Being on a very popular diet plan can really open your eyes to things that you thought were healthy. Everyone knows that eating at home is the best way to control what goes in your mouth. You control the ingredients, how they are prepared, and your portion size. You don't have that same benefit in a restaurant. So, you go out to eat and think, I'll just order a salad. That's the healthy choice, right? Not always.
I am in no way picking on one restaurant chain. However, I wanted to show you guys just how bad a salad can really be. I chose Chili's, as my husband and I were planning to eat there tonight. Everyone I know has been raving about this Quesadilla Explosion Salad. I wanted to try it out. I went to their website to see if the nutritional information was available for their menu items. I have included the link here: Chili's so you can see for yourself. The salad is listed on the bottom left of the first page. Quesadilla Explosion Salad as served 1400 calories, 88 G of fat, 90 carbs, and 2370 MG of sodium! On the top right of the first page, The House Salad with no dressing as served 100 calories, 3 G of fat, 17 carbs, 135 MG of sodium. To say the least, I hit the floor when I read about both of these salads. If you continue to the last page, you can see the nutritional information on their salad dressings. It's heartbreaking, to say the least.
So how do you avoid eating the wrong thing when dining out? Plan ahead. Most restaurant chains have their nutritional information listed on their website. I also recommend checking out The Daily Plate. This website is a great resource tool for dieters. It has nutritional information on a lot of restaurants and food in general. If you do your homework before you go, you will have the confidence that you are ordering the healthiest choice for yourself. Don't be afraid to ask questions about the portion size or nutritional information when you arrive at the restaurant. Most servers I have encountered have to ask, but they will check for you. If you still want a salad, bring your own dressing, and ask the server to hold the cheese and croutons. It's little tricks like this that will allow you to enjoy dining out without the guilt!
7 comments:
My favorite salad at O'Charleys has over 2000 calories! I was shocked when I found that out. I appreciate he places that indicate "low cal" meal options on the menu now. You can definitely do things like order dressing on the side to help make it a little healthier.
Son-of-a... just when I thought salad was safe!
Thanks so much for the heads up Steph...:) This is exactly the kinds of things you need to be aware of!
how funny that you posted this today! i had a huuuge salad yesterday for lunch, and i had it loaded with tons of veggies and beans-- but no cheese, no croutons, and i had the dressing put on the side.
Salads are supposed to be safe. I was told by a guy that has worked in several restaurants that the majority of them soak their salad greens in sugar water to make them taste better! Makes me sad.
Quesadilla EXPLOSION! Sorry, that just sounds funny. I would probably expect that to not be that healthy. One trick I've learned to do while eating salads is to get your dressing in a little cup and for optimum flavor without all the calores, dip your fork in the cup of dressing, then stab the greens. That way, you'll get all the taste without having to drench your salad in fattening dressing. If you're anything like me, ranch dressing is a must on salads!
This is another website that can help you make better food choices when eating out. http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home It breaks down the best restaurants and the best options at each restaurant.
My fav salad EVER:
Calories (%DV based on daily intake of 2,000 kcal) 1,100 kcal 55%
Calories from Fat 774 kcal 430%
Kilojoules 4,602.4 kj
Pts (by CL, not official Weight Watchers POINTS; italics if no fiber) 28.5
Total Fat (DRI 65 g) 86 g 132.3%
It's not even really a salad.... I might as well have a big mac.
Post a Comment