Do you know what's in that?

It’s Wednesday evening. You just got home from work, there’s nothing to eat in the house and the kids are starting to complain because they’re hungry. Not to mention you yourself have not eaten since the handful of almonds you scarfed down before your meeting.

So out to dinner you go. Kids in the car and off to…Applebee’s, Mexican, MickyD’s, or another similar spot.

Sound familiar?

Of course it does. In our fast paced world, eating out is a fact of life. It’s quick, easy, and tastes good.

Well, the unfortunate part is staying on your nutrition plan while eating out. Yes, I know you might order the chicken salad, or the grilled chicken and veggie entrée, but even if you do, you’re not necessarily in the clear.

A study done at the University of Arkansas looked at how accurately consumers estimated the calories, fat, and other nutrient levels in foods they ordered. What they found was that most people underestimated the levels of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium in menu items. In fact, the items ordered had two times more than what the person thought!

Hmmmm. Interesting.

But there’s more…

A Scripps Television investigation ordered food from chain restaurants in 8 different cities around the country. What they found was shocking. And it fired me up! It’s disappointing, and flat out deceptive.

When the food was examined they found it to contain DOUBLE the calories and fat that the menu item was labeled for. For instance, Macaroni Grill’s Pollo Margo Skinny Chicken is listed as having 500 calories and 6 grams of fat. The test showed it having 1,022 calories and 49 grams of fat!!! Chili’s ‘Guiltless Grill’ Salmon listed as having 14 grams of fat, but revealed 35 fat laden grams of fat! Can you believe that? And the list went on.

And it gets worse.

Macaroni Grill apologized for the incorrect information. Gee, thanks a lot. The spokesman went on to say, "On occasion, in restaurant preparation, portion size variances and guest customization of menu items can impact nutritional content. To the extent that any of the items were not prepared to our exacting standards, we apologize to our valued guests."
“Impact nutritional content” by 500 calories and 40 grams of fat?! I don’t think so. Unless you’re drizzling lard on your food nothing should impact it that much.


That’s deceptive and they’re misleading us to believe we can eat healthier so they can line their pockets with more money.

Macaroni Grill's parent company, Brinker International, which also owns Chili's and On the Border, uses independent labs to test nutritional content. I’d venture to say their other restaurants aren’t too far off.

You can read the full article here.

So once your blood pressure returns to normal after reading this, what can YOU do to avoid the lies and deception of restaurant food? Here are 3 tips I suggest you start practicing immediately. You can also call our studio to set up a nutrition consultation and find out the good, bad, and ugly of your diet and how to fix it.

1. Order smart. Order all of your dressings and sauces on the side. Use them sparingly. Eighty six the fattening stuff like butter, cheese, and fried foods.

2. Practice portion control. The normal menu item is 2 -3 times what a serving actually is. Stuff like pastas, breads, meat, and main entrees should be cut in half. Apryl, our FT Ladue Manager, always gives the tip to get a To Go box right when they bring your food out. This way you can immediately put half of it away so you don’t mindlessly eat the entire portion. And, now there is such a thing as free lunch!:)

3. Don’t eat out! (as much). I’m a realist and know that everyone eats out. Unless you have all the time in the world to cook and prepare your meals and you never travel and socialize, you will eat out. But you don’t have to do it every other night. Limit your restaurant trips to twice a week. If you know you’re going out with friends on the weekend, prepare your menus for the week and don’t get caught stranded during the week.

Follow these tips to keep yourself on track toward your health, fitness, and weight loss goals. But remember, you must use caution when you’re not preparing the food yourself.

To your success,

Tim

P.S I have an idea on my ‘list’ (but it’s waaaay at the bottom) that would help people make the right choices at specific restaurants in the St. Louis area. And no, Ted Drewe’s is not on the list:) If you would like to know good choices vs. bad choices, or just some general help and guidelines with eating out, post a comment or email me. If I get enough response I might move my idea up on the list to help you!