[healthymom01]

I wish that restaurants were required to put accurate information on their menus or to make it available to the public. I cannot tell you how many times I have been shocked (and appalled) to find out what I had really eaten, especially when I chose something I thought was healthier.

[Guess Who]

Originally Posted by Sirenity

We're told we need to be accountable for our choices and I totally agree with that, but how can we make those choices without any given information?

Hi, I am new here and I am bumping this thread! =)

What is even more scary is that the normal foods in the grocery store are just as horribly inaccurate as in a restaurant. You mention that we are told to be accountable, and yet even the foods in the grocery stores down right lie to us! We try to make healthier and better choices, but most of the time we are shooting ourselves in the foot, and then we give up because we think it is us. The key is to know exactly what you are looking at, and learning to decipher between the lies and trickery. For example anyone here drink 2% milk because they think it is a healthier choice than whole?

[Guess Who]

Originally Posted by JenniferNash2010

Its not that I can't but wouldnt want to eat those items again. I feel like if I order them and it would sit in front of me flashing 1,400 calories in red neon lights over my head...

I wish all states were like what I hear NYC is, where they all have to put the NI on the menu!

Same here but the flashing lights would be the quality of the ingredients that go into making it. I think of my food not on caloric level but rather a quality level. Shortening is a very cheap ingredient and it disgusts me at the thought of it being in my food. However, it is a key ingredient in cornbread which I love, but only have once in a while. Thinking about the quality of stuff that I am putting in my mouth helps me stay on track to lose weight and stay alive for a pretty good while.

The key is to never feel deprived because you know one day youwill have a hankering for it, so go for it and eat it!

[napalmtree]

I don't want to sound cruel, but this stuff is pretty obvious. Restaurant food is not much healthier than fast food...and in most cases, it's just as bad, if not worse. In many cases, it's because the portions are way too high.

Take the famous 'soup and salad' at the restaurant where I work. Women come in droves for this 'special' (much to the chagrin of the servers, as soup in salad is a pain in the butt to get, since its unlimited, and it's cheap...plus, the people who get it are usually cheap, and so the tip is almost always outrageously too small) and they think they're eating something healthy for them...they're not.

The fact is, the only thing 'healthy' for soup and salad is the minestrone soup. The Zuppa Toscana isn't as bad as the Gnocchi or Fagioli, but it has a ton of carbs. The salad, even with the lowfat dressing, has a ton of calories and fat. Each breadstick is as bad as one snickers bar. Nevermind the women who order Alfredo or meat sauce to dip their bread sticks into.

Our other dishes are just as bad. There are maybe two or three healthy options, and they're marked on the menu.

All restaurants are like this. The reason they only provide the calorie info for low-calorie foods is because they know they would lose business if people saw how many calories were in what they're eating when they finish the plate...but making the entrees healthier would generally make them not taste as good, and so its better for business to simply keep the food artery-busting, while not giving out calorie info.

In the back, at work, we have the entire nutritional information for our menu. Since seeing it, most workers have stopped eating at work, and now bring food in, or make severely modified versions of what's on our menu.

[Aiesline]

good news, within a year all restaurants with more than 20 locations will be required to print calorie content directly on their menu.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...es-menus_N.htm

Some restaurants are complying early. I <3 Panera for this

[ariana419]

I work at Outback(which got a F rating in Eat this not that for not disclosing N.I., which is now available on the online menu.) Most resturaunts will make to order most anything you request. We just started a LITE Style option on our menu and essentially it is taking the butter everything is cooked in out using the lowfat dressing and even better if its on the side. Pick a good protein, a plain veggie option and order a salad dressing on the side without any extras like croutons or sugar coated nuts and you can have a good meal. The idea is to stay away from foods that they alter like adding sauces or cheese. then find out how they prepare such items like grilling in butter or soaking in a salty brine. Most servers(that have any common sense) or a manger or cook can help pick healthy options and if it is a quality resturant they wont mind giving you good suggestions. Cause most of us in the back know where those calories are coming from.

[punkrprincessa]

Originally Posted by newleaf123

What I've been wondering is -- with all the disclosure now of how horribly high calorie so much of this chain food is, are people (generally -- not us who are actively watching) changing their eating habits? Or do they say, "Hey, I'm out to eat. So what if it's got 1600 calories??"

I think people really dont care. They talk about wanting to change, and they make small little choices, but when it comes down to it they order what they want and ignore the fact that their one sandwhich has more calories than I consume in a day.