Eating Out with No Nutrition Info

aylerz
aylerz Posts: 27 Member
edited November 24 in Food and Nutrition
How do you log meals out when the restaurant doesn't provide nutrition info? I've run into this a few times, but usually it's little stuff that's missing like salad dressing, etc.
I am headed out of town this weekend, and most of the restaurants are small, family owned places, so I'm doubting they'll provide much info. I'll be eating breakfast at my vacation rental, so I'll know all of that info, I'm just wondering how I should go about lunch and dinner.

Replies

  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    People will often find chain restaurant items that are comparable and log that as a substitute.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    You are never going to get an accurate calorie count for a meal that you do not prepare yourself, so all that you can do is hope for a close estimate. This is true even for chain restaurants that provide nutritional info. that info relies on every ingredient being carefully portioned out by the kitchen staff, which rarely happens.

    When I eat out, I usually try to deconstruct the meal based on my best knowledge of the ingredients and ability to estimate serving sizes. Then I usually add 100-200 quick calories because I am probably off.
  • TurtleTape
    TurtleTape Posts: 254 Member
    lporter229 wrote: »
    You are never going to get an accurate calorie count for a meal that you do not prepare yourself, so all that you can do is hope for a close estimate. This is true even for chain restaurants that provide nutritional info. that info relies on every ingredient being carefully portioned out by the kitchen staff, which rarely happens.

    When I eat out, I usually try to deconstruct the meal based on my best knowledge of the ingredients and ability to estimate serving sizes. Then I usually add 100-200 quick calories because I am probably off.

    Ditto. Estimate the meat, carbs, and veggies, plus any sauces I see. I usually add an entry for a tablespoon or two of olive oil and/or butter, too, because you know they use a ton of that.
  • aylerz
    aylerz Posts: 27 Member
    Thanks everyone! I figured I needed to add extra calories, but wasn't sure how much I should tack on!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I just picked the same thing from another restaurant and used that as a guesstimate.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
    Best guesstimate. I try and stick to protein and veggies with little sauce added. Add in more walking/exercise if you can and drink lots of water!
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