Small vent-- nutritional info at restaurants/estimating calo

I generally throw out the high and low and go with the average.

I generally throw out the high and low and go with the average.

i do the same thing. sometimes, you just got to wing it.

I always over-estimate. I used to work at a cafe and we served a veggie sandwich EVERYONE including employee's thought that it was the healthiest thing we served, turned out it was over 1200 calories and the sodium was SKY high. I think in Washington its a law that anywhere that serves food has to have the nutrional information available. They used to send my boss the information via email and she would print them out and put them into this binder. But yeah, when it doubt estimate high!

It's rare for places in the UK to give nutritional information so it can be quite tricky. I tend to judge based on the type of restaurant as to whether it'll be nearer the top end or the bottom end, or if I can, I estimate weights and ingredients and enter them separately.

Average the high and low.

Most restaurants barely break even. Offering nutritional info is just not a reality for a small restaurant. It is time consuming and has the potential for too much error. Big chains with standard menus that don't ever change have the capability of doing this, but their food pretty much sucks. Do your own legwork and support the independents. Requiring all restaurants to provide nutrional info would effectively shut down most of us.

I try to see if I can find the info on the restaurant/store website, if it's not there, then I'll either break down the item and enter as much as I can individually or I"ll find something as close to what I had in the listings. Restaurants, stores, and take out tend to be horribly high in sodium, fats, and just plain old calories in general. I hate when I think I'm making a good choice only to find out later it was twice what I guessed.

Agreed! I think you have to overestimate. I also think that sometimes the chef/cook in the kitchen doesn't give a rip about the recipe. So, even if you have the nutritional information, you should pad it a bit because the recipe might not be followed exactly. I have recently travelled to both New York and California where any rest. with more than (I think it's) 3 sites has to give you the nutritional information. To find out that one pretzel is 500 calories more than another I'd like just as well was AWESOME! On both trips, I only gained about 2 pounds. Usually I gain at least 5 when I travel. So, knowing what I was eating really made a difference.

Does anyone else think that all restaurants should have to offer nutritional information upon request? I hate going to places to eat and playing the guessing game with my calorie intake. I had a chicken salad sandwich on 9 grain bread today at a local bakery (they are a small chain) and had to guess on what the calories were. They range from 170 calories on up to 700 calories on here. How in the heck am I supposed to choose? Do you shoot high when you estimate or go right down the middle?

One side benefit of monitoring my food intake that I had not considered was how much it forced me to eat at home. I used to eat out a couple of times a day, but now most meals are from home. Saves on the budget quite a bit. If I do end up eating out at a restaurant, it isn't that big of a deal to go with grilled items and avoid anything fried. I would guess on the calories and move on. No since stressing about it, since I am likely eating out to be with someone special, or for a special occasion.

Most restaurants barely break even. Offering nutritional info is just not a reality for a small restaurant. It is time consuming and has the potential for too much error. Big chains with standard menus that don't ever change have the capability of doing this, but their food pretty much sucks. Do your own legwork and support the independents. Requiring all restaurants to provide nutrional info would effectively shut down most of us.

I agree. If it is a real issue, let people vote with their feet. Sharp owners will wise up.

I always over estimate. If you're trying to figure out say, what kind of oil they fry in, just ask. If you don't trust them to tell you that, why would you trust them to cook or handle your food?

Mom and pop places will often be able to tell you what brands they use, which is really helpful. But it's completely unrealistic to expect independent places (which I'd almost always pick to support over a chain) to have the means to provide absolutely accurate nutritional information. And as far as allergens go, I can only speak for where I'm from, but here it is the responsibility of the consumer to make the server aware of any food allergies they may have.