Interesting article for healthy eaters

[Jessica]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/456/2880988.html

This is an article about a book on chain restaurant food, and the horrible amount of calories and fat in these dishes.

[sneezles]

Wow, glad we don't have any of those places around here. We do have our local diner which I'm sure would be worse than anything in that article! More reasons to eat at home!

[cminmd]

I used to work at a very upscale mesquite grill restaurant when I was in college. I remember being appaled the first time I realized the amount of butter the chef used every night. Now I know that I am splurging when I get the Cheesecake Factory three inch high slab of mocha goodness. What was scary was stick of butter that went into preping someones roasted veggie platter. They think they are making the heathy eatting choice and instead they get two days worth of fat and calories and a ton of salt. They dont even know it! It made me realize that pretty much every meal out at a restaurant was a huge dent in the diet.
I am convinced that restaurants are a huge part of why Americans are so fat. Not only are portions bigger, but they are so much a part of our daily lives now. When I was a kid going out to eat was a huge deal for us. Nowadays kids are so accustomed to restaurant dining that I half expect one to call over the somelier!:D

[pammy]

Oh, no!!! I adore the orange scones from Au Bon Pain. No wonder the summer that I worked in a building with an ABP, I gained weight :rolleyes:.

[lindrusso]

But come on, who really is surprised that a huge slab of cheesecake has lots of fat??? Or that a meat skillet is fattening?? And I've never thought of scones as "harmless". Anytime I see a bakery counter loaded with pastries and cookies, I'm going to automatically assume that it's fattening!

As for his claim that it would be helpful if McDonald's listed the nutrition content right next to their prices on the menu list - McDonald's DOES have a huge nutritional information chart posted right near the ordering counter. It may not be right on the menu, but it is very accessible!

I'll admit that I've been shocked by the nutritional content of some things even though I consider myself fairly knowledgeable. However, most of the time I just take the position of assuming that most restaurant fare is going to be fattening unless otherwise indicated.

[Jessica]

Lindrusso, I agree with you. I just assume most restaurant food is bad for me unless it is an undressed lettuce salad or plain sushi. But I think cminmd has a point--people should be able to assume a roasted veggie platter is healthy.

We try to avoid chain restaurants and some of our local places do prepare food in a lighter manner. But we really have cut back on the number of times we eat out each month, and the main reason is we don't always know what we are eating.

This also concerns me because my DH travels for work and has to eat at restaurants frequently. He likes his meat and potatoes but is working toward a healthier diet and is often frustrated by the lack of healthy choices other than a plain salad, which does not make such a great dinner.

[jjsooner73]

Hmmm.
That's nothing overly surprising. As was pointed out, it's not surprising to see how much fat is in the Cheesecake Factory's cheesecake.
That won't stop me from ordering some when I go there. I eat it maybe 2x/year so am not going to worry about how bad it is for me.
Moderation is the key!

[sherri]

The group that did this research has a great layperson magazine called Nutrition Action
www.cspi.org
They are very passionate about their cause.
Anyone who is interested in keeping up with current food information/research would really like this magazine. Just be aware that they are extreme......

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by Jessica
But I think cminmd has a point--people should be able to assume a roasted veggie platter is healthy.

I agree! I guess at that restaurant, the word roasted simply refers to how they are COOKED, but reveals nothing about how they are then SERVED on the plate. I guess that just goes to show that we can't assume anything and are better off always asking how a meal is prepared and served.

Usually when I go out to eat, I just go to enjoy the food and don't worry about preparation. :) If I have to to eat out because of necessity - as in when we are on vacation - I do try to seek out the lighter fare. Not easy to do!

[Tiger]

Jessica- thanks for the link. A good reminder.
I agree moderation is key.

[luv2run]

Thanks for the article, Jessica. It's probably just as we thought--if it tastes like it's loaded with fat and looks like it's loaded with fat then it probably is loaded with fat. We are the consumers and I suppose we have to stay on our toes. Unfortunately, "most" restaurants are more concerned with profit than our health.

Debbie :cool:

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by luv2run
Unfortunately, "most" restaurants are more concerned with profit than our health.
Debbie :cool:

Hmmm...I would tend to place more of the blame for lack of healthy restaurant choices on the consumers than on the restaurants. If it doesn't sell, the restaurants aren't going to offer it. They have to make a profit to stay in business and if their customers are passing on the healthy choices, they are simply going to respond by giving them what they DO eat.

I've seen this where I live in many aspects of food. We often ask the restaurants why they don't offer x, y, and z and it's usually because the folks around here want simple, cheap eats. Those of us who are interested in more gourmet fare (this applies in the grocery store as well) are generally out of luck.

So, I place more of the blame on the average consumer who simply is not interested in eating a healthy diet.

[Wendy w]

I agree with you Alysha and this is another good argument to eat at home! Where I live, we have lots of restaurant choices (some of it healthy) and although we are considered a health conscious part of the country, we still have quite a few VERY overweight people (especially kids).

This is a matter of choice. If the consumer won't buy it, the restaurants won't sell it. There is a restaurant chain here that sells very large portions-enough for 2 meals. Of course, I'm not one to talk. Although I consider myself to be a healthy eater, my problem is portion control.

[Tiger]

I just got an ad in todays newspaper from McDonalds. It now has a grilled chicken wrap. Maybe they're trying.

[BlueMoose]

Originally posted by lindrusso


Hmmm...I would tend to place more of the blame for lack of healthy restaurant choices on the consumers than on the restaurants. If it doesn't sell, the restaurants aren't going to offer it. They have to make a profit to stay in business and if their customers are passing on the healthy choices, they are simply going to respond by giving them what they DO eat.


So, I place more of the blame on the average consumer who simply is not interested in eating a healthy diet.

I was going to say this as well. I've seen restaurants discontinue healthy menu items so often because of lack of consumer interest. It's really too bad.

But to their credit, I think a lot of places really are trying to offer some healthier alternatives. And 10 years ago if you had requested nutritional info in a restaurant, you probably would have been met with a blank stare. But it still would be nice if there were more healthy places to eat. I think they face an uphill battle, though, looking at how most Americans seem to want to eat.

BTW, I love McDonald's Fruit and Yogurt Parfait. The granola adds quite a bit of fat and calories, but you can leave that off. There's a lot of fruit in it.