Menu Labeling Will Help Only the Already Motivated

What's on the Menu?
jenny downing / CC BY 2.0

I thought since the calorie information was posted right next to the cheesecakes on display at the Cheesecake Factory, that the calorie and saturated fat would be posted right there on the menu next to the item I was considering. Right? Wrong. You have to ask for the "nutritional guide" which is separate from the actual menu. And at the Claim Jumper, another restaurant chain that is providing nutrition information in my state, the nutrition information is at the back of the "saloon guide."

Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm happy it's there. I'm just thinking you really have to be motivated to (1) find the numbers, and then(2) consider them when making your selections. When people are eating at restaurants, they tend to be in a "splurge" mode and many of the people that tend to go to fast food chains, I'm guessing, just aren't as motivated or interested in this thing called nutrition. They might be largely focused on getting the most food for their three dollars.

Apparently, a provision requiring chain restaurants to post calories on their menus is one of the items buried in the nearly 2,000-page health reform bill recently passed by the House. Well a few studies have been done to assess what impact New York City's menu-labeling legislation, which took effect last year, has had on its citizens. The results were largely unimpressive. I suspect you are going to have a small segment of the population who appreciates and uses the nutrition information and a larger portion that just isn't interested or doesn't care about the nutrition information. They came for the food, not the nutrition information.

My guess is restaurant goers might be more motivated to consider the information compared to a fast food customer who is perhaps more motivated by getting the most food for their dollar or had already decided which fast food favorite they were getting before they even bellied up to the counter.

Are you more likely to consider the calorie and saturated fat information when eating a restaurant versus a fast food?

Related Topics:

• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

Don't Run Out for Fast Food - Look In Your Freezer!

Looking for something quick that you can pop in the microwave or toaster oven? Save time, gas and money by looking in your freezer. Of course you actually need to stock your freezer with some tasty but light options. Luckily I've got some suggestions for you.

Mexican Cuisine Quick Meals

• Chicken Taquitos (Whole Kitchen brand available at Whole Foods)5 Taquitos = 180 calories, 9 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 230 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 17.5 percent.



• Black Bean & Cheese Taquitos (Trader Jose's brand)
  4 Taquitos = 310 calories, 12 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 180 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 32 percent.



• Black Bean & Corn Enchilada (Trader Jose's brand)
  2 enchiladas = 260 calories, 8 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 460 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 28 percent.

Asian Cuisine Quick Meals

• Vegan Pad Thai with Tofu (Trader Joe's brand)
  1 bowl (312 grams) = 600 calories, 18 g protein, 114 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 840 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 10.5 percent.

Pizza Pocket Quick Meals

• Amy's Cheese Pizza Pocket Sandwich
  1 pocket = 310 calories, 14 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 10 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 450 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 29 percent.


• Lean Pockets come in several flavors but here's the most popular:
  1 Pepperoni Pizza Lean Pocket = 280 calories, 13 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 630 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 26 percent. (And 25% Daily Value for calcium.)

Quick Snacks

• People love those convenient frozen bite-size pizza rolls but they can be high in fat, saturated fat and trans fat. Bagel Bites are a better quick snack choice.


• Weight Watchers Smart Ones Vegetable Pizza Minis
  4 pieces (141 grams) = 270 calories, 11 g protein, 41 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 6 g fiber, 470 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 23 percent. (And 20% Daily Value for calcium.)

Related Topics:

• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

Taste Test Tuesday: Wendy's Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich

If you watch even a small amount of television you have probably seen commercials for the Wendy's new Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich. They tout this as a fish sandwich that's a cut above the rest - but is it?

First of all, I was very disappointed that this sandwich wasn't served on a whole grain bun. Doesn't that make total sense? You are serving fish, albeit breaded and fried...why wouldn't a healthful alternative to red meat be served with whole grain?

Okay, so I had to get past that and ordered the sandwich without tartar sauce, but added tomato and onion. This decreases the calories by 100 and the fat grams by 12 and increases the vitamin A and vitamin C content of the sandwich (6% Daily Value each).

Each sandwich ordered without tartar sauce and with tomato and onion contains:
370 calories, 12 grams fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 780 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, and 17 g protein.

How did it taste? I really like fish sandwiches and this one was one of the best-tasting fast food versions I've had. If you think you would like some sort of condiment, you could always opt for catsup. Ask for dill pickles on your sandwich if that's the flavor you are going for. And if you insist on doing the tarter sauce thing, you can always wipe most of it off and only keep a scant amount on the bun.

Related Topics:

• 21 Healthier Fast-Food Meals
• What to Know About Omega-3s and Fish
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox!

Taste Test Tuesday: Moist and Lean Grilled Chicken Strips at Fast Food!

If you have a craving for lean but moist grilled chicken and you happen to be cruising by a Jack in the Box, fear not! You can order grilled chicken strips (4 strips) from Jack in the Box and they actually taste terrific.

With this blog in mind, I bought an order of the grilled chicken strips, tasted one of the strips right away (YUM!), and then used the other 3 strips to make chicken Caesar pitas for my daughters' lunches the next day. Both daughters commented on how tasty and moist the chicken was.

Each order of 4 strips contains:

180 calories
37 grams protein
3 grams carbohydrate
2 grams fat (10% calories from fat)
.5 g saturated fat
125 mg cholesterol
700 mg sodium

It's nice to know there is now a healthier choice to items like crispy chicken strips or curly fries!

Related Topics:

• 21 Healthier Fast-Food Meals
• Top 11 Reasons for Fast Food's Popularity

YUM Thinks Outside the Bun

Some fast food chains REALLY do think outside the bun!

YUM Brands, parent company to Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silver, A&W, and Pizza Hut, announced that it will add calorie counts to their indoor menu boards. It's not grams of fat or trans fat, but it is a start and perhaps it's the nutrition information that many people want most.

Michael F. Jacobson, Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, hopes that this "bold" move by YUM Brands encourages other major chains like McDonald's, Starbucks, Applebee's, to follow suit.

Hopefully it's just a matter of time for the others as several major cities (New York City, Portland, Ore., and San Francisco) and one state (guess which one - California) have recently passed laws requiring certain nutrition information on menus.

It will be hard to ignore the fact that certain items are shockingly high in calories (like KFC's pot pie). But perhaps the people who don't want to know or be reminded of this fact, will simply not look up.

Will you look up?

Related Topics:

• Healthy Fast Food for Kids a Tall Order?
• 21 Healthier Fast-Food Meals

Typical Fast Food Seems to Make Us Eat More

Does Changing Portion Size and How Fast Food is Eaten Discourage Gorging? A new study sheds some light.

Eating large amounts of food at a rapid rate is defined as "gorging." This sounds rather close to another certain -ing word (usually attached to the word-purging) and that word is "binging."

No matter what you call it, eating large amounts of food at a rapid rate is not a healthy thing. You want to eat in a slow and mindful way so food is enjoyed and your brain is aware of the eating process and is given time to tell your stomach when it is comfortable and satisfied. No good can come from eating large amounts of food fast. Not only are we likely to take in excessive amounts of calories but I worry about the mental ramifications after someone eats large amounts of food fast-their possible "guilt" and feeling bad about themselves, not to mention possible temptation to purge after these times (which opens the door to eating disorders and all that that includes).

Well, a new study from the Children's Hospital in Boston, used teens age 13 to 17 years and exposed them to three types of fast food meals (all including chicken nuggets, french fries, and cola). Once, lot of fast food was served to them at one time. Another time, a lot of fast food was served in smaller portions but almost at the same time, and a third time where a lot of fast food was served in smaller portions over 15 minute intervals. They looked at how many calories were consumed by the teens in these three situations.

It didn't seem to matter how the large amount of fast food was served, the teens still ate about half of their daily calorie needs in that one meal. The researchers suggested that certain factors related to fast food may be promoting excessive calorie intake:

* fast food being low in fiber
* high in palatability
* high in calorie density
* high in fat content
* and high in sugar in liquid form

My suggestion is to choose fast food options high in fiber (it exists!) that have a lower calorie density and a lower fat content and completely avoid sugar in liquid form. This means choosing fast food restaurants that have these types of offerings.


~~Elaine

Related Topics: Teens and Binge Eating, Fast Food Tips

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