Eating Out...

thirtyby40
thirtyby40 Posts: 702 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
I just had to share how frustrating it is to plan dinner out when the restaurant chosen does not share their nutritional facts. They do have their menu on line, so I spent time this morning deciding what I will be having. I chose items that are available at similar restaurants that I have facts for. I really hope it is close, if not exact, I am worried that I will be doing myself a disservice without even knowing. I do have plenty of calories, carbs, and fats left for the day after I entered them, so fingers crossed it is okay.

I would like to say next time that I will only go someplace with their nutritional facts available, but that will rule out several of my favorite restaurants in town. The one off restaurants are the best, but don't bother with literature for their clientele. I don't eat out often, but I would like to do so while knowing that I can still feel good about my choses. It is harder still since I am a total germ-a-phobic, so I only like to eat things that are cooked. I don't trust that the staff has washed their hands properly, or not sneezed near the food or something else, at least if its cooked chances of physical contact is less. Sounds crazy I know, but its my thing, I can't help it.

Replies

  • Learning2LoveMe
    Learning2LoveMe Posts: 1,430 Member
    I would ask when you walk in to the restaurant tonight for a pamphlet on the nutrition facts. Almost every place has them. (Though some places try to hide it, and you know its prolly because they shove so many calories and fat into the dishes).

    If all else fails, ask them to put half your meal in a doggy bag for later before they serve you. This way you won't end up accidentally eating way too many calories and you'll have some yummy leftovers :smile: (Or have them bring you a doggy bag with your meal so you can do it yourself, less risk of those nasty germs).
  • Euphonasia
    Euphonasia Posts: 136
    Recently, I've had to go to several places that do not offer nutritional values in the restauraunt. Most places do not have any literature containing nutritional values or calorie counts. When I found myself in that situation, I usually ordered some a salad with vinegar dressing or grilled chicken with some kind of veggies, ate half of it, and took the rest home until I could find out what the information on the meal was.

    What you said was a great idea. I never go to places unless I know the calorie counts. Local eateries are the absolute worst because they generally have huge portion sizes with little to no thought towards nutrition, not to mention that they have absolutely nothing about their nutrition.

    That information should be made more easily available. It gets somewhat irritating.
  • emiliabeth
    emiliabeth Posts: 40
    Restaurants are a HUGE Achilles heel of mine. It really bugs me when restaurants don't have a list of nutritional info online or in-store because it's so important for so many people. Diabetics, healthy-eaters, people with high-cholesterol or high blood-pressure - it's a really serious issue.

    I know a lot of restaurant food is heinous when it comes to calories, but at least we'd be able to make a conscious choice...
  • mlmanney
    mlmanney Posts: 349 Member
    check on web site the daily plate.
    http://www.thedailyplate.com/
    they sometimes have info not listed on the resturant site if it is a local and not a chain you may be out of luck and have to just try to make good choices.
  • apeninhand4life
    apeninhand4life Posts: 18 Member
    i hope you all read this its a cold hard fact about eating out you all should know...

    Every restaurant (chain) has a recipe they go by for every single thing on there menu there nutrition facts are based off of this menu and the fact that it is prepared to the recipe... he is the problem.. i have worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years prior to me joining the ARMY when the prep cooks make the products that go into or on things that are put on your plate most of the time they do not stick to the recipe exactly causing for additional calories ...

    EX... COBB SALAD form most chain restaurants (Cobbs are filling and not to high in calories right???)

    the recipe will have a set amount of lettuce, tomato, cheese, egg, bacon, and chicken most restaurants use something like a small measuring cup to portion these things onto your plate, the problem is that in the middle of the dinner rush or even lunch rush the line cooks are so busy they don’t use these things. they stick there hand (hopefully clean and gloved ) into a chilled container and pull out what they think is close to the right amount so in most cases you end up getting 2 sometimes 3 portions of cheese egg bacon and chicken ... the actual portions arnt much and if you saw the proper portion after you were served the bonus one you would be shocked...

    ex you order a chicken breast or steak with a special sauce .. the recipe says a 2 OZ ladle for the sauce on your meat ... oh wait the cook can only find a 3 or 4 oz ladle so he estimates (happens all the time) now you have an extra 1/2 -1 oz of sauce on your plate and the prep cook probably put extra butter into it as well so your calorie intake is way more then you thought..

    this stuff happens on almost every plate leaving the kitchen in about 90% of the kitchens out there

    so when you go out for dinner if you allow 600 calories for your meal only get a meal with 500 to account for the jerks out there
  • apeninhand4life
    apeninhand4life Posts: 18 Member
    bump because u need to read
  • apeninhand4life
    apeninhand4life Posts: 18 Member
    bump again no one reads this but its a big problem
  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
    What makes you think nobody is reading it, lol.

    It is a problem, but unless you are eating out every day, the unaccounted for 200 calories will not kill you, harm you and you really wont even notice you ate them. If you really are counting this as a lifestyle change and not a diet, then let yourself go out and enjoy dinner.

    For the one off places that do not list nutritional value but are likely the best places around. We (now that we are educated on nutrition) know what is good and what is bad. So going out and ordering a huge serving of lazagna with meatballs and garlic bread is not going to be to healthy for us, but if we see grilled chicken and vegetables on the menu, we can fairly well safely assume that the chicken will be a much healthier choice.

    The bottom line is you can not let 100% accurate calorie and nutritional counting dictate you WHOLE life to you. Stick to the program 90-95% of the time, and the rest of the time make educated decisions about what you are sticking in your mouth and you will be in terrific shape for a healthy lifestyle.

    **And remember, sometimes the cook puts to little of the bad stuff in the food too, so it will balance out. -- Former chef & kitchen manager...
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