Restaurant Nutrition Guides Articles & Resources

Which Restaurants Don't Tell All?

What hasn't changed is the paucity of data from the "sit-down and order" chain restaurants, such as .I. Fridays, Outback Steakhouse, and Red Lobster. They can't provide this information, they claim, because their menu changes too frequently, or the menu varies between locations, or the preparation varies between restaurants, etc. Some of their rationale I buy; some I don't.

Where To Find Nutrition Information?

Today the best answer is: the Internet. To find a Web site, just guess (for example, .com or .com). On these sites, nutrition information is usually found near the menu listings. (This wasn't true in 1998 when only a few restaurants had a Web site, let alone nutrition information on it.)

Portions? They're Out Of Control

Portions served in restaurants today start at "large" and from there they go to "extra large" and "jumbo." People are pushed to order and eat more with convincing words, such as "It's a good deal," "super-size," "combo meals," "and all-you can-eat buffets." (Translation: You get to overeat and save money.)

This push to overeat makes your job, as someone trying to control your weight and eat healthfully, very difficult. You'll need to buck the system to eat the amount of food you want to eat. Your creativity and assertiveness skills will help.

Portion Control Tips

* Watch for the words that mean smaller portions, such as small, regular, junior, and petite. Choose these items. Large portions are indicated by the words jumbo, supreme, grande, giant, BIG. Don't order large portions unless you plan to share.

* Split items. Often, one dish is enough for two. Example: You can order one personal pizza and share a salad. This works well for desserts too.

* Share. Order items that complement each other and help you eat more balanced meals. Example: In an Italian restaurant, one person orders pasta and the other a chicken entree.

* Split and share. Example: In a steak house, one person orders a steak, baked potato, and salad and the other orders just a salad. Split the steak and baked potato.

* Choose from salads, appetizers, and soups. Request that one be served as an appetizer (if your dining partners are eating appetizers) and another as a main course.

* Don't forget those take home containers (.a., "doggie bags") for leftovers. Ask for them before your meal is served. A word to the wise--put away your leftovers before you dig in.

Put Your Best Guess Forward

Because nutrition information is not available for all restaurant foods, especially for ethnic fare and independent restaurants, you will need, at times, to put your "best guess" forward. The good news is that most people regularly eat only 25 to 50 different foods and/or meals, including restaurant meals.

Therefore, it makes sense to spend time estimating the nutrient content of the restaurant items you regularly eat if it is otherwise unavailable. Then record the information and keep it with you.

"Handy" Hand Guides To Estimating Portions

* Tip of the thumb (to first knuckle): 1 teaspoon

* Whole thumb: 1 tablespoon

* Palm of your hand: 3 oz (this is the size portion of cooked meat (protein) that most people need at a meal). Other handy estimators of this portion are the size of a deck of regular-sized playing cards or the size of a household bar of soap.

* Tight fist: 1/2 cup

* Loose fist or open handful: 1 cup

Note: These guidelines hold true for most women's hands, but some men's hands are much larger. Check out the size of your hands for yourself with real weighing and measuring equipment.

More Tips

* Have measuring equipment--measuring spoons, cups, and a food scale--at home. Weigh and measure foods regularly as you familiarize yourself with proper portions. Doing this initially and then every so often gets--and keeps--your eyes familiar with portions and helps you estimate portions in restaurants.

* Use the scales in the produce aisle of the supermarket to educate yourself about the servings of food you may be served in a restaurant, such as baked white or sweet potatoes, an ear of corn, or a banana. Weigh individual pieces of these foods.

* If there is no nutrition information for a particular restaurant you frequent, use the information available from similar restaurants. For example, if you want to get a feel for the nutrient content of French fries, a baked potato, stuffing, baked beans, pizza, or bagels, look at the serving size and nutrition information for those foods served in restaurants for which nutrition information is available. Take a few samples and average them out.

* Use the nutrition information from the nutrition facts of foods in the supermarket to estimate what you might eat in a restaurant.

* If you regularly eat particular ethnic foods for which you can find no nutrition information, get a few cookbooks out of the library that contain recipes for the foods you enjoy. Then use a computerized nutrient database or book with nutrition information (see box below) to determine the estimated nutrient content for each ingredient.

Resources

Books

The Diabetes Carbohydrate And Fat Gram Guide, by LeaAnn Holzmeister,RD,CDE. American Diabetes Association, 2nd edition, 2000, 422 pages.

The Doctor's Pocket Calorie, Fat And Carbohydrates Counter, by Allan Borushek. Family Health Publisher, 2000, 286 pages.

Calories And Carbohydrates, by Barbara Kraus. Mass Market Paperback, 14th edition, 2001,462 pages.

The Corinne T. Netzer Carbohydrate Counter, by Corinne T. Netzer, Dell Publishing, 2nd edition, 1998, 486 pages.

Internet

.. This gets you to the Federal Government's Nutrient Databases. You can download these data sets for free.

Hope S. Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, is a nationally recognized dietitian, diabetes educator, and author. Visit her Web site .com. She is the author of Guide To Healthy Restaurant Eating (2nd ed., 2002). She is also the author or co-author of Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy (2nd ed., 2000), The Complete Guide To Carb Counting (2001), and The Diabetes Food And Nutrition Bible (2001). All of these books are published by American Diabetes Association and may be ordered by calling 1-800-ADA-ORDER or on the Association's Web site at .org. (Note that you don't type "www" when going to this address.