FitSugar

5 Saltiest Meals, With a Side Order of Hypertension

FitSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Eating out is always a treat, but the problem with eating food someone else makes is that you have no idea how much sodium it's loaded with. 2,300 mg of salt (one teaspoon) is the recommended daily limit for healthy people, but if you have issues with high blood pressure, 1,500 mg is your limit. According to a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), "Unsafe levels of sodium chloride, or salt, in chain restaurant meals increase one's chance of developing hypertension, heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease." This nonprofit food safety and nutrition watchdog group wants to reveal five meals from popular restaurants that should get a ticket for their obscene sodium contents.

Red Lobster Admiral's Feast with Caesar salad, Lobster-topped mashed potato, cheddar bay biscuit, and a lemonade - 7,106 mg
Chili's Buffalo Chicken Fajitas complete with tortillas and condiments, and a Dr. Pepper - 6,916 mg
Chili's Honey-Chipotle Ribs with mashed potatoes and gravy, seasonal vegetables, and a Dr Pepper: 6,440 mg

To see the rest read more.

Olive Garden Tour of Italy (lasagna) with a breadstick, Garden Fresh salad with house dressing, and a Coca-Cola: 6,176 mg
Olive Garden Chicken Parmigiana with a breadstick, Garden Fresh salad with house dressing, and raspberry lemonade: 5,735 mg

They also list five kid's meals that have high sodium content. To see those foods, check out their website.

NYC Chain Restaurants Required to Display Calories, Starting Monday

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:00:00 -0700

I applauded New York City when it banned trans fat from restaurants and started using healthier oils. I was psyched that fast food chains were also being required to post calorie counts on their menus but annoyed that McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's decided that rule didn't apply to them. So it went through the courts, and too bad for them, they're going to have to listen. A judge declared that this regulation is reasonable and will apply to restaurants in NYC that are part of chains with at least 15 outlets across the country. That includes fast-food places like McDonald’s and sit-down chains such as Olive Garden and T.G.I. Friday’s.

The calorie posting rule goes into effect this Monday, April 21. Some restaurants including Starbucks and Chipotle have already started to post calories on menus, but the Health Department won't start fining non-complying restaurants until June 3.

NYC is hoping that by displaying calories, consumers can make healthier choices (like deciding NOT to super-size it), and it will then help to reduce the prevalence of obesity and diabetes (type 2). New York City is the first US city to enact a regulation regarding displaying calories on menus, but Seattle and the state of California are both considering similar bills. Pretty awesome, huh? Do you think this displayed info will affect people's food decisions?

Source

Uno Is America's Healthiest Chain?

FitSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:30:00 -0700

Health magazine just unveiled a big feature on the healthiest restaurants in the US, which breaks down eateries by category, including sit-down chains, fast food, and independent restaurants. The magazine studied 43 chains (each with at least 75 locations) and ranked them based on the nutritional information provided.

It sounded intriguing, until I started perusing the list and found many of the choices downright puzzling: Uno Chicago Grill, known for its deep-dish pizza, is the first restaurant on the list of sit-down chains. Health lays out its reasons, but I'm still not sure I agree. To see the reasons and the rest of the list, read more
Like Au Bon Pain, Uno Chicago Grill has added nutrition kiosks to its lobbies, where customers can look up the ingredients and nutritional content of its foods. Here's more on why Health chose Uno:

Sure, its famous deep-dish (read high-fat) pizzas still hold court, but nutrition has become the word of the day with a completely trans fat–free menu and plenty of grilled entrees (including antibiotic-free chicken). Adding to the healthy variety: whole-grain pasta and brown rice, organic coffee and tea, and flatbread pizzas that have half the calories of deep-dish ones. Plus, you can add a salad to your pizza for half-price because, according to the menu, “We want you to get some greens in your diet.” Now that’s a blue-ribbon commitment to health.

Can we really award a "blue ribbon" for health to a restaurant known for its deep-dish fat explosions? While I appreciate the low-fat menu options and the transparency about ingredients, there's something that just seems wrong about Uno now being able to proclaim that it's the healthiest chain in America on its website. I think it would be better to reward individual dishes, or just make smart choices when you're eating out), rather than deeming a pretty unhealthy chain "healthy."

Check out the healthiest fast food joints here. Here's the full list of the top 10 sit-down chains.

Uno Chicago Grill
Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes
Mimi's Cafe
P.F. Chang's China Bistro
Bob Evans
Ruby Tuesday
Romano's Macaroni Grill
Chevy's Fresh Mex
Olive Garden
Denny's

What do you guys think? Does this list bother you?

Source

Chain Restaurants: Nutritional Info on Menus

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 10:30:00 -0800

At popular chain restaurants like Ruby Tuesday's and Uno's Chicago Grill, 2,000 calorie menu items are normal. Order yourself some pizza skins to start and you'll be consuming 2,050 calories, 48g of saturated fat, and 3,140 mg of sodium. You're only supposed to have 2,300 mg of sodium a day. I'll take my check now, please!!!

Some menu items, we know are not exactly healthy for us, but because the nutritional information is not listed, we have no idea just exactly how bad they are.

Starting in the summer, many chain restaurants that operate in NYC will be required to list calories on the menu. I'd like to know what you think about that - take my poll on the matter and voice your opinion.

CSPI (the Center for Science in the Public Interest) believes it is about time for Congress to pass Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) legislation. Labeling menus will encourage people to order healthier items when dining out. The idea being this will help combat obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diet related heart disease.

When nutritional labeling on food products was introduced, it revolutionized the way people shopped for groceries. Nutritional labeling at chain restaurants will help diners make informed decisions when eating out.

Do You Think All Fast Food and Chain Restaurants Should Post Calorie Counts?

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0700

It began in NYC and made its way to the West Coast, then skipped over the Atlantic and hit the UK.

I am talking about posting calorie counts in fast food and chain restaurants, be it on a menu board at McDonald's or a printed menu from the likes of Macaroni Grill or TGI Friday's. Many restaurants are resistant to the laws and voluntary programs too. What do you think . . .

Source

All You Can Eat - Recession Buster or Fat Maker?

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:00:15 -0700

Taybarns restaurant is introducing a new dining concept to the English - all you can eat. It's nothing we haven't seen in the United States. We have all-you-can-eat baked potato and pizza bars, endless breadsticks and salad, and the kind of buffets that would make Elvis weep if he was still kickin' it in Vegas.

The Taybarns message is clear: "Enjoy as much as you like, as many times as you like. All for one fixed price!" That fixed price gives you a 111-foot counter filled with pizza, Chinese food, carving stations, fry stations, desserts, and more. The English are going crazy for the buffet-style chain, and while neighboring restaurants continue to close, Taybarns is on the up.

During tough economic times, giving people the most bang for their buck seems like a smart business model, but at what cost? As reported by the BBC, not everyone likes Taybarns. They think the chain encourages unhealthy eating habits and will cause England's collective waistline to expand.

It's a common argument, and one that's been batting around in the US for some time. Is it the fault of (insert any fast food giant here), or does the responsibility fall on the individual? Does walking into Taybarns rob a human of their free will, and why isn't healthy food more accessible to the masses?

Health Food Headlines

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:00:44 -0700

I love food. Not just eating it, but reading about it too. Here are three food-driven headlines that caught my eye.

Calorie Postings Don’t Change Habits, Study Finds - New York Times
Remember all the controversy about chain restaurants in the Big Apple being forced to post calorie counts? Well, it looks like you can post the calories, but consumers will consume what they want. A study performed in NYC neighborhoods where obesity rates are high found that although folks said the calorie counts helped them make healthier food choices, they actually ordered higher calorie items than before the calorie counts were posted.

10 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sick - Web MD
Oh, the irony. The Center For Science in the Public Interest researched food-borne illnesses and found that some health foods topped the list, including eggs, tomatoes, and sprouts.

Starting Good Food Habits in Kids From the Womb - Time
As a baby is being formed in utero, so is its sense of taste. A fetus in the second and third trimester has a highly sensitive palate, and what the mother eats helps determine the child's early flavors of choice. All the more reason to eat a variety of foods when pregnant and nursing.

Denny's Sued For High Sodium Foods

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:00:01 -0700

We all know that many fast food chain's menu items are high in the sodium department. Armed with this knowledge, we just avoid eating at these places. Although a New Jersey resident doesn't think it's right, and is taking action against one popular chain, Denny's. Together Nick DeBenedetto and the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a lawsuit, claiming that many of this restaurant's meals "are dangerously high in sodium."

Just how high? To find out read more.

The RDI of sodium per day is 2,300 milligrams, but if you're hitting up Denny's for lunch, a Grilled Chicken Sandwich will run you 2,070 mg, and a Double Cheeseburger has 3,880 mg - that's just in one meal. In the mood for breakfast? A Meat Lover's Scramble contains 3,180 mg of sodium, and a French Toast Platter has 2,000 mg. In their defense, Denny's does offer low-sodium options on their menu such as salads, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, and plain scrambled eggs.

While it's proven that a diet high in sodium has been linked to high blood pressure and heart problems, do you think restaurants should be forced to lower their sodium content, or is it up to the consumer to make healthy choices when it comes to his or her diet?

NYC Installing Treadmills in Subways

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:30:00 -0700

New York City is steadily becoming a healthier place to live for many reasons. Smoking was banned in most indoor work places and restaurants in 2003. Fast food chains and local restaurants ditched trans fat last year. They also have fruit and vegetable stands in both wealthy and low-income areas so folks can buy a healthy snack on the street instead of a hot dog. In 2007, eateries were also required to list calorie counts on their menu boards. To prevent the spread of HIV and other STIs, New York also gives away free condoms in public bathrooms. So it's no surprise that this hip city is doing more to keep its New Yorkers healthy by installing treadmills in subway stations. All that waiting around for the L Train can be time spent burning calories. It's a brilliant idea, really. To hear more about when you should start seeing them, read more.

April Fools! Ha! It is a great idea though, isn't it? I guess if you want to exercise while waiting for the subway, you can always jog in place. Since it's New York City, people won't think you're crazy!

Source

Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Joints

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:30:55 -0800

When you're out and about, sometimes your only dining option is to pick up some food to go. So if you're faced with a few food chains to choose from, here are the top 10 healthiest fast food restaurants recommended by Health magazine.

Panera Bread
Jason's Deli
Au Bon Pain
Noodles and Company
Corner Bakery Cafe

To see the last five, read more.

Chipotle
Atlanta Bread
McDonald's (yes, this one really did make the list)
Einstein Bros. Bagels
Taco Del Mar

For more details on why these restaurants scored high, check out Health.com.

Tell me, which of these 10 food chains would you most likely grab a quick meal from?