Your not kidding about the nutritional information, but sometimes it is so hard to get. I live in Ok and here we have a chain of ice cream/hb restaurants called Braums. They sell individually packaged items that have nutrient content on them but for the food service items, they say they do not provide the info. So a friend and I e-mailed the company. This is the response we were given:
Thank you for your email requesting nutritional information on our food service items. As mandated by the Federal Government’s “Nutrition Labeling Education Act”, all packaged goods are federally required to have nutritional information on each package. This federal law gives everyone specific and accurate guidelines with which to follow. Currently there are no federal regulations governing food service items, and therefore, no guidelines regarding how the nutritional information is provided, calculated, etc. Because of this, many national chains, who have volunteered their information, are facing legal challenges. Not having the resources of the large national restaurants, we have been reluctant to expose ourselves to the expenses in an unregulated environment. When official regulation and guidelines are available, we will be pleased to provide the information, just as we have on our packaged food products. Again, thank you for your concerns and we hope that you will continue to visit the Braum’s store near you. Sincerely, K.Manwell Customer Service
Can you belive it???
And so this was my response:
appreciate your response, however I will not be stopping at Braum's any longer. I will go to places that are more concerned about giving their customers the information to make wise nutritional choices no matter the extra expense and trouble.

As I said to Amy, foudner of Amy's Icecream, use Sparkpeople, or another recipe anaylzer online. Quick, easy, free, and without bias.

Glad more people are asking for this info.

they have these blueberry pancakes "for me" that i LOVE but they are still 570 cals. Be careful though. When I ordered them they came with a huge ball of butter on top that I amthinking was not included in the calories!

Howdy,
It isn't just Ihop and whipped butter. I went to Panera a month ago, had looked up the calorie count, ready to order intelligently, and my salad was drenched in salad dressing. It was gross and I learned another important lesson. Always, no matter where I am, I ask dressing, butter, etc on the side.

I am finding I quite enjoy lemon juice on my lettuces, a suggestion posted on 3FC, and an easy substitution for dressing.

And lime juice! Yum...especially when I get cilantro in the salad.

Originally Posted by Meg:

Most people don't have the time, knowledge or resources to research restaurants and food choices. They just think "Salad! That must be a healthy choice!" or "I'll have chicken instead of beef" or "A spinach omelet sounds healthy!" and never have a clue about the hundreds of extra calories that they're eating.

Meg, I used to be that way. My mother used to like to go to IHOP often and I even did just that, ordered a spinach omelet and whole wheat toast thinking it was healthy! Then I couldn't figure out why my weight wasn't going down even though I was exercising and thought I was eating right. :dizzy: Having the internet and being able to find out the calorie counts at restaurants sure is a life saver. I'm not sure how else I would of found out the calorie counts of some things, so it's not surprising that some people really don't have a clue whats in the food.