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Uno Is America's Healthiest Chain?

FitSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:30:00 -0700

Health magazine just unveiled a big feature on the healthiest restaurants in the US, which breaks down eateries by category, including sit-down chains, fast food, and independent restaurants. The magazine studied 43 chains (each with at least 75 locations) and ranked them based on the nutritional information provided.

It sounded intriguing, until I started perusing the list and found many of the choices downright puzzling: Uno Chicago Grill, known for its deep-dish pizza, is the first restaurant on the list of sit-down chains. Health lays out its reasons, but I'm still not sure I agree. To see the reasons and the rest of the list,

Healthier Fare or Big Burger: Which Do You REALLY Choose?

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 07:30:00 -0700

A recent report on CNNMoney has found conflicting reports because the media claims that we (as consumers) are looking for healthier fare in restaurants, but the restaurants claim we are actually consuming the big, juicy burger. Hum...I figured why not ask you guys, and be honest! Even though you say you're trying to eat healthier, do you just end up ordering a big burger anyway?Source

Healthier Fare or Big Burger: Which Do You REALLY Choose?

Healthier Food

Burger

Other - Tell us below

Which Menu Item has the Least Calories?

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:00:00 -0700

A recent article from Reuters has found that when given a quiz on the healthiest menu options at popular restaurants, without having the nutritional information visible, we aren't able to make the healthiest choice. There were only four questions and none of the respondents answered all four questions correctly, 68 percent failed all of them and less than 1 percent answered three of four questions correctly. Curious if you could get the first question right? Then take the quiz.

Trying to Lose Weight? Tips for Eating Out

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Going out to dinner with friends can be so much fun, that is unless you're watching your weight. Menus are full of such tempting foods, and most of the time you end up eating more than you would at home. Plus butter is often the secret ingredient. Here are some tips so you can stick to that healthy diet of yours, and enjoy eating out as well.

Have a healthy snack before you eat - If you get to the restaurant and you're starving, you'll be more likely to order a lot of food, or devour the entire bread basket.

Think of one entrée as two - When your dinner arrives, ask for a take-out container so you can pack half away for tomorrow's lunch. If you wait to get the container until after you eat, you'll be more likely to finish off the dish. (When food is in front of you, you're more likely to eat it.)
Order with a friend - Sharing an entrée with someone else will cut your calories in half, so you can savor the taste, but not overeat.
Order a big salad for your meal - Most restaurants offer humongous salads filled with fresh veggies, delicate field greens, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, and grilled chicken. A big salad will fill you up, and they're filled with healthy stuff. Oh, and be sure to ask for the dressing on the side. Request vinaigrettes rather than creamy dressings.
Order a smaller meal - Either order an appetizer or a small entrée. They're usually big enough to fill you up.

Want to see the other great tips? Then

World Water Day: $1 for Water in NYC

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Tomorrow is the U.N. World Water Day, which is in place to help spread awareness of a global health issue that not everyone has clean, safe drinking water available to them. A few hundred NYC eateries are getting on board to help spread the awareness too.

Diners at 225 restaurants around the city will be asked to pay $1 for the tap water that arrives with their meal. Since many of us take the availability of drinking water for granted, as it is free and readily available; $1 is something small we can all do. The money raised will be donated to UNICEF's Tap Project, an initiative aimed at bringing fresh, safe water to the children of the developing world. If you live in NYC and you're going to be eating out tomorrow, get water instead of a coke. You'll be taking in way less calories and you're helping to support a good cause.

Don't live in NYC? There are many other ways to support the cause and provide funds for getting safe drinking water around the globe. My personal favorite is Charityis.org, where 100 percent of your donation goes to freshwater well projects in Africa and just $20 can provide clean water to someone who needs it for 15 years.

Should Restaurants Indicate Unhealthy Menu Choices?

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:25:17 -0800

Some chain restaurants have dishes that pack in at least a day's worth of calories and fat, without giving customers the facts about what they are ordering. For example: Did you know that Ruby Tuesday's offers an entree called Fresh Chicken & Broccoli Pasta that tips the scales at 2,060 calories and 128 grams of fat? [GASP] Or did you know that one slice of The Cheesecake Factory's Chris's Outrageous Chocolate Cake has a whooping 1,380 calories? Or that an order of Uno's Chicago Grill’s Pizza Skins (yup, pizza skins) has about 2,050 calories and 48 grams of saturated fat. Now keep in mind that the average daily calorie requirement is about 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.This whole thing got me thinking -- Since we've been talking so much about restaurants keeping us informed about the nutritional content of menu items so we know what is healthy to eat, what do you think about them letting us know what is NOT healthy to eat?

Should Restaurants Indicate Unhealthy Menu Choices?

Great idea! I definitely would want to know if I were ordering the unhealthiest thing on the menu.

Bad idea! As long as the healthy items are listed, who cares about the unhealthy items.

Undecided.

Other. Tell us Below!

Ditching Trans Fat: The Benefits Exceed the Cost

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:30:00 -0800

We're all excited about about how many cities, states and companies are banning trans fats, but how are they going to deliver the same beloved French Fries and fried chicken that so many of their customers crave?

This Chicago restaurant owner, Ina Pinkney, might have paved the way - she eliminated trans fat from her menu a few years ago, and made the switch to Canola oil. She says that going trans fat free was a recipe for success.

She feared that the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils used in her foods were endangering her customers' health. Using Canola oil is not only healthier for her customers, but it's cheaper for her - she says it cooks so much better, so she uses less oil.

The oil's "fry life" and taste are virtually the same, but Canola oil is about 30% more expensive than partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. That's why a lot of restaurant owners are reluctant to make the switch. They just need to talk to Ina since she thinks it is cost beneficial.

But in the end switching over to Canola oil will prove beneficial because if patrons know the food is healthier, they'll probably be eating it more often (and MORE of it).

Healthy Dining Finder Online

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 17:30:00 -0800

If you're like me you love to eat out but you sometimes have a hard time staying healthy while doing it.

That is why I was pleased when I stumbled across a great new site called Healthy Dining Finder. This site allows you to search by location for restaurants in your area. Then you can look at the list of restaurants and see what items have been selected as the healthiest item choices on the menu. It really helps to take the guesswork out of dining out.

It's great because Healthy Dining's staff of registered dietitians and health/nutrition professionals consult with each restaurant to find menu items that meet their high level of nutrition criteria which are based on recommendations of leading health organizations.

As of now the site still seems to be building its restaurant database but it is growing fast and you will still get decent results so visit HealthyDiningFinder.com to search restaurants near you.