this. For example, a carvery lunch of half a cow smothered in gravy for €12.50 may seem like good value, but not if it tastes of nothing and you can't finish it. I think we're becoming more discerning.
"Dining out at night is usually a special occasion. I like multiple courses though I'm careful about the accompanying breads because you can feel uncomfortably full with no space for dessert! I think the Italians do it best, lots of courses, lots of flavour, small portions. Near where we live in Inchicore, Enoteca Torino serves a great range of pastas, salads, crostini, meats and cheeses, nicely priced. I would always, always have wine with an evening meal, as good food is incomplete without it.
"I'm conscious about what I eat, but love my food and so can carry a little more weight than I'd like which has implications for a healthy heart. Now as I nudge closer to 40, excess weight seems harder to lose, so I practise moderation in most things, and cycle to and from work each day."
Janis says: "Niall has a good attitude to eating out and food portion sizes, with healthy lunch options during work and some treats on special occasions. He could go for brown bread with his soup and for sandwiches made on wholegrain bread. When dining out, he could share a starter or dessert. If watching his weight, he could choose tomato-based pasta sauces instead of white or cheese-based sauces."