Dr. Jo's Healthful Casual Restaurant Choices

As you know, restaurant portions are big. But, do you know how BIG they really are? The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) warns consumers about X-Treme menu items including:

• Ruby Tuesday's Colossal Burger at 1940 calories, 141g fat
• Uno Chicago Grill's Pizza Skins at 2050 calories, 48g saturated fat
• Cheesecake Factory's Chris' Outrageous Chocolate Cake with 1380 calories.

But...What Can I Eat?

Since most of us need somewhere in the range of 1500-3000 calories a DAY (less for inactive women, more for active men), a single meal of 2000 calories is not a good idea.

Here are some healthier meal suggestions:

• T.G.I. Friday's offers several "Better for You" menu items at 500 calories or less and 10g fat or less per serving such as Dragonfire Chicken and Shrimp Key West.
• Cheesecake Factory has just introduced five "Weight Management Salads" including Asian Chicken Salad.
• Applebee's offers six Weight Watchers entrees including Cajun Lime Tilapia--all under 480 calories.
• Try the Petite Sirloin at Ruby Tuesday's along with green beans and creamy mashed cauliflower for a total of 457 calories, 21g fat.
• Red Lobster offers Light House Selections including lobster, snow crabs and roasted tilapia in a bag--most under 500 calories.
• Olive Garden's Garden Fare includes favorites such as Chicken Giardino and Capellini Pomodoro for about 400 calories at lunch.
• Panera Bread offers several low-fat soups including black bean. Have a bowl with a half of turkey on sourdough sandwich for just 375 calories.

Post your comments on this article