Do you ever doubt nutrition information?
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LATeagno
Posts: 620 Member
I've gotten really good at knowing how many calories are in what foods during my time here. So, that is what it is.
Tonight I ate dinner at a local restaurant. I treated myself to a half rack of ribs-- dry with only hot sauce to save on a few calories. That's fine. No qualms there. But while I was looking at the restaurant's nutrition information, I couldn't help but think that some of the calories were way overestimated (and maybe some underestimated). Now, before you rush and say, "But it's restaurant food! You don't really know what's in it--that's where all the calories come from!", listen here.
The restaurant listed nutrition info for its wings (fried, no breading, similar to Buffalo Wild Wings or the like).
According to the site, a six pack of mild buffalo wings contains 460 calories. That seemed about right. Each wing has about 75 calories. Hmm... reasonable for a junk food.
Then, right below it, was a listing for a six pack of honey mustard wings. Now, I realize most honey mustard is higher in calories than hot sauce (although, that in itself is questionable becaues this chain uses oil in its buffalo sauce-- I can see it; it's not just plain hot sauce). The calorie content in the six pack of honey mustard wings was 1,060.
So wait, they're telling me that there is 600 calories worth of sauce on six wings? I make wings a lot at home. That CANNOT be right. A lot of the items on the nutrition info has this issue: for example, their grilled chicken sandwich, which according to the menu is a whole wheat bun, 5 oz. of grilled boneless chicken, lettuce, tomato and brown mustard, has 860 calories-- but their 6 oz. angus bacon cheeseburger, which includes cheese and mayo, has 880. What?
Sorry-- I'm ranting. Does anyone else get the feeling that some restaurants just pull nutrition info out of their butts?
Tonight I ate dinner at a local restaurant. I treated myself to a half rack of ribs-- dry with only hot sauce to save on a few calories. That's fine. No qualms there. But while I was looking at the restaurant's nutrition information, I couldn't help but think that some of the calories were way overestimated (and maybe some underestimated). Now, before you rush and say, "But it's restaurant food! You don't really know what's in it--that's where all the calories come from!", listen here.
The restaurant listed nutrition info for its wings (fried, no breading, similar to Buffalo Wild Wings or the like).
According to the site, a six pack of mild buffalo wings contains 460 calories. That seemed about right. Each wing has about 75 calories. Hmm... reasonable for a junk food.
Then, right below it, was a listing for a six pack of honey mustard wings. Now, I realize most honey mustard is higher in calories than hot sauce (although, that in itself is questionable becaues this chain uses oil in its buffalo sauce-- I can see it; it's not just plain hot sauce). The calorie content in the six pack of honey mustard wings was 1,060.
So wait, they're telling me that there is 600 calories worth of sauce on six wings? I make wings a lot at home. That CANNOT be right. A lot of the items on the nutrition info has this issue: for example, their grilled chicken sandwich, which according to the menu is a whole wheat bun, 5 oz. of grilled boneless chicken, lettuce, tomato and brown mustard, has 860 calories-- but their 6 oz. angus bacon cheeseburger, which includes cheese and mayo, has 880. What?
Sorry-- I'm ranting. Does anyone else get the feeling that some restaurants just pull nutrition info out of their butts?
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Replies
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yes the current mens health magazine had a section where it showed what was claimed and what it actually had when sent to the lab...it all depends on who is cooking and how much they use. I used to bartend and I could make someone have ALOT of sugar or chocolate in their drinks if I wanted...0
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Actually legislation was released and starting Jan 2012 all restuarants with more than 10 chainsa re required to have nutrition information available on all food items for the public to view. What the legislation didnt say was whom was going to make the determination and what software would be required to be utilized or if even evaluated. It will be interesting to see the results0
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In Canada, they are legally allowed to be 20% off on their nutritional information.0
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Yes I doubt it all the time...if the company reveals a particular dish has 800....in the back of my mind--that means 1000!! I do think they subtract calories so the food doesnt look "too bad". They are in the business to sale0
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yes the current mens health magazine had a section where it showed what was claimed and what it actually had when sent to the lab...it all depends on who is cooking and how much they use. I used to bartend and I could make someone have ALOT of sugar or chocolate in their drinks if I wanted...
When its inconsistent, its worse.
I work in a professional kitchen that will scold anyone who does not follow the recipes we have in-house. And if there are any types of modifications, they must be communicated FIRST before making any ingredient changes....
That sauce... doesnt surprise me one bit...
Honey ALONE will jack up the calories and sugar/carb content. Any sugar added to it as well, thats more calories and sugar/carb content...
I have a bulk recipe for honey-mustard sauce for 16 people. Each serving is only 111 calories, 19g carbs, 4g fat and 1g of protein. That makes enough for 2oz portions, which if you were to dip, it should be enough if you have the ability feel satisfied with what a real sauce portion should be.
Its often I dont finish all of the sauce from my sauce cup, so I just adjust afterwards for the actual consumed...0 -
I do not trust any of it, and not just restaurants.I've gotten really good at knowing how many calories are in what foods during my time here. So, that is what it is.
Tonight I ate dinner at a local restaurant. I treated myself to a half rack of ribs-- dry with only hot sauce to save on a few calories. That's fine. No qualms there. But while I was looking at the restaurant's nutrition information, I couldn't help but think that some of the calories were way overestimated (and maybe some underestimated). Now, before you rush and say, "But it's restaurant food! You don't really know what's in it--that's where all the calories come from!", listen here.
The restaurant listed nutrition info for its wings (fried, no breading, similar to Buffalo Wild Wings or the like).
According to the site, a six pack of mild buffalo wings contains 460 calories. That seemed about right. Each wing has about 75 calories. Hmm... reasonable for a junk food.
Then, right below it, was a listing for a six pack of honey mustard wings. Now, I realize most honey mustard is higher in calories than hot sauce (although, that in itself is questionable becaues this chain uses oil in its buffalo sauce-- I can see it; it's not just plain hot sauce). The calorie content in the six pack of honey mustard wings was 1,060.
So wait, they're telling me that there is 600 calories worth of sauce on six wings? I make wings a lot at home. That CANNOT be right. A lot of the items on the nutrition info has this issue: for example, their grilled chicken sandwich, which according to the menu is a whole wheat bun, 5 oz. of grilled boneless chicken, lettuce, tomato and brown mustard, has 860 calories-- but their 6 oz. angus bacon cheeseburger, which includes cheese and mayo, has 880. What?
Sorry-- I'm ranting. Does anyone else get the feeling that some restaurants just pull nutrition info out of their butts?
I especially do not trust supplement powders or pills.
This is why I advocate whole foods like lean meats, low fat dairy, whole grains, nuts and fresh fruits and veggies.
That's the ideal I strive toward; however, who can live that 100%? Nobody!
When it comes to logging food, I try to cross reference and make a judgement call, letting the cards fall where they may.
What else can we do?0 -
I agree, I doubt restaurant calories as well. What if the server/chef gives a little more mashed potatoes or more meat than what was given on the nutritional info. I've never worked in the restaurant industry, but I imagine they don't go around with measuring cups and scales making sure they have the correct portion.0
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every time i eat out!
also, where did you go, so i don't go there and accidentally order a salad with 3,500 calories? :P0 -
same. I have pretty much come close to never eating at a place without a salad bar...0
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The main reason why restaurant food will contain more calories than homemade food (similarly prepared) is that most restaurants use a lot of sauces, creams, fillers, juices, marinades, preservatives, etc. that are made from copious amount of sugar, starches, fats, and salt to make it taste good. This is stuff you don't normally do at home and is not obvious that it's there unless you really know every single ingredient in the dish. It adds up. Most restaurants use cornstarch as a filler and binder for a lot of foods, especially ground beef and chicken. So a quarter or half pound burger you get at a restaurant probably has a good 200 more calories than the same burger cooked at home in a similar manner. Buns get a nice layer of butter or grease on them before they even get the burger on there also. Depending on where you eat, the quality of the meat and the "leanness" of the cut has a lot to do with the fat content and subsequently, calorie content.
I used to be a cook in a restaurant, and I can say that most food is treated this way.0 -
Yes I doubt it all the time...if the company reveals a particular dish has 800....in the back of my mind--that means 1000!! I do think they subtract calories so the food doesnt look "too bad". They are in the business to sale
And again the portions ...
In a pinch I will eat at Taco Bell and have their Fajita 400 Bowl. It's basically black beans, rice, salad blend, sour cream, pico de gallo and fajita chicken (or beef).
The Web site swears they are all around 375 - 400 calories but if the server has a heavy hand when they are ladling in the goods, I am sure that 400 could easily swell to 500 - 600 calories. You don't want to yell in the back while they're making it and say something like "Make it exactly like corporate wants you to with proper portion control specs...."0 -
I agree, I doubt restaurant calories as well. What if the server/chef gives a little more mashed potatoes or more meat than what was given on the nutritional info. I've never worked in the restaurant industry, but I imagine they don't go around with measuring cups and scales making sure they have the correct portion.
At upscale restaurants they do ... trust me. That salmon at McCormick and Schmicks is definitely going to be nearly exact in ounces as they claim, as they are all about the $$$ and maximizing their returns. Can't do that if you're constantly overfeeding people by 20%.0 -
I agree, I doubt restaurant calories as well. What if the server/chef gives a little more mashed potatoes or more meat than what was given on the nutritional info. I've never worked in the restaurant industry, but I imagine they don't go around with measuring cups and scales making sure they have the correct portion.
At upscale restaurants they do ... trust me. That salmon at McCormick and Schmicks is definitely going to be nearly exact in ounces as they claim, as they are all about the $$$ and maximizing their returns. Can't do that if you're constantly overfeeding people by 20%.
Very very true. Everything gets measured for consistency and financial reasons.0 -
I agree, I doubt restaurant calories as well. What if the server/chef gives a little more mashed potatoes or more meat than what was given on the nutritional info. I've never worked in the restaurant industry, but I imagine they don't go around with measuring cups and scales making sure they have the correct portion.
At upscale restaurants they do ... trust me. That salmon at McCormick and Schmicks is definitely going to be nearly exact in ounces as they claim, as they are all about the $$$ and maximizing their returns. Can't do that if you're constantly overfeeding people by 20%.
Very very true. Everything gets measured for consistency and financial reasons.
I didn't think about that, thanks for the info. I had more of the "fast food " restaurant in mind.0 -
I agree, I doubt restaurant calories as well. What if the server/chef gives a little more mashed potatoes or more meat than what was given on the nutritional info. I've never worked in the restaurant industry, but I imagine they don't go around with measuring cups and scales making sure they have the correct portion.
At upscale restaurants they do ... trust me. That salmon at McCormick and Schmicks is definitely going to be nearly exact in ounces as they claim, as they are all about the $$$ and maximizing their returns. Can't do that if you're constantly overfeeding people by 20%.
Very very true. Everything gets measured for consistency and financial reasons.
I didn't think about that, thanks for the info. I had more of the "fast food " restaurant in mind.
Fast food is preportioned too. They have squirters for the sauces that divy out exactly the same amount (very close to it at least) with every squirt. There's a list of how many squirts to put on each sandwich, etc. The restaurant industry is very very savvy.0 -
I agree, I doubt restaurant calories as well. What if the server/chef gives a little more mashed potatoes or more meat than what was given on the nutritional info. I've never worked in the restaurant industry, but I imagine they don't go around with measuring cups and scales making sure they have the correct portion.
At upscale restaurants they do ... trust me. That salmon at McCormick and Schmicks is definitely going to be nearly exact in ounces as they claim, as they are all about the $$$ and maximizing their returns. Can't do that if you're constantly overfeeding people by 20%.
Very very true. Everything gets measured for consistency and financial reasons.
I didn't think about that, thanks for the info. I had more of the "fast food " restaurant in mind.
Fast food is preportioned too. They have squirters for the sauces that divy out exactly the same amount (very close to it at least) with every squirt. There's a list of how many squirts to put on each sandwich, etc. The restaurant industry is very very savvy.
Yeah true. I hadn't really thought about that, but a Big Mac is a Big Mac wherever and it is probably going to contain nearly the exact same ingredients and ounces (nothing fit for human or animal consumption).0 -
I agree, I doubt restaurant calories as well. What if the server/chef gives a little more mashed potatoes or more meat than what was given on the nutritional info. I've never worked in the restaurant industry, but I imagine they don't go around with measuring cups and scales making sure they have the correct portion.
Actually they do! I even worked at a plain old family restaurant (Sonny's BBQ for those in the south), and we measured! The recipes for cole slaw, seafood salad, etc. are to a T, and they use a digital food scale for the portions of meat. The only thing not measured to the ounce was the chicken-it was just a quarter, half, three-fourths, or whole... The cole slaws were in specific cups-not to be heaped so that they were uniform in quantity.
At my fast food job (OMG, I'm dating myself, but it was 21 years ago-first job ever), we only weighed the portions until we got the hang of it. After that, it was a random test kind of thing. The manager would randomly weight a burrito, taco, whatever and it was supposed to be accurate to within .25 of an ounce of what it's total weight should be, or we'd be reprimanded. I assure you, though, they didn't usually look like they should have....0 -
Yeah true. I hadn't really thought about that, but a Big Mac is a Big Mac wherever and it is probably going to contain nearly the exact same ingredients and ounces (nothing fit for human or animal consumption).
I worked at McDonald's for my first job when I was 15 as a line cook. It's all about consistency there. That's why the nuggets, sandwiches, and fries taste the same in California as they do in Maine or Florida. Countries vary though according to what the regulations and cutoms are. We used to get in trouble for squirting the big mac sauce in the wrong spot on the bun.0 -
I agree, I doubt restaurant calories as well. What if the server/chef gives a little more mashed potatoes or more meat than what was given on the nutritional info. I've never worked in the restaurant industry, but I imagine they don't go around with measuring cups and scales making sure they have the correct portion.
At upscale restaurants they do ... trust me. That salmon at McCormick and Schmicks is definitely going to be nearly exact in ounces as they claim, as they are all about the $$$ and maximizing their returns. Can't do that if you're constantly overfeeding people by 20%.
Very very true. Everything gets measured for consistency and financial reasons.
I didn't think about that, thanks for the info. I had more of the "fast food " restaurant in mind.
Fast food is preportioned too. They have squirters for the sauces that divy out exactly the same amount (very close to it at least) with every squirt. There's a list of how many squirts to put on each sandwich, etc. The restaurant industry is very very savvy.
Dr. Oz, who albeit is not the best source for information as he seems to go for the sensational a little too often for my liking, did a thing on fast food and calories and fat in it. All the ones he tested were very close to the actual calories. Restaurants, fast food or fine dining, need portion control to make money. They usually run on a fairly small margin, so they can't go around giving people too much more than they designed the food item at or they would quickly start to lose profit. Remember, they are in this to make money. I actually trust restaurant calories more than I do the calories on a multi-portion food product from the grocery store. Not that the food product is wrong, but often they will say it is x number of whatever it is which should be a certain weight. If you count out that number then weigh it, more often than not it is not the weight they say it should be, sometimes not even close.0 -
We used to get in trouble for squirting the big mac sauce in the wrong spot on the bun.Yeah true. I hadn't really thought about that, but a Big Mac is a Big Mac wherever and it is probably going to contain nearly the exact same ingredients and ounces (nothing fit for human or animal consumption).
Heaven forbid it be on the left, when it should be in the center... Ooops.0
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