Olive Garden!

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RhiannaMae
RhiannaMae Posts: 13
in Food and Nutrition
Don't ever eat their salad! But zuppa toscana soup is actually fairly low in calories; for a milk based soup. And half of a lunch size cheese raviolis w/ meat sauce is only about 300 calories. And no breadsticks, of course! I work there, and you can get fat off their food. Stay away from alfredo sauce, the salad dressing, and the breadsticks!
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  • RhiannaMae
    RhiannaMae Posts: 13
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    Don't ever eat their salad! But zuppa toscana soup is actually fairly low in calories; for a milk based soup. And half of a lunch size cheese raviolis w/ meat sauce is only about 300 calories. And no breadsticks, of course! I work there, and you can get fat off their food. Stay away from alfredo sauce, the salad dressing, and the breadsticks!
  • bonnykate
    bonnykate Posts: 123
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    Totally right there with you - HungryGirl.com has some great information on the nutritionals of the food at restaurant chains, and it is downright SCARY!

    Thanks for blowing the whistle :wink: !
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    They have calorie counts for most items on their website. It's one of the reasons I like eating there. I can plan ahead and stay in my calorie count.
  • nerveracker
    nerveracker Posts: 56
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    yeowch.. man I love some olive garden, but honestly I can say it's been a while since I've been there. Itallian food isnt' known for its slimming effects. Pastas, meat sauces, ravioli, cheeses, oils etc.. Man it sounds yummy. but can't do it! When I go out to dinner I stick some where like Panda Express. They give us that option of acutally healthy and good food cooked the right way. But that's about all the eating out restaraunt type food I do. Otherwise I pretty well just stay home and cook it myself. That way I know what is going into my food and into my body. :wink:
  • annatildy
    annatildy Posts: 6 Member
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    If it will help anyone else, here's what works for me at Olive Garden.

    I usually get soup and salad. I eat one bowl of soup and endless salad. Just order the salad with the dressing on the side. I don't care for much dressing, so I can use just a very small amount and still be satisfied. And I don't eat all of the croutons.

    Also, if I think I "must" have a breadstick, you can order that with out the garlic butter too. That helps a little bit. The servers I've had seem to be glad to accommodate.

    Good luck!
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
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    yeowch.. man I love some olive garden, but honestly I can say it's been a while since I've been there. Itallian food isnt' known for its slimming effects. Pastas, meat sauces, ravioli, cheeses, oils etc.. Man it sounds yummy.

    which is ironic because italians are so thin...:grumble:
  • rebcolorado
    rebcolorado Posts: 47
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    Their mixed grill with veggies instead of the potatoes is pretty low in calories and delicious.
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    yeowch.. man I love some olive garden, but honestly I can say it's been a while since I've been there. Itallian food isnt' known for its slimming effects. Pastas, meat sauces, ravioli, cheeses, oils etc.. Man it sounds yummy.

    which is ironic because italians are so thin...:grumble:

    It's all in portion control. In Italy they eat alot of fresh foods, lots of vegetables. Not as much as the heavy, rich foods.
  • kayovercomer
    kayovercomer Posts: 98
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    What's wrong with their salad?

    yeowch.. man I love some olive garden, but honestly I can say it's been a while since I've been there. Itallian food isnt' known for its slimming effects. Pastas, meat sauces, ravioli, cheeses, oils etc.. Man it sounds yummy.

    which is ironic because italians are so thin...:grumble:

    It's all in portion control. In Italy they eat alot of fresh foods, lots of vegetables. Not as much as the heavy, rich foods.
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
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    dont eat most of their food.lol. i worked there for 3 years and omg their breadsticks are crazy in calories and most people eat like 3 before their meal even comes

    srsly though, everything in moderation. and i say, if you are going out for a night of splurging - do it right. meh.
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
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    yeowch.. man I love some olive garden, but honestly I can say it's been a while since I've been there. Itallian food isnt' known for its slimming effects. Pastas, meat sauces, ravioli, cheeses, oils etc..

    actually, when most people go to italy, they lose weight if they go to actual authentic italian restaurants (re: not tourists hot spots). It's because they serve real italian food and the portion sizes are much smaller than north american ones.

    italians are not as fat as north americans are or as the class media chef represents them as.
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    What's wrong with their salad?

    yeowch.. man I love some olive garden, but honestly I can say it's been a while since I've been there. Itallian food isnt' known for its slimming effects. Pastas, meat sauces, ravioli, cheeses, oils etc.. Man it sounds yummy.

    which is ironic because italians are so thin...:grumble:

    It's all in portion control. In Italy they eat alot of fresh foods, lots of vegetables. Not as much as the heavy, rich foods.

    The salad is swimming in dressing. Then add in the croutons. Equals alot of calories for what many thought was a healthy choice.
    Like someone else said, get the dressing on the side and skip the croutons.
  • LauraK216
    LauraK216 Posts: 104
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    The Today Show on NBC actually just did a story on salads from restaurants. Many people don't understand that when you order a big salad that's topped with things such as cheese, meat, and rich dressings, you're getting way more calories from that than you would get from many other things, like some steaks, from their menus. A lot of salad portions at restaurants are at least 2, if not 3, servings!!
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    I wish all restaurants listed the calories/nutrient info on their menus. We'd all be able to make better choices.
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
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    doesn't new york do that? i'm pretty sure that they passed a law for something along those lines. a lot of restaurants that didn't have their nutrition information available before had to post it to keep their new york locations.
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
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    eek

    double post. sorry :ohwell:
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    eek

    double post. sorry :ohwell:

    Yes, NYC does do it. That's why I think it's possible for everyone to do it.
  • nikii14
    nikii14 Posts: 403 Member
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    LoL..I just went there today (for the first time) for my dad's b-day.
    Of course I had soup and salad. They DROWN the salad in dressing. I was disappointed....so I pretty much ate the soup.

    Needless to say..I was starving! :ohwell:
  • LisaZaugg1976
    LisaZaugg1976 Posts: 1,144 Member
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    I love olive garden but what I usually do is get salad without dressing and cheese and get lower fat dressing on side
  • saerah12
    saerah12 Posts: 19 Member
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    When I was pregnant I ate there once a week, I loved it sooo much!! Breadsticks dipped in Alfredo Sauce, YUMMY! :bigsmile: I went from a size 4 before pregnancy to a size 14 after:grumble: I don't eat there any more, to tempting.

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