Episode 36
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Hi, everyone!
I'm Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help YOU to speak English fluently and confidently.
Today I'll help you to learn new food vocabulary, and I'll give you some tips on how to eat healthier when we're eating out.
Later you'll practice your speaking with a funny mini-story with questions and answers.
Great! Let's get started!
Before you continue listening, make sure you get the transcript. Visit my website: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com and look for episode #036.
Eating out can be a pleasure: someone else cooks for you and brings the hot food to your table, while you have fun with friends or family.
On average, Americans eat out about five times a week.
Sadly, when we eat out, we tend to exaggerate. Curiously some people are self-conscious about what they eat when they're at home, but when they go out, they forget about the consequences.
The other day I listened to a funny joke. A woman was ordering a slice of cake, and when she was asked if she wanted to take away or eat at the coffee shop, she said that she would prefer eating at the coffee shop because, at home, she was on a diet!!
If we don't order the food wisely, we'll have to face the sad consequences. You'll probably need to buy new clothes again, and who wants to spend money on new clothes? I certainly don't want that!
So, before you order, examine the menu and pay close attention to foods that are high in fat, sugar, and calories. You want to avoid foods that are creamy, crisp, fried, or breaded.
Instead of choosing this type of dish, you may want to opt for grilled or steamed foods. This is usually a healthier cooking method.
Also, instead of ordering French fries, replace them with steamed or grilled veggies. I usually prefer grilled vegetables because they're tastier than steamed vegetables. When you're at home, try cooking some zucchini or kale chips or even pepper sticks. These are absolutely delicious! And to make them even yummier, you could use seasonings like pepper, garlic powder, or cayenne.
Another way to avoid overeating is to order a salad or soup. And always order your salad dressing separately. You'll see how you will consume fewer calories during the entire meal.
And what if you're in the mood for a pizza, but you don't feel like cooking it yourself? Then you could considerably lower the amount of fat by asking the chef to light the cheese. Every day, 40 million people across the US eat pizza. It depends on how you eat it; you could ingest a significant number of calories and unnecessary fat.
Let's not forget about the drinks you order. Avoid drinking an alcoholic beverage or sweetened tea. It's much better to drink water with meals. Every time I eat at a restaurant, I prefer drinking sparkling water instead of still water.
I hope these tips will aid you to eat healthier when you eat out and that you've learned some new food-related vocabulary.
Let's continue with a story with questions and answers!
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING
Mini-Story: Speaking Practice
Answer the questions aloud with short and quick responses. Repeat the Mini-Story several times to improve your speaking and listening.
Tom's an overweight middle-aged man who wants to lose weight.
Is Tom young, or is he old?
Tom isn't young, but he isn't old either.
Is he fit or overweight?
No. No. Tom isn't fit. He's overweight.
Does he want to gain or to lose weight?
No to gain weight. He wants to lose weight.
What does he want to lose?
His dignity?
No. No. Not his dignity. He wants to lose weight.
Does he want to eat a slice of cheesecake?
He probably wants to eat a slice of cheesecake, but he shouldn't if he's serious about losing weight.
His dietician tells him that he has to eat a variety of foods but in moderation.
Does his dietician prohibit him from eating greens like spinach or kale?
No. No. His dietician doesn't prohibit him from eating greens. He tells him to eat a variety of foods. He can eat spinach and kale too. Can Tom eat any sweets?
Yes. Tom's dietician says that he can eat a variety of foods so he can also eat sweets.
Can he order French fries when he eats out?
Yes, he can. He can order French fries when he eats out but in moderation.
Does the dietician say to Tom that he should only eat big pieces of homemade pizza?
No. No. The dietician doesn't say to Tom to eat big pieces of homemade pizza. He tells him to eat foods in moderation.
When he eats at a restaurant, Tom tries to follow the doctor's advice.
When does Tom try to follow the doctor's advice?
When eats at a restaurant?
Yes. Tom tries to follow the doctor's advice when he eats at a restaurant.
Does Tom order plenty of high-fat dishes when he eats out?
No. No. Tom doesn't order plenty of high-fat dishes when he eats out.
Does he want to eat healthy or unhealthy when he goes to a restaurant?
Not unhealthy. Tom wants to eat healthy when he goes to a restaurant.
Whose advice does Tom want to listen to?
His friend's advice?
No. No. Not his friend's advice. He follows his doctor's advice.
He usually orders all the dishes on the menu but eats only half of each plate.
Does he usually order all the dishes on the menu or only half the dishes?
Tom usually orders all the dishes on the menu. Not only half the dishes.
Does he usually order all the dishes on the menu or only occasionally?
Not occasionally. He usually orders all the dishes on the menu.
He only eats half of each dish. Right?
Right. He orders all the dishes on the menu, but only eats half of each plate.
After some time, Tom becomes heavier than ever and doesn't understand why.
When does he become heavier than ever?
After some time, Tom became heavier than ever after some time.
Who becomes fatter?
His cat?
No. No. Not his cat. It's Tom who becomes fatter than ever.
Does he understand why he gets heavier than ever?
No. Tom doesn't understand why he gets heavier than ever.
After all, he did what his doctor recommended him.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
eat out
eat at a restaurant rather than at home.
steamed
cooked using hot steam.
high in fat
containing a large amount of fat.
salad dressing
a sauce added to salad.
breaded
covered with breadcrumbs before cooking.
sparkling water
water containing bubbles of gas.
grilled
cooked over direct heat.
overeat
eat more food than your body needs.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
Thank you
Hi,there my name is Stanley Chen greetings from Taiwan,thank you Georgiana for sending a productive and meaningful listening English videos.
Best regards
Stanley Chen
Hi Stanley!
Excelent, thanks teacher .
I’m glad you enjoyed this episode. Have a great weekend!
Wow awesome I totally hope it will will help me alot thank you.
Great!
its very nice ,really i wanna thanks for u .its program and way very beautiful.
Thanks 🙂
Hii georgiana your voice clip are very help full to me .thank you
Hi, dear student! Thanks for your positive comment! I’d like to invite you to my student group. https://Community.SpeakEnglishPod.com
Dear Georgiana,
Thank you first, and greeting you from Korea. I really have been listening well to your podcast almost everyday morning and evening.
I think your podcast is great than others for English studying.
First of all, there is productivity with good information about real life.
Regards,
Kiho
Hi, Kiho! Thanks for the comment! I’d like to invite you to my student community. https://Community.SpeakEnglishPod.com
Dear Georgiana
I am Baso from Indonesia, I wanna thanks a lot for your help
Now can improve my Listening Skill by listening your podcast when I have a spare time.
yours
Good evening Georgiana,i want to express my heart felt appreciation to you for the help you have granted so far.I have learnt a lot from you.The course has helped me a lot with the course am currently undertaking.Iam extremely obliged.Keep it up!
This is Peter communicating from Zambia.I have always appreciated your great help in English.May God richly bless you and your entire kin.Iam indeed obliged.