FitSugar

Are You a High-Maintenance Menu Orderer?

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:47:05 -0800

The more concerned I get about healthy eating, the more I start to sound like Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally. The charming neurotic played by Meg Ryan makes endless substitutions when ordering off menus; as Harry points out, "'on the side' is a very big thing for you."

I confess, I'm also a big "on the side" person. I'm also a fan of sharing entrees and enjoying starters as a main course. Are you high maintenance when it comes to ordering off of restaurant menus?

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?

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Healthier Fare or Big Burger: Which Do You REALLY Choose?

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 07:30:00 -0700

A recent report on CNNMoney has found conflicting reports because the media claims that we (as consumers) are looking for healthier fare in restaurants, but the restaurants claim we are actually consuming the big, juicy burger. Hum...

I figured why not ask you guys, and be honest! Even though you say you're trying to eat healthier, do you just end up ordering a big burger anyway?

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Which Menu Item has the Least Calories?

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:00:00 -0700

A recent article from Reuters has found that when given a quiz on the healthiest menu options at popular restaurants, without having the nutritional information visible, we aren't able to make the healthiest choice. There were only four questions and none of the respondents answered all four questions correctly, 68 percent failed all of them and less than 1 percent answered three of four questions correctly. Curious if you could get the first question right? Then take the quiz.

Trying to Lose Weight? Tips for Eating Out

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Going out to dinner with friends can be so much fun, that is unless you're watching your weight. Menus are full of such tempting foods, and most of the time you end up eating more than you would at home. Plus butter is often the secret ingredient. Here are some tips so you can stick to that healthy diet of yours, and enjoy eating out as well.

Have a healthy snack before you eat - If you get to the restaurant and you're starving, you'll be more likely to order a lot of food, or devour the entire bread basket.

Think of one entrée as two - When your dinner arrives, ask for a take-out container so you can pack half away for tomorrow's lunch. If you wait to get the container until after you eat, you'll be more likely to finish off the dish. (When food is in front of you, you're more likely to eat it.)
Order with a friend - Sharing an entrée with someone else will cut your calories in half, so you can savor the taste, but not overeat.
Order a big salad for your meal - Most restaurants offer humongous salads filled with fresh veggies, delicate field greens, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, and grilled chicken. A big salad will fill you up, and they're filled with healthy stuff. Oh, and be sure to ask for the dressing on the side. Request vinaigrettes rather than creamy dressings.
Order a smaller meal - Either order an appetizer or a small entrée. They're usually big enough to fill you up.

Want to see the other great tips? Then read more

Avoid all-you-can-eat restaurants or buffets - If food is available, we want to eat it. Portion control is so hard to follow, so you don't need to be tempted with "bottomless" bowls of soup, salad, pasta, or bread.
Add veggies - Whatever you do order, whether it's pizza, a stir fry, or pasta, ask your server if you can have extra veggies added.
Drink water - Avoid ordering sodas with free-refills. You don't need all the extra calories or sugar.
Avoid alcoholic beverages - When you drink, your self-control goes out the window and you're more likely to say "yes" to more food.

Fit's Tips: Just because you're watching your weight doesn't mean you have to miss out on the fun of dining out. Have other tips worked for you? Tell me about them below.

World Water Day: $1 for Water in NYC

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Tomorrow is the U.N. World Water Day, which is in place to help spread awareness of a global health issue that not everyone has clean, safe drinking water available to them. A few hundred NYC eateries are getting on board to help spread the awareness too.

Diners at 225 restaurants around the city will be asked to pay $1 for the tap water that arrives with their meal. Since many of us take the availability of drinking water for granted, as it is free and readily available; $1 is something small we can all do. The money raised will be donated to UNICEF's Tap Project, an initiative aimed at bringing fresh, safe water to the children of the developing world. If you live in NYC and you're going to be eating out tomorrow, get water instead of a coke. You'll be taking in way less calories and you're helping to support a good cause.

Don't live in NYC? There are many other ways to support the cause and provide funds for getting safe drinking water around the globe. My personal favorite is Charityis.org, where 100 percent of your donation goes to freshwater well projects in Africa and just $20 can provide clean water to someone who needs it for 15 years.

Should Restaurants Indicate Unhealthy Menu Choices?

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:25:17 -0800

Some chain restaurants have dishes that pack in at least a day's worth of calories and fat, without giving customers the facts about what they are ordering.

For example: Did you know that Ruby Tuesday's offers an entree called Fresh Chicken & Broccoli Pasta that tips the scales at 2,060 calories and 128 grams of fat? [GASP] Or did you know that one slice of The Cheesecake Factory's Chris's Outrageous Chocolate Cake has a whooping 1,380 calories? Or that an order of Uno's Chicago Grill’s Pizza Skins (yup, pizza skins) has about 2,050 calories and 48 grams of saturated fat. Now keep in mind that the average daily calorie requirement is about 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.

This whole thing got me thinking -- Since we've been talking so much about restaurants keeping us informed about the nutritional content of menu items so we know what is healthy to eat, what do you think about them letting us know what is NOT healthy to eat?

Ditching Trans Fat: The Benefits Exceed the Cost

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:30:00 -0800

We're all excited about about how many cities, states and companies are banning trans fats, but how are they going to deliver the same beloved French Fries and fried chicken that so many of their customers crave?

This Chicago restaurant owner, Ina Pinkney, might have paved the way - she eliminated trans fat from her menu a few years ago, and made the switch to Canola oil. She says that going trans fat free was a recipe for success.

She feared that the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils used in her foods were endangering her customers' health. Using Canola oil is not only healthier for her customers, but it's cheaper for her - she says it cooks so much better, so she uses less oil.

The oil's "fry life" and taste are virtually the same, but Canola oil is about 30% more expensive than partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. That's why a lot of restaurant owners are reluctant to make the switch. They just need to talk to Ina since she thinks it is cost beneficial.

But in the end switching over to Canola oil will prove beneficial because if patrons know the food is healthier, they'll probably be eating it more often (and MORE of it).

Healthy Dining Finder Online

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 17:30:00 -0800

If you're like me you love to eat out but you sometimes have a hard time staying healthy while doing it.

That is why I was pleased when I stumbled across a great new site called Healthy Dining Finder. This site allows you to search by location for restaurants in your area. Then you can look at the list of restaurants and see what items have been selected as the healthiest item choices on the menu. It really helps to take the guesswork out of dining out.

It's great because Healthy Dining's staff of registered dietitians and health/nutrition professionals consult with each restaurant to find menu items that meet their high level of nutrition criteria which are based on recommendations of leading health organizations.

As of now the site still seems to be building its restaurant database but it is growing fast and you will still get decent results so visit HealthyDiningFinder.com to search restaurants near you.

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?

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