Fatty foods, a thing of the past? Photo: Gwen Bubbles, Flickr
Two years ago, the authors of
"Eat This, Not That" published a list of the
20 Worst Foods in America. Since then,
half of those unhealthy dishes have either changed their nutritional content drastically or have been taken off the
menu altogether, reports Men's Health (via Today).
Could this be the start of a trend where
restaurants offer menus filled with good-for-you
meals?
Well, that might be stretching it, but it does look like many restaurants are taking lists like the one mentioned above seriously. For example, gone is Ruby Tuesday's Colossal Burger, as well as Baskin-Robins Chocolate Oreo Shake. With books like "Eat This, Not That" on the market, more and more Americans are educating themselves about the
food available at restaurants, and when we know that a meal packs a day's worth of
calories,
fat and
sodium, most of us are not as likely to order it.
Add to that the fact that some areas, such as New York City, Seattle and the state of California, have implemented laws that require restaurants to
disclose nutritional facts on site, and the number of restaurants voluntarily displaying calorie and fat content on their Web sites, and the calorie cautious consumer has plenty of tools to fight the fat.
Of course, in no way does this mean you can go into your favorite restaurant, order whatever you like and end up with a healthful meal. You still need to make smart choices, even if you go to Red Lobster (which, according to "Eat This, Not That" authors, earned an A- this year for its wide selection of lean seafood options -- up from an F- last year for failure to disclose).
The Men's Health article has tips and tricks for ordering the right food when you go out to eat, including avoiding things advertised as crispy and saying, "No," to the combo meal (the average "value" meal packs 1,200 calories). Check out the full article to find out
what to order at Starbucks and which meal won the "Most Improved" award in the 2010 edition of "Eat This, Not That."
Click on the gallery below to see some of the worst choices you can make while eating out.
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Outrageous Fast Food
Domino's BreadBowl Pasta, 3-Cheese Mac-N-Cheese, whole dish
Calories: 1460
Fat: 56 g
Sodium: 2840 mg
You know it's mac and cheese and you know it's surrounded in calorie-loaded carbs, but did you know this deceptive dish counts as two servings? And that's probably why this order puts you near your daily fat allowance and way past the recommended daily salt intake. If you have the willpower -- eat one serving, or half the bowl!
*Note: The nutrition information isn't available on Domino's Web site. AOL Health requested the information from Domino's directly.
Rachel Been, AOL
Getty Images North America
Domino's BreadBowl Pasta, 3-Cheese Mac-N-Cheese, whole dish
Calories: 1460
Fat: 56 g
Sodium: 2840 mg
You know it's mac and cheese and you know it's surrounded in calorie-loaded carbs, but did you know this deceptive dish counts as two servings? And that's probably why this order puts you near your daily fat allowance and way past the recommended daily salt intake. If you have the willpower -- eat one serving, or half the bowl!
*Note: The nutrition information isn't available on Domino's Web site. AOL Health requested the information from Domino's directly.
Rachel Been, AOL
Domino's BreadBowl Pasta, Chicken Alfredo, whole dish
Calories: 1400
Fat: 50 g
Sodium: 2140 mg
If you're craving chicken alfredo, and you happen to be at Domino's, consider ordering their bread-less version. In comparison it contains a lighter 600 calories, 29 fat grams and 1080 mg of sodium.
*Note: The nutrition information isn't available on Domino's Web site. AOL Health requested the information from Domino's directly.
Rachel Been, AOL
Quiznos Tuna Melt, large
Calories: 1760 calories
Fat: 133 g
Sodium:2120 mg
If you want to stick to the government's health guidelines, eat this over the space of two days or you'll go overboard on fat. And hold the dressing on this one -- it'll save you 370 calories and 40 fat grams. Yikes!
Melanie J. Kramer, AOL
Wendy's Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich
Calories: 470
Fat: 24 g
Sodium: 930 mg
Don't let the "premium" and "fish" in the name fool you into thinking this new order is lean. For a truly lighter option from Wendy's try the Grilled Chicken Go Wrap, which contains 260 calories, 11 fat grams and 760 mg of sodium.
Rachel Been, AOL
Ruby Tuesday's Boston Blue Burger
Calories: 1466
Fat: 98 g
Sodium: Not available
This burger contains more than a day and a third's worth of fat grams -- or a fat content equivalent to four meals. It also contains about three-fourths of a day's worth of calories, and who knows what Ruby Tuesday's doesn't want you to know about the sodium content!
*Nutrition Information varies by location.
Keith Morrison, AOL
Dunkin' Donuts Waffle Breakfast Sandwich
Calories: 390
Fat: 23 g
Sodium: 1000 mg
While this bad boy doesn't compare to the train wreck of a breakfast platter from McDonald's (see slide 22), do you really want to eat nearly half a day's worth of sodium for breakfast?
Keith Morrison, AOL
Ruby Tuesday's Veggie Burger
Calories: 1007
Fat: 53 g
Sodium: Not available
Okay, this is a tough one to understand. Store-bought veggie patties like those available from Garden Burger, Boca Burger and Morningstar Farms, usually amount to about 100 calories and 5 grams of fat without any fixings. Which begs the question, just what kind of fixings is Ruby Tuesday's adding in? To be fair, this meat-free version is lower in calories and fat than most of the other burger options available from Ruby Tuesday's.
*Nutrition Information varies by location.
Keith Morrison, AOL
Ruby Tuesday's Kids' Mini Turkey Burgers and Fries
Calories: 873
Fat: 46 g
Sodium: Not available
If you're watching your weight while eating out, you might think that the kid's menu is a safe place to order from. That's not necessarily the case at Ruby Tuesday's. While the kids' minis are certainly lighter than their adult counterparts, they also contain about 70 percent of the fat adults should consume in a day.
Note: Dietary recommendations for calorie, fat and sodium intake are not available.
*Nutrition Information varies by location.
Keith Morrison, AOL
Hardee's Monster Thickburger
Calories: 1420
Fat: 108 g
Sodium: 2770 mg
This monster tops out your daily fat and sodium. Talk about scary!
James A. Finley, AP
Burger King Steakhouse Burger
Calories: 950
Fat: 59 g
Sodium: 1950 mg
This new BK burger packs half the calories and nearly all of the sodium and fat you should have in one day. If you eat it, don't even think about ordering a side of fries. A small order would tack on an extra 340 calories, 17 fat grams and 590 mg of sodium.
Keith Morrison, AOL
Thinking a single meal couldn't be
that bad? One
restaurant was sued over the amount of sodium in its food.
