OMG SODIUM @ OLIVE GARDEN *RANT*

SweatinSammie

Sometimes I think about the sodium I used to eat or the sodium that nearly every American eats because they have NO IDEA what kind of sh** they're putting in their mouths.

I was thinking about going to Olive Garden this weekend so I was just looking up the nutrition info for the soup and salad. I knew it would be high, but I had NO idea how much!!!

Now let me remind you that the maximum amount for sodium per day is 2500, and currently the government is issuing a new suggestion: 1500 per day!

Ok so drum roll - I figured I'd used to eat 1 and 1/2 bread sticks, 1 serving of minestrone, and 2 servings of salad (probably 2 right? cuz I'm assuming 1 serving is relatively small and I'd split one whole bowl w/ one other person). So anyways... the sodium in that bad boy is:

5480!!!!!! Doesn't that make you sick? It sickens me to think of all the sodium that most americans consume at every single meal: the processed foods and the unecessary sodium PACKED into chain restaraunt meals.

EWWWWW. Okay, I'm done.

melodyg

Completely agree! The sodium at the Olive Garden is insanely high though (and that is even if you avoid the soup, which is always loaded with salt).

Mad_Dog_Muscle

Wow!! thats a ton of sodium!

bjenny1234

Holy crap! I guess you oughta start drinking water down like its going out of style...that much sodium and I could gain like 2 pounds overnight! Craziness.

Vicki_78

OMG!!!! i used to LOVE olive garden! don't think i will be eating there anymore between the high cals & now sodium!! no thank you!!
Great Post!

solrak1969

Going to the Olive Garden was the thing that got me going on MFP. After eating the Tour of Italy I checked the numbers and lost my mind. Never again. You can do without that crap. Make it at home.

ladyhawk00

Olive Garden is definitely bad, but not the worst - try looking at PF Chang's! Horrifying.

bonnienm

I'll still go there because I love their salad and alfredo. I don't think that going there a couple of times a year is what's going to kill me:)

jhardenbergh

I was looking at their website for things I could eat cause I was suppose to go there today and found out that all of their "nutritional" items have at least 1000 mg of sodium. I usually only eat about 800-900 a day since I started the new diet. Luckily with the weather dinner got cancelled.

leslielove

Ok but really, come on. They put salt ON the bread sticks. Trying to eat those and worrying about your sodium is dumb. The salad dressing is also high in sodium, but so are most. Again, common sense. Same thing with soup. You picked the saltiest 'healthy' things on the menu.

And if you* know its going to be high in *insert nutrient here*, then don't go! I really don't understand why people ***** about sugary cereal, salty restaurant food, etc. You know its not going to be as healthy as unprocessed food so I don't get all the outrage.


*General, royal you. Not OP specifically.

crystal_sapphire

i worked there for 3 years 3 years ago. Yeah the food is not healthy nor is it realistic italian cuisine as people in Italy don't eat that food. i don't know what you expected to be honest. it's not much different than any place to eat out at

atomdraco

Wow, didn't know it's that bad. I noticed their soup is very salty, but never check it before. Thanks for the post.

cflorkie

mmm but it's still PF Changs.

the other day my husband had a poutine at burger king and it was 2500mg alone. He had that as a side dish.:noway:

sashaverlene

I grab nutrition menus EVERYWHERE I go, but some restaurants are lame and don't have them. But I DEFINITELY agree, that's a bit WAY much!

getfitforlife

Now let me remind you that the maximum amount for sodium per day is 2500, and currently the government is issuing a new suggestion: 1500 per day!

Actually, the 1500 per day is just for people who are high risk (ie. overweight, obese, high blood pressure, etc), according to the new recommendations. The number for healthy people is 2300 per day. Not that it really matters to most of us on here who fall into the high risk category. Regardless, it doesn't surprise me that MOST restaurants foods are high in sodium.

Lyadeia

Keep in mind that ALL restaurants are like that. Everyone goes on and on about how healthy Subway is...but really, go look at their nutrition guide. I think they must soak half their meats and veggies in salt because one of the only times I was over on sodium last month was when I ate at Subway! Most days my sodium stays between 1800-2200, but that meal at Subway sent me over 3000 for the day! Even though the calories were good...I wanna be HEALTHY, not just lose weight. Next time, I make the sub myself at home.

brendac72

WOW! I figured that there would be alot but wow! I hardly use salt anymore, I should say I don't add salt to anything.

megteg

Olive Garden is definitely bad, but not the worst - try looking at PF Chang's! Horrifying.

Or check out Cheesecake Factory. The last time I ate there, I wanted to get a light, healthy simple pasta. I think it ended up being over 2,000 cals for the whole plate. Luckily, I had only eaten half...but STILL!

Now I realize that if I even eat ONE PART of a meal from restaurant/fast food/coffee shop, the sodium goes through the roof. I don't want to think about how much sodium I'd been consuming before starting to cook more at home and counting my sodium intake!

LarryPGH

I made the mistake of going there with friends last night *without* checking out the nutrition guide beforehand. Got back home, entered my meal here, and almost passed out... grf!

chrish1981

Yikes!

Same thing with all those "Under 550 Cals" and "Weight Watchers" meals at Applebee's.

I had the Grilled Shrimp and Island Rice....380 cals, but my whole day's worth of sodium...in ONE MEAL!! Gross!