Health magazine's best bets at chains

Some of these might surprise you: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/25/hm.restaurants/index.html

They're actually kinda off base with some of their "recommendations." For instance - praising Ruby Tuesday's for offering a veggie burger and a turkey burger. The real facts? Their turkey burger has 812 calories and 45 g fat; their veggie burger has 953 calories and 52 g fat. Not healthy by any stretch of the imagination. And just because a restaurant uses trans-fat-free oils doesn't make them "healthy" - they're still going to drench a lot of their dishes in it, and that's not good for you any way you look at it. You also have to be aware of "grilled" chicken and vegetables, which are often basted with butter or olive oil to prevent sticking and add flavor - but which also adds calories and fat to something that sounds "good for you."

The best bet?
*Order salad with low-fat/fat-free dressing on the side or with oil and vinegar that you can add yourself. Watch out for high-calorie toppings often added to salads - cheese, fried tortilla strips, bacon, etc.
*Order grilled chicken with no extra butter or oil, or no mayo/dressing if it's a sandwich
*Wraps can be good as long as they're not bathed in ranch dressing/honey mustard/mayo sauce
*Get your steamed veggies with no extra butter
*Opt for baked sweet potato instead of a baked white potato - and skip the butter
*Stir-fries are done with a minimum of oil, and are often a healthy choice
*Skip any complementary bread and butter because it adds up quickly
*Take advantage of soup/salad bars - i.e. Ruby Tuesday's - broth based soups are best, stay away from creamy soups
*Feel free to ask what actually goes into your dish - any restaurant that cares about the customer will be more than happy to tell you, and then you can ask for less or none of the "heavy" stuff - cream sauces, cheeses, fried toppings, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by angeltearsmc

They're actually kinda off base with some of their "recommendations." For instance - praising Ruby Tuesday's for offering a veggie burger and a turkey burger. The real facts? Their turkey burger has 812 calories and 45 g fat; their veggie burger has 953 calories and 52 g fat. Not healthy by any stretch of the imagination. And just because a restaurant uses trans-fat-free oils doesn't make them "healthy" - they're still going to drench a lot of their dishes in it, and that's not good for you any way you look at it.

I agree. Ruby Tuesday's is a nutritional disaster. If you are interested in your health, you shouldn't be patronizing a restaurant that serves a 1,000 calorie veggie burger and a 2,700 calorie appetizer.

Well, that doesn't sound like simple, fresh, american dining.

What happened? Did the two writers get together at a Ruby Tuesday's to write the article over a meal, but both left their money at home? How else can you explain them praising Ruby Tuesday's for using hormone-free chicken? You can't feed chickens hormones; against federal regulations.