Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Traditional Irish Foods & Nutrition

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Many of you may be cooking Irish food today and/or eating/drinking Irish cuisine. I have a few strategies to this feast day:

1. Eat whatever you want, treating today as a “cheat day”, and not change your physical activity
2. Eat whatever you want, treating today as a “cheat day” and make sure you work out
3. Try to eat healthier options while staying within your meal plan/diet regimen

I will discuss the last option throughout this post today.

Beer

One of the first things my husband mentioned when I asked him what people consume on March 17th is BEER. Having gone to Ireland twice, he’s had his own share of pints of Guinness. But if you drink a pint of beer, make sure you choose the lite/light version. And limit your intake of it. Unfortunately, alcohol really is just “empty calories”.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Did you know that 3 ounces (the size of a deck of cards) of corned beef has:

• 213 calories
• 16 grams of total fat (5 grams of saturated fat)
• 964 mg of sodium (which is about 40% of your sodium needs for the day)?

In case you are wondering, the total fat, saturated fat, and calorie amount is similar to a broiled 3 oz porterhouse steak with all fat trimmed before cooking? A 3 ounce grilled chicken breast, fat trimmed before cooking, has minimal saturated fat and about 70% of the calories as corned beef.

Based on this information (mainly due to the sodium content) I wouldn’t have corned beef more than once today, but to enjoy it as part of a meal is acceptable. Pair it with cabbage, which is a great low calorie vegetable, and you’re all set!

Irish Stew

Irish stew made with lamb or beef, potatoes, onions is a great meal as well! If you make this stew, consider increasing the number of vegetables you put in the stew or add other vegetables (like carrots, etc) to make it a heartier and healthier meal. Since most Irish Stew recipes are so varied, I’ll reserve my comments on its nutritional value unless a reader requests advice on a certain recipe.

Summary

The three main items people associate with traditional Irish dining can be fairly healthy if chosen or prepared properly (except all the salt in the corned beef). But as I’ve said before “everything in moderation“. You can have a beer or two on this special day as long as you’ve accounted for those calories elsewhere in your diet. Another important saying here is “Calories in, Calories out” in that what you eat must also be burned-off if you want to maintain or lose weight.

Lastly, keep in mind the total meal. You might be reaching your calorie goal each day, but if most of it comes from high sugar or salt foods, then you’re going to damage your body in other ways.

With that in mind, enjoy the holiday, because today everybody is a little Irish!

_{Photo by DDFic}

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