Food Facts that Restaurants Hide from You - Freeze-Frame Radio

garougal · Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult

Food Facts that Restaurants Hide from You

garougal · Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult

The full article...

16 Secrets the Restaurant Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
By David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding. Additional research by Lauren Murrow

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that the only nutritional information it provides is for its Tangy Tomato Dressing. When we contacted the company, a spokesperson claimed, "Ninety percent of our meals are prepared by hand ... Any analysis would be difficult to measure consistently." Yet no fewer than 45 national chain restaurants do just that. (Hey, in case you were wondering, an order of Outback's Aussie Cheese Fries has 2,900 calories, and its Ayers Rock Strip has 60 grams of fat.)

APPLEBEE'S

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that many of its "low-fat" items have more than 500 calories. (In fact, its low-fat chicken quesadillas have 742 calories and 90 grams of carbohydrates per order.)

IHOP

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that its Omelette Feast has 1,335 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat. (By the time you finish eating this behemoth breakfast, you'll have consumed 150 percent of your daily fat requirement and 300 percent of your suggested cholesterol intake.) Said IHOP's director of communications, "We do not maintain nutritional data on our menu items, so I am unable to assist you."

RED ROBIN

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW the nutritional impact of its gourmet burgers. "A gourmet burger starts by being an honest burger," Red Robin's Web site declaresbut not, apparently, a burger that will come clean about its nutrition facts. When contacted, Red Robin's senior vice president responded that nutritional information for the menu would be available in October 2007. As of November, however, nutrition facts were still not posted on the site. Another public-relations representative e-mailed us to request this: "As this information is not yet public, can you please confirm that this will not be leaked?" Uh, no.

HOOTERS

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW anything about what's in its food. Although chains such as Chili's and Uno Chicago Grill divulge the thousands of calories in their chicken wings, Hooters blames its nutritional-disclosure negligence on its expansive menu, which contains about 25 entrées: "Because of the millions of combinations available and our desire to frequently give you new menu options, it is impossible to provide accurate nutritional data," responded a PR representative. Our own investigation revealed that the chain's wing sauce (which consists primarily of butter, sweet cream, and partially hydrogenated margarine) also contains such unappetizing additives as maltodextrin, propylene glycol alginate, xanthan gum, calcium disodium EDTA, and potassium sorbate. (Not being able to tell what's natural and what's enhanced has always been a problem for us at Hooters.)

ARBY'S

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that the FDA has no definition of "all natural." Thus, chains like Arby's can say they serve "100 percent all-natural chicken," despite using artificial flavoring. Even worse, the "all-natural" smoothies at chains across the country may contain high-fructose corn syrup.

FUDDRUCKERS
...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW the fat content of its 1-pound burgers. We contacted our local Fuddruckers restaurant and were told that the nutritional information was available on the chain's Web site (it's not). The corporate office later responded that providing such information would be "very extensive [sic] and timely."

DUNKIN DONUTS

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that each of its medium-size fruit-and-yogurt smoothies packs at least 60 grams of sugarmore than four times the sugar in a chocolate-frosted cake doughnut. The fruit purees used in the smoothies are mixed with liberal doses of sugar and/or high-fructose corn syrup.

PAPA JOHN'S

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that unlike rival chains such as Domino's, it has made little effort to introduce healthier options. A Papa John's representative admitted, "At this time, we have no additional regular menu items that are targeted toward eating lighter."

BURGER KING

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that its French Toast Sticks (which deliver more than 4 grams of fat per stick) share a deep fryer with the pork sausage, pork fritters, Chicken Tenders, Chicken Fries, Big Fish patties, hash browns, onion rings, and Cheesy Totsand that all of those items contain harmful trans fats. But there is hope: After the company was sued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest for moving too slowly to remove trans fats from its menu, Burger King promised to phase them out by the end of 2008.

PANERA BREAD

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that the synthetic food colorings in its pastries have been linked to irritability, restlessness, and sleep disturbance in children. And British researchers found that artificial food colorings and preservatives in the diets of 3-year-olds caused an increase in hyperactive behavior. (The same ingredients appear in fast-food items such as mayonnaise, M&M Blizzards, and McDonald's shakes.) To its credit, Chipotle uses no artificial colorings or flavorings.

CHEVY'S FRESH MEX

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW how its tortillas stack up nutritionally. The chain says it provides "nutritional information regarding calories, fat, protein & carbohydrates for some of our most popular items"the chicken, steak, and shrimp fajitas, for exampleon its Web site. But the numbers provided don't include an essential component: the tortilla.

MAGGIANO'S LITTLE ITALY

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW just how many calories and carbs you're consuming in those massive pasta portions. (As the menu puts it, "Family-style service or individual entrees are available...Whichever you choose, you'll have plenty to share or take home.") In Italy, a standard pasta serving means 4 ounces of noodles with a few tablespoons of sauce. At Maggiano's, a large order of pasta translates into 2 pounds of noodles piled high on a hubcap-size dinner plate (15 1/2 inches in diameter). A Maggiano's PR rep responded to our request for nutritional information a week later: "Sorry for the delay, I had to wait for corporate's approval. Unfortunately, they have declined to participate."

T.G.I. FRIDAY'S

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW how little nutritional info it provides. A Friday's PR rep told us that the chain makes the data available for only its "low-fat" dishesthose coming in under 500 calories and 10 grams of fat. There are just three such dishes on the entire Friday's menu.

BASKIN ROBBINS

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that, unlike Jamba Juice's all-fruit smoothies, the top four ingredients in its Blue Raspberry Fruit Blast are Sierra Mist soda, water, sugar, and corn syrup.

SIT-DOWN CHAINS

...DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW that their food is actually considerably worse for you than the often-maligned fast-food fare. In fact, our menu analysis of 24 national chains revealed that the average entree at a sit-down restaurant contains 867 calories, compared with 522 calories in the average fast-food entree. And that's before appetizers, sides, or dessertsselections that can easily double your total calorie intake.

garougal · Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult

This was interesting too...The 20 Worst Foods in America:

http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/20-Worst-Foods/index.php?cm_mmc=Yahoo_Blog-_-The_20_Worst_Foods_in_America-_-Tool-_-The_20_Worst_Foods_in_America

Woo Hoo · The Chosen Woo

garougal wrote:

This was interesting too...The 20 Worst Foods in America:

http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/20-Worst-Foods/index.php?cm_mmc=Yahoo_Blog-_-The_20_Worst_Foods_in_America-_-Tool-_-The_20_Worst_Foods_in_America

ok I was doing all right with the majority of the list. But then it started to make my hungry despite what I was reading- lol
And number 1 is a fav. We make it at home sometimes. I wonder if it just as bad?

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

How in the world do restaurants make this stuff so unhealthy? That's why I think it should be required to list ingredients. It can be on their website, or on a handout that can be kept behind a counter and only available by request.

But in addition, I think ingredients should be listed as what they actually are. Before I found out about the corn allergy, I didn't know what xanthan gum or dextrose was. And I hate "modified food starch," it's like saying your food contains food.

But, I do want to defend Panera. They are one of the few restaurants I know of who makes their ingredients readily available. At least they let you know that they use food colorings. And come on, those synthetic food colorings don't sound any worse than high fructose corn syrup.

Basically, caloric counts are one thing, but they don't tell you much. I want to know what we're really eating.

(Okay, stepping down now...)