Heathy eating traps

Wonderob
Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok so you go out to a nice restaurant and decide to order the 'healthy option'
Be careful!

Ruby Tuesday
Carolina chicken salad (Chicken and salad sound like sensible words to me!) = 1101 calories
Chicken & Broccoli pasta (It's brocolli for goodness sake!!!) = 1476 calories

TGI Fridays
Mediterranean Entree - Grilled Chicken (Grilled - got to be good for you hasn't it) = 1410 calories
Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad (Nuts. chciken, salad - good 'diet' words) = 1100 calories

Cheesecake factory
Orange Chicken (no red flag words there) = 1790 calories
Miso Salmon (sounds healthier than their 'tons of fun burger - it's not!) = 1670 calories

Applebees
Spinich and Artichoke dip (2 healthy vegetables right there!) = 1620 calories
Bruschetta Chicken Salad, Regular (I won't have the large salad, I'm on a diet!) = 1110 calories

I'm going to look a bit of a killjoy when I ask for the nutrician information when the waitor brings the menu - but it has got to be worth it!

Replies

  • Masharitos
    Masharitos Posts: 106
    I'm glad you posted this. Most people are unaware. I wish I had some sort of nutrition analyzer doodad to carry around. I always seem to be annoying people who are selling me food by asking them to the the nutrition info (mostly at the Russian store). It's tough to gauge cooked food, especially in places like that. But it's our right to be in the know.
  • gatecityradio
    gatecityradio Posts: 401
    Most major restaurant chains have healthy eating options (usually around 500 cal) and they list them in their menu's. The best thing to do is before you even go, look up the nutritional info on their website and decide what you are going to eat based on that and then stick to it when you get there.
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    Most major restaurant chains have healthy eating options (usually around 500 cal) and they list them in their menu's. The best thing to do is before you even go, look up the nutritional info on their website and decide what you are going to eat based on that and then stick to it when you get there.

    Yeah you're dead right of course but that takes discipline, which is ok for me when I'm focussed and 'in the zone' which I am right now.

    But in 2 months when I'm on holiday and we decide to go to a restaurant on the way back from a day out and we see an Applebees and the kids are hungry ...........
  • Amy_nz
    Amy_nz Posts: 145
    That's horrifying! Here in NZ most of the nutritional information is in kiloJoules, and you have to divide by four-and-a-bit (I round it to four) to get calories. At first I was reading those thinking 'meh, 1101 kJs for a salad, that's good! Only about 275 calories.' But noooo, 1101 is a lot of calories for a meal!

    Unfortunately, here we can get nutritional info for major food chains (more likely to be fast-foody than anything), but for the independent restaurants I daresay it'd be a bit tricky to be really informed. I like eating out a lot, I don't do it that often but when I do I go for local places with good reputations. None of them (as far as I know) have nutritional info on their websites (if they have websites). I suppose seeing that I eat out only about once every two months or so it's not too bad though.
  • Flafster
    Flafster Posts: 106 Member
    1400 calories for one dish? Good grief, how on earth? That's more than I'd have in a day.

    ETA out of curiousity, I went to check & you could get a Big Mac, onion rings, chips and a strawberry milkshake at Fat Ron's for that lot
  • QUEENPINKSPARKLE1965
    QUEENPINKSPARKLE1965 Posts: 58 Member
    :laugh: THANKS FOR THE INFO
  • Kathrynha77
    Kathrynha77 Posts: 103 Member
    When I eat out I generally go for plainish food, like steak without a sauce to be reasonably safe.

    However if you are choosing Jacket potato as a healthy option. Some places like cheap pub grub places buy them in cooked and frozen, then deep fry them to reheat them!
  • EstherZue
    EstherZue Posts: 39
    Ha! Reminds me of earlier today when I went to Starbucks. I bought a skinny blueberry muffin, as opposed to a normal one. When I went on MFP to log the calories - guess what - both have the same calories, 370 cals for one bloody muffin. The skinny has 5g less fat, which is added in sugars :huh: Not doing that again...

    In fastfood joints I hit the salad bar and fill up the plate 2/3rds with veg and 1/3rd with the tasty stuff (coleslaw, bacon, guacamole, etc...)

    In normal restaurants I take the waitor to the side and tell him exactly what I want, i.e. no oil, only 3 tbsp. rice, vegetables steamed, meat grilled, etc. Works most times.
  • SunshineDieter
    SunshineDieter Posts: 41
    A Ruby Tuesday has just opened near me, so thank you for that - I'll be wary when I try it :)

    Also, I can't remember which restaurant I was in, but I ordered a caesar salad and my friend ordered a burger. If she hadn't eaten the fries, her burger would have been less calories than my salad.

    Beware the positive foodie words!
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
    1400 calories for one dish? Good grief, how on earth? That's more than I'd have in a day.

    ETA out of curiousity, I went to check & you could get a Big Mac, onion rings, chips and a strawberry milkshake at Fat Ron's for that lot

    It's a disgrace! Portion size is the main factor I think
  • Nelliebird1430
    Nelliebird1430 Posts: 108
    :noway: It's acutally really sad when some of the salads at places are MORE calories than a burger! It's just best to ask for the nutrition information, if might be awkward for a moment, but your body will thank you in the end! :smile:
  • quill16
    quill16 Posts: 373 Member
    I recently went on vacation and have successfully managed up to a week of restaurant food. I do gain some water weight (salt), but it comes off in a few days if I keep up with my exercise. Here is a list of some of my meals:

    McDonalds:Grilled chicken on bacon ranch salad with lit balsamic dressing, Water (260 cals total)
    Eat N Park: grilled salmon, double broccolli, side salad with lite dressing (under 500 cal)
    Ruby Tuesday : salad bar -only lettuce, tomato, cuke, tomato, onion, broccolli, edemame, and a lite dressing, spaghetti squash, and
    a Miller 64 beer ( under 600 cals)
    Bob Evans:salmon and double broccolli, Water (400 cals)
    Applebees: grilled chicken and broccolli (500cals)
    Lobster shack: steamed lobster, 1 T melted butter, salad greens with lite dressing(400 cals)
  • kepirus
    kepirus Posts: 79
    Most major restaurant chains have healthy eating options (usually around 500 cal) and they list them in their menu's. The best thing to do is before you even go, look up the nutritional info on their website and decide what you are going to eat based on that and then stick to it when you get there.

    Yeah you're dead right of course but that takes discipline, which is ok for me when I'm focussed and 'in the zone' which I am right now.

    But in 2 months when I'm on holiday and we decide to go to a restaurant on the way back from a day out and we see an Applebees and the kids are hungry ...........

    I know you just meant it as an example, but I was at Applebee's the other day, and they have a great new salad there with spinach and strawberries, vinaigarette dressing . . . both there and Panera's Strawberry, Poppyseed, Chicken salad, you just have to tell them to hold the pecans - well I do at least, because #1) only at 1200 calories per day, and #2) really not too much of a pecan fan, so it works.

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