Eating out nutrition info

Annie4637
Annie4637 Posts: 12 Member
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone,

I think that this web site is awesome about the nutrition info. However I was wondering how do you account for calories that are not listed such as for a local restaurant? I've been avoiding local restaurants lately due to being diligent about counting my calories and I feel great about being in control. Anyhow I don't have much choice and so I was wondering what everyone else does in these situations. :tongue:

Thanks!
Lisa

Replies

  • jennmoore3
    jennmoore3 Posts: 1,013 Member
    Why not try it 1st. I found Arby's in there, and McDonalds
  • igora_soma
    igora_soma Posts: 486
    I try to find similar items on here, then I figure I should be a little more generous on here and leave some extra calories just in case.
  • tuscaroragal
    tuscaroragal Posts: 78 Member
    I do my best to try and find similar meals from other restaurants to use...most of the time, it's not a bad approach. The worst thing about eating out for me is realizing that the sodium in the meal is typically SO MUCH higher than when you cook for yourself. Best of luck trying to put in your restaurant calories!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    break it down. Log each thing separate. It's going to be pretty close if you break it down one ingredient at a time. And, if there's too many ingredients it's not the best food choice!
  • ksloop00
    ksloop00 Posts: 144
    A lot of fast food places are in the database. But not a lot of actual nice restaurants. Restaurants usually have a nutrition facts page on their website. I have a few saved on my computer.
  • 01elizabeth59
    01elizabeth59 Posts: 59
    That's what I would say also. Find something similar and go with it. You might be surprised what you can find!
  • paniolo5
    paniolo5 Posts: 186 Member
    I agree with the other responses - I try to find a similar restaurant. I've also found that if the local restaurant has a website with a "contact us" link, you can ask for nutritional info. Some of them actually have it available, they just don't post it on their website.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    Hi everyone,

    I think that this web site is awesome about the nutrition info. However I was wondering how do you account for calories that are not listed such as for a local restaurant? I've been avoiding local restaurants lately due to being diligent about counting my calories and I feel great about being in control. Anyhow I don't have much choice and so I was wondering what everyone else does in these situations. :tongue:

    Thanks!
    Lisa

    I make an estimate based on the same type of item. When I REALLY need to KNOW, I get My Nutritional Info from Nutritiondata.com; for Restaurants, Cohesco.com
  • aunt_hbomb
    aunt_hbomb Posts: 204
    For a local eatery, try finding something comparable at another restaurant or like another person said, add each ingredient in separately.

    Ask your local place to make it "healthy" or ask for substitutions to make your meal healthier. Ask for extra veggies instead of potatoes or swap white rice for brown rice. Things like that really make a difference.
  • Annie4637
    Annie4637 Posts: 12 Member
    The name of the restaurant is the Boston Beanery. I've been there before but it's been quite a while since doing so. Here is the link to their web site. I'm not that worried about it I was just wondering what everyone else does when this occurs. :happy:

    http://www.bostonbeanery.com/main.html
  • Sara1978
    Sara1978 Posts: 213 Member
    A lot of little local places are kinder about making things specially for their patrons than the big chains as well-- don't be afraid to ask. My favorite locally owned Mexican place is super nice about allowing me to substitute things on their platters to make it a little bit healthier and easier to track.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    break it down. Log each thing separate. It's going to be pretty close if you break it down one ingredient at a time. And, if there's too many ingredients it's not the best food choice!

    As long as you add in a couple tbsp's of oil to most dishes or some other "secret" calorie adder. For example, if you log in a club sandwich piece by piece you'll never go past 500-600 cals in a worst case scenario but for restaurants that have this posted like Jack Astors or Pickle Barrel, their club can be 800 cals. Crazy!
  • RENAEJAE
    RENAEJAE Posts: 1,136 Member
    I use an app on my smart phone 'Restaurant Nutrition'. I has tons of restaurants to choose from and if it's a locally owned place I can usually guestimate based on another restaurants listings.
  • niteshaydz
    niteshaydz Posts: 6
    I've been surprised by the local restaurants (not national chains) that have had data in the database. It's not a ton, but I'm definitely pleasantly surprised. When I can't find it, I'll search the internet to see if their website has info. If that fails, I find an item at a comparable restaurant that is in the database and keep my fingers crossed that the numbers are close enough.

    Like for lunch today, I went to a local Mexican restaurant and had a soft shredded chicken taco. The restaurant isn't in the database, so I found Qdoba's soft chicken taco and added that in lieu of the meal. I know it won't be perfect, but like I said, should be pretty close. Close enough for me anyway. Hope that helps! :)
  • Annie4637
    Annie4637 Posts: 12 Member
    Thank you everyone for your responses! :tongue:
This discussion has been closed.

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