Don't believe everything you read--especially if it's a health claim on a chain restaurant's menu. See, restaurants often add supposedly healthy options because they believe there's a market for them--not because they actually care about your health. A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the majority of restaurant menu developers care more about sales, profits, and demand than they do about health and nutrition. In fact, only 21% of the people surveyed noted health and nutrition as important at all.
Still, though, there's been a renewed interest in healthy eating in the past few years--thanks in part to the enormous success of the Eat This, Not That! series--and certain restaurants have tried to cash in on it. Take a close look at chain restaurant menus, and you'll glimpse the occasional section devoted to supposedly "healthy" fare. Chili's calls this section "Guiltless Grills;" Smoothie King designates certain smoothies as "Slim N Trim" options; and both Ruby Tuesday and Dunkin Donuts highlight their fitter fare as "Smart." But are these special items really guiltless, trim, or the healthiest on the menu?
In the latest book, Eat This, Not That! The Best (& Worst!) Foods in America! we dissect these special sections to distinguish the truly healthy from the marketing hype.
Healthy Eating at... CHILI'S
The Claim: Guiltless Grills
The Truth: There's only one item on this list that tops 500 calories, and even that only reaches 610. If calories were the only factor that mattered, we'd say that you can feel free to order from the Guiltless Grill with reckless abandon. Unfortunately, restaurants often make up for low-fat, low-calorie taste deficiencies by overloading their plates with sodium. Only three dishes on the Guiltless Grill contain less than 1,000 milligrams of the blood-pressure-spiking stuff, meaning order the wrong item from this list, and you risk ingesting over half a day's salt in one sitting.
The Verdict: The only three items on this list that you can truly order without a touch of guilt are the Salmon, the Honey-Mustard Glazed Salmon, and the Tilapia. We hope you like fish.
Healthy Eating at... COLD STONE CREAMERY
The Claim: Sinless Shakes
The Truth: Each of these "sinless" shakes comes with at least 490 calories and 52 grams of sugar. Inexplicably, one even comes with half a day's worth of sodium. To be fair, these shakes look practically angelic next to Cold Stone's regular, more sinful shake lineup, but that doesn't make them healthy choices.
The Verdict: Avoid the heavy-hitting Cake N Shake, and only order the "small," which is still 16 ounces, or twice the size of a normal beverage serving. Keep yourself honest and split one with a friend. (RELATED: SLIDESHOW: 20 Worst Drinks in America. Cold Stone is home to the absolute WORST.)
Healthy Eating at... COSI
The Claim: Light
The Truth: All salads and sandwiches classified as "light" are less than 563 calories, making them all perfectly reasonable lunches. Cosi also does a good job keeping the sodium down--only two top 1,000 milligrams of the stuff. A word of warning about the salads, though: Except for the Bombay Chicken Light Salad, they're all big enough to be considered meals unto themselves.
The Verdict: If you're eating lunch at Cosi, stick to these special menu items. The Cosi Cobb Salad Light should help explain why: Even though it's supposed to be "light," it's still 519 calories. What does that tell you about a "regular"? (RELATED: The Worst Salads in America 2009. See what other "regular" salads will sink your diet.)
Healthy Eating at... DUNKIN DONUTS
The Claim: DDSmart
The Truth: Dunkin assigns the DDSmart label to products that stack up well ... against other Dunkin products. Consider the reduced fat blueberry muffin, for example. It does indeed have 25% less fat than the regular blueberry muffin, but it still packs 450 calories (more than a McDonald's cheeseburger) and 45 grams of sugar (the equivalent of 6 Rainbow Popsicles). It may be reduced fat, but it's still a cupcake in disguise.
The Verdict: Stick with the eggs--although, while the flatbread sandwiches are good, they might not be filling enough, so consider an upgrade to the egg sandwich on an English muffin. More important: Avoid the processed carbs at all costs. A little secret about Dunkin is that their muffins actually have more calories than all but three of their doughnuts--and even though they contain "blueberries," they're actually more nutritionally costly.
Healthy Eating at... ROMANO'S MACARONI GRILL
The Claim: Mediterranean Grill and Amore de la Grill
The Truth: Just because it's inspired by the Mediterranean doesn't mean it's part of the Mediterranean diet. There's only one item that tops 1,000 calories, so you're safe in terms of weight-gain. However, Mac Grill is notorious for using an exorbitant amount of sodium, and these supposedly healthier sections are no exception to that rule. The Grilled Pork Chops are by far the worst offenders: They come with 4,040 milligrams of sodium, or the equivalent you'd find in 11 and a half large orders of McDonald's French Fries. (That's nearly two days' worth of salt!)
The Verdict: Stick to the Mediterranean Grill, and only order the Simple Salmon from the Amore de la Grill section. The Bistecca Fillet is probably your best bet--450 calories and 880 milligrams of sodium makes it a solid meal that'll fill you up but won't dehydrate you or send your blood pressure soaring. (RELATED: SLIDESHOW: The 30 Worst Foods in America. A certain dessert from Mac Grill makes an appearance at number 12.)
Healthy Eating at... SUBWAY
The Claim: 6 Grams of Fat or Less
The Truth: It's true! All sandwiches with this designation do have less than 6 grams of fat. The 6-inchers are also all under 380 calories. Even the sodium content is within reason (to some extent--some flirt with the 1,300-milligram mark).
The Verdict: Watch out for 12-inchers that boast "low fat." They're lower in fat than regular sandwiches, but that's still a foot of bread (and carbohydrates) you're ingesting, which isn't going to do your waistline any favors. Your best bets are the 6" Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich, 6" Roast Beef, or 6" Veggie Delite.
Eye-opening, isn't it? That's why we've analyzed menus from 6 more restaurants: Learn the other secrets about "healthy" restaurant items here.
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