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- Chick-Fil-A: All of their sandwiches are under 500 calories. $$$$$
- Subway: Most of their 6"/6g fat sandwiches are around 300 calories. $$$$$
- Boston Market: Offer nutritional salads, three-piece skinless chicken & ham meals; avoid the Carver sandwiches. $$$$
- Bob Evans: Expansive menu of egg dishes and sides. $$$
- Taco Bell: Choose just two tacos or a single burrito. $$$
- Fazoli's: While many pasta dishes are loaded w/ calories, they can be topped with healthy chicken, broccoli, tomatoes, and garlic shrimp. $$$
- White Castle: Burgers have low calorie-counts and they offer reasonable portions. $$
- Denny's: Their burgers and the carb-laden Grand Slams are gut-busters on par with most fast food chain items, however, heathy selections on their Fit Fare menu. $$
- Ruby Tuesday: Same critique as Denny's, but at least they have some seafood and chicken selections. $$
- Bran Muffins: 420 cal/20g fat and Bagel/Egg/Sausage/Cheese: 670cal/28g fat - BETTER VALUE: ham&egg on an English muffin @ 300cal/10g fat.
- Chicken Caesar Salads: (dinner-size) 900 cal/60g fat; (side 500 cal) swamped in fatty dressing and too much Parmesan. BETTER VALUE: chicken on salad w/ vinaigrette on side.
- Chicken Wraps: 700 cal/35g fat - excess mayo-based dressing and carbs. BETTER VALUE: grilled chicken @ 375cal.
- Nachos & Quesadillas: from 750 to 2,100 calories and 37 to 113g of fat, these can be the most unhealthy food on menus - BETTER VALUE: share some shrimp @ 150cal.
- Turkey Burgers: 850 cal/50g fat. BETTER VALUE: sirloin steak @ 350cal (much leaner meat).
- Wing Sauces: Let's face it, if you're ordering wings you're probably not too concerned about healthy dining for that meal. Restaurant wing sauces are much more caloric than what you can find in the grocery store. For example, Hooter's sauce is 80cal/tb compared to Jim Beam's and Frank's RedHot sauces @ 5-10cal/tb. BETTER VALUE: substitute boneless chicken breast pieces, and if you can, commercial varieties for house brands.
- BAJA GRILL - Charbroiled Steak Nachos: 2,100cal/113g fat/3,050 sodium.
- CARLS JR - 1 lb Double Six Dollar Burger: 1,420 cal/62g fat. BETTER VALUE: Charbroiled BBQ Chicken - 370cal/4g fat.
- BOSTON MARKET - Dark Chicken/Sweet Potato Casserole/Side Salad: 1,410cal/90g fat/3,020 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Roasted Sirloin combo - 560cal/27g fat/760 sodium.
- BURGER KING - Texas Triple Whopper: 1,290cal/86g fat/1,980 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Double Bacon Cheeseburger - 530cal/31g fat/1,130 sodium.
- McDONALD'S - Chicken Strips 10pc: 1270cal/66g fat/3100 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Chicken McGrill - 400/16/1,010.
- BOSTON MARKET - Meatloaf Carver w/ Cheese: 1,070cal/55g fat/1,480 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Double Sauced Angus Meatloaf, 2 slices - 510cal/34g fat/890 sodium.
- CHIPOLTE - Chicken Burrito w/ black beans/rice/salsa/cheese/sour cream: 1,169cal/47g fat/2,656 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Chicken Burrito Bowl - 489cal/22g fat/1,006 sodium.
- JACK 'N BOX - Bacon/Cheese/Ciabatta Burger: 1,120cal/76g fat/1,670 sodium. BETTER VALUE: CheeseBurger - 350cal/17g fat/790 sodium.
- BAJA GRILL - Bean & Cheese Burrito - Charbroiled Steak: 1,070 cal/41g fat/2,080 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Veggie Bare Burrito - 590cal/10g fat/2,050 sodium.
- PANDA EXPRESS - Kung Pao Chicken: 1,060 cal/41g fat/2,140 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Broccoli Beef w/ mixed veggies - 350cal/17g fat/1,200 sodium.
- BURGER KING - Big Fish Sandwich: 1,000cal/52g fat/2,040 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Junior Whopper - 365cal/12g fat/1,230 sodium.
- PANERA BREAD - Sierra Turkey sandwich: 950cal/54g fat. BETTER VALUE: Smoked Turkey Breast on Sourdough - 430cal/14g fat.
- FAZZOLI'S - Baked Spaghetti or Ultimate Sampler Platter: 950cal/41g fat. BETTER VALUE: Ravioli w/ Marinara Sauce - 580cal/15g fat.
- Schlotzsky's - Albuquerque Turkey med: 950cal/40g fat/2,840 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Smoked Turkey Breast - 500cal/7g fat/1,800 sodium.
- RUBY TUESDAY'S Kid's Turkey Minis & Fries:893cal/47g fat. BETTER VALUE: Petite Sirloin w/ mashed potatoes - 460cal/20g fat.
- DENNY'S Kid's Big Dipper French Toastix: 770cal/71g fat. BETTER VALUE: Smiley Alien Hotcakes & Anti-gravity Grapes - 313cal/3g fat.
- WENDY'S - Chicken Club Sandwich: 610cal/31g fat/1,460 sodium - BETTER VALUE: Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich w/ side - 540cal/22g fat/1,780 sodium.
- McDONALD'S - Double Qtr Pounder w/ Cheese: 730cal/40g fat/1,330 sodium. BETTER VALUE: Double Cheeseburger - 460cal/23g fat/1,140 sodium (plus it's only $1!).
Content
OVERVIEW
Few people eat the perfect diet every day - and that's especially true when dining out. The restaurant/fast food business is a $500 billion/yr industry. It's obvious that in an industry packing away numbers like that, few people are completely avoiding dining out. Nor should they have to. But these establishments are fraught with nutritional perils.
Much of what we consume (from grocery stores and from dining establishments) is not food but as Michael Pollan describes as "edible food-like substances" created by marketers and food scientists. You need to be equipped with information that will help you navigate the gastronomic pitfalls of a night on the town or a quick stop at a drive-thru.
In California, legislation SB 120 would have required chain restaurants to list nutritional information on their menus, giving millions of people valuable information to base their dining choices on. So it was no surprise that the California Restaurant Association, which represents all of the state's largest chain restaurants, lobbied against the law that would simply tell us what we're eating. It called the bill a "feel-good Band-Aid" ignoring the "true issues" of obesity. What was surprising, was that he legislature caved into this special interest group and failed their citizens.
The New York Board of Health (a prime mover & shaker on this issue) disagrees. It believes that people not realizing what they're consuming is a large part of the obesity epedemic. On 05DEC06, the Board of Health approved an amendment to the Health Code to phase out trans-fat in all NYC restaurants. On 28JAN08, they will vote on whether calorie information should be included on fast-food chain menus as well.
They point to studies showing that 9 out of 10 people grossly underestimate the number of calories in these meals, by around 600 calories. In case you're curious, a typical meal from a fast-food restaurant of a large burger, large fries and medium drink is around 1,300 calories (66% of daily caloric requirements for an average person). The Spin: The National Restaurant Association opposes that requirement. It argues that consumers don't want that information on menus because it will look too "cluttered"; that consumers can find the information on some company Web sites (not true); and as Hooter's has stated, "Because of the millions of combinations it is impossible to provide acurate data." Ridiculous.
Long John Silver's comprehensive Website allows you to choose all of your menu items, including condiments, and it will calculate the nutritional values for your whole meal.
On the national level, The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 absolves restaurants of all nutritional liability to the public. Unlike processed food manufacturers, they are not required to provide calorie, fat, or sodium information for any of their menu items unless they're described as "low-sodium" or "low-fat."
What is the majority of this industry hiding? Well, it's obvious - most of their meals are problematic and they don't want to acknowledge that fact. The following restaurants refuse to release nutritional data: Applebee's, Bonefish Grill, California Pizza Kitchen, Chipotle, Cracker Barrel, Fuddruckers, Hooters, IHOP, Maggiano's Little Italy, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Outback, Perkins, Red Robbin, and T.G.I. Friday's.
Most sit-down restaurants' fare is often unhealthier than their fast food counterparts. AVOID:
FAST FOOD BRANDS - All chains offer both culinary catastrophes and suitable alternatives:
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