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Restaurant diners run up hefty tab of fat, calories
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
The folks who told us that fettuccine Alfredo is a "heart attack on a plate" and movie popcorn is the "Godzilla" of snacks have analyzed the fat and calorie content of hundreds of restaurant foods.
This time, nutritionists with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington-D.C. based consumer group, say:
A Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha (venti, 20 ounces) made with whole milk and whipped cream has 600 calories, about the same as a McDonald's Big Mac.
A steakhouse appetizer of more than 1 pound of French fries smothered in cheese, sprinkled with crumbled bacon and dipped in ranch dressing has 3,010 calories, more than most people need for the day.
Nine fried mozzarella sticks have 830 calories and 51 grams of fat. "You might as well sit down and eat a half-stick of butter," the nutritionists say.
CSPI's executive director Michael Jacobson and senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley have taken an in-depth look at the calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium in a variety of restaurant foods and published their findings in a new book, Re staurant Confidential (Workman Publishing, $12.95).
The "magnitude of the fat and calories" in some of the foods surprised even them, Hurley says. "Yes, we knew a pecan roll wasn't good, but we didn't know how bad it was," she says. A Cinnabon Caramel Pecanbon has 890 calories.
The fat and calories in restaurant foods are playing havoc with Americans' waistlines, the authors say. It used to be that eating out was a treat, but now Americans are getting about one-third of their calories away from home, Jacobson says. As dining out has become more routine, obesity rates have skyrocketed, he says.
"The fact is that most restaurants serve huge portions, and the food is loaded with fat, calories and sodium," he says. "If you are going to eat out, you need to search around the corners of the menu to see if you can construct a meal that's reasonably healthy."
CSPI nutritionists spent nine years and several hundred thousand dollars analyzing about 250 menu items. Some of the dishes are composites of meals they gathered from several restaurants, including national chains, in different cities. They collected nutritional information from restaurant chains and fast-food outlets. They examined family-style, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Greek, seafood, steakhouses, pizzerias and fast food. They also looked at mall food, drinks and movie snacks.
Some people have criticized CSPI's research methodology of using composite samples, but the group defends its work, saying this is the best information on restaurant food that's out there.
Some facts the food detectives uncovered:
Appetizers, in general, are some of the worst things you can order, Hurley says. "Instead of whetting your appetite, they bludgeon it.
"The cheese fries are the worst food we've ever analyzed. It's like starting your meal with two T-bone steak dinners with Caesar salads and baked potatoes with butter," she says.
A batter-dipped, deep-fried whole onion (like the Bloomin' Onion at Outback Steakhouse and Texas Rose at the Lone Star Steakhouse) served with dipping sauce has 2,130 calories and 163 grams of fat. The average person needs about 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day, they point out.
An order of Kung Pao chicken, diced stir-fried chicken with peanuts in hot pepper sauce, has 1,620 calories and 76 grams of fat.
An order of fettuccine Alfredo contains 1,500 calories and 97 grams of fat.
It's hard to go to the mall and find a snack that's less than 500 calories, Hurley says. A 7 -ounce Cinnabon has 670 calories; a Dunkin' Donuts blueberry muffin, 490 calories. Even Auntie Anne's pretzels, some of the better choices, have 300 to 500 calories, she says.
The size of fast-food French fries has gotten bigger and higher in calories, Hurley says. An order of Burger King king-sized fries (6 ounces) has 600 calories and 30 grams of fat; McDonald's super-size French fries (7 ounces), 610 calories and 29 grams of fat.
Some restaurant industry observers have worried about the impact this information will have on diners.
"I don't think making people feel bad about what they eat is going to convince people to lead healthier lifestyles," says Sheila Cohn, nutrition coordinator for the National Restaurant Association. "I believe all foods can fit into a healthy diet when they're eaten in moderation."
Hurley says that just about every restaurant offers unique and healthy choices. For instance:
The Olive Garden has several lower-fat Garden Fare entrees, such as Chicken Giardino (460 calories) or Linguine alla Marinara (450 calories).
Wendy's has new Garden Sensation Salads with ingredients such as mandarin oranges, roasted almonds and super-sweet grape tomatoes.
McDonald's offers a Fruit 'n Yogurt parfait with granola, 380 calories.
Subway offers several 6-inch subs with seven grams of fat or less. You also can get a decent tuna salad at Subway because it's made with light mayo, Hurley says. A regular tuna salad sandwich can add up to 700 calories because of the full-fat mayo, she says.
"We're hoping a lot of people will use this information to choose healthier dishes when they eat out," Jacobson says. "And we're hoping that restaurateurs will make it easier for people by providing healthier items and providing more nutrition information on the menu."
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
The folks who told us that fettuccine Alfredo is a "heart attack on a plate" and movie popcorn is the "Godzilla" of snacks have analyzed the fat and calorie content of hundreds of restaurant foods.
This time, nutritionists with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington-D.C. based consumer group, say:
A Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha (venti, 20 ounces) made with whole milk and whipped cream has 600 calories, about the same as a McDonald's Big Mac.
A steakhouse appetizer of more than 1 pound of French fries smothered in cheese, sprinkled with crumbled bacon and dipped in ranch dressing has 3,010 calories, more than most people need for the day.
Nine fried mozzarella sticks have 830 calories and 51 grams of fat. "You might as well sit down and eat a half-stick of butter," the nutritionists say.
CSPI's executive director Michael Jacobson and senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley have taken an in-depth look at the calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium in a variety of restaurant foods and published their findings in a new book, Re staurant Confidential (Workman Publishing, $12.95).
The "magnitude of the fat and calories" in some of the foods surprised even them, Hurley says. "Yes, we knew a pecan roll wasn't good, but we didn't know how bad it was," she says. A Cinnabon Caramel Pecanbon has 890 calories.
The fat and calories in restaurant foods are playing havoc with Americans' waistlines, the authors say. It used to be that eating out was a treat, but now Americans are getting about one-third of their calories away from home, Jacobson says. As dining out has become more routine, obesity rates have skyrocketed, he says.
"The fact is that most restaurants serve huge portions, and the food is loaded with fat, calories and sodium," he says. "If you are going to eat out, you need to search around the corners of the menu to see if you can construct a meal that's reasonably healthy."
CSPI nutritionists spent nine years and several hundred thousand dollars analyzing about 250 menu items. Some of the dishes are composites of meals they gathered from several restaurants, including national chains, in different cities. They collected nutritional information from restaurant chains and fast-food outlets. They examined family-style, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Greek, seafood, steakhouses, pizzerias and fast food. They also looked at mall food, drinks and movie snacks.
Some people have criticized CSPI's research methodology of using composite samples, but the group defends its work, saying this is the best information on restaurant food that's out there.
Some facts the food detectives uncovered:
Appetizers, in general, are some of the worst things you can order, Hurley says. "Instead of whetting your appetite, they bludgeon it.
"The cheese fries are the worst food we've ever analyzed. It's like starting your meal with two T-bone steak dinners with Caesar salads and baked potatoes with butter," she says.
A batter-dipped, deep-fried whole onion (like the Bloomin' Onion at Outback Steakhouse and Texas Rose at the Lone Star Steakhouse) served with dipping sauce has 2,130 calories and 163 grams of fat. The average person needs about 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day, they point out.
An order of Kung Pao chicken, diced stir-fried chicken with peanuts in hot pepper sauce, has 1,620 calories and 76 grams of fat.
An order of fettuccine Alfredo contains 1,500 calories and 97 grams of fat.
It's hard to go to the mall and find a snack that's less than 500 calories, Hurley says. A 7 -ounce Cinnabon has 670 calories; a Dunkin' Donuts blueberry muffin, 490 calories. Even Auntie Anne's pretzels, some of the better choices, have 300 to 500 calories, she says.
The size of fast-food French fries has gotten bigger and higher in calories, Hurley says. An order of Burger King king-sized fries (6 ounces) has 600 calories and 30 grams of fat; McDonald's super-size French fries (7 ounces), 610 calories and 29 grams of fat.
Some restaurant industry observers have worried about the impact this information will have on diners.
"I don't think making people feel bad about what they eat is going to convince people to lead healthier lifestyles," says Sheila Cohn, nutrition coordinator for the National Restaurant Association. "I believe all foods can fit into a healthy diet when they're eaten in moderation."
Hurley says that just about every restaurant offers unique and healthy choices. For instance:
The Olive Garden has several lower-fat Garden Fare entrees, such as Chicken Giardino (460 calories) or Linguine alla Marinara (450 calories).
Wendy's has new Garden Sensation Salads with ingredients such as mandarin oranges, roasted almonds and super-sweet grape tomatoes.
McDonald's offers a Fruit 'n Yogurt parfait with granola, 380 calories.
Subway offers several 6-inch subs with seven grams of fat or less. You also can get a decent tuna salad at Subway because it's made with light mayo, Hurley says. A regular tuna salad sandwich can add up to 700 calories because of the full-fat mayo, she says.
"We're hoping a lot of people will use this information to choose healthier dishes when they eat out," Jacobson says. "And we're hoping that restaurateurs will make it easier for people by providing healthier items and providing more nutrition information on the menu."
