It seems like I am always out of my house. Always. And as much as I love to cook, experiment with new fresh ingredients, and enjoy yummy, locally grown goodness – it’s hard to do all that when I am so mobile. You know how it is, the Monday though Friday of it all has you anywhere from work to class to meetings to practice. Throw in family, friends, the gym, church and a couple conference calls… and well, you couldn’t cook on a daily basis even if you really, really wanted to. So what do we do, ladies and gents? We find ourselves eating out during the week almost as much as we do on the weekends (if not more!)

And as much as we like to talk about all the pounds we pack on during the winter holiday months, most of us aren’t fairing much better under the summer sun. The biggest culprit of all in the summer months are — you guessed it — vacations. Whether it’s a weekend getaway just outside of town, or a week-long trip across the border: if you’re traveling, you’re eating out. Not to mention all the cookouts, fish-frys, potluck and picnics (we’ll address those in a separate post)

Okay, so here’s why I bring it up. I went on a short excursion over the Fourth of July weekend with my Divas, and I stuffed my face with more calories than I’d care to mention in this post. But I had a good excuse, y’all, “I’m on vacation, I cant possibly cook. What else am I supposed to do?” This may be true, but I know better and ignorance is only bliss until you get back home. Just because we aren’t cooking, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be aware and conscious of what we’re eating and how much “nutritional value” it really has. And as advocates for our own health and the health of our families, its our job, Divas, to find out.

Some restaurants (like Chipotle – yum!) make their nutritional informational available right there in the store, front & center. Several other places (like, say Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A) have it available but often times you have to ask for it or look it up online (this requires work and vigilance on your part… yes, work). But yet, other places (for example, a neighborhood staple in nearly every U.S. you travel to — TGI Friday’s) don’t even bother to provide nutritional information. They have an online statement that reads, “The selected nutritional information we provide is listed on our menu in restaurants” but I have yet to see it… (which I found a little disturbing, because I thought it was required by law, but we’ll get to that in a second)

But here’s what I did discover and I think can be pretty useful: online tools that provide nutritional informational for not just popular restaurant dishes, but for all sorts of frozen meals and snacks. Two that I use are calorieking.com and dietfacts.com I suggest you check them out before the next time you head out to eat (and Divas, if you know of any others, please feel free to share them on this post!)

And remember, simply knowing better is not enough, we must “be” better. Here a few ways how:

  • Don’t be fooled by “lighter”, “low carb/sodium/cholesterol” or “heart healthy/smart”. Many of these claims play with numbers and serving size and can be misleading. Beware of tricky language that looks good, but may not be good for you.
  • Always ask for nutrition information. And if that particular item doesn’t have full nutritional information available, there’s probably a reason why. Stay away.
  • Watch out for serving size. The serving size provided in the nutrition information and what most Americans actually eat, is shall we say, not exactly equal. Make sure you are conscious of how much you are consuming. Most places give WAY more than you need (think portions at The Cheesecake Factory) Box half of it up at the start of the meal and only eat what’s remaining.
  • Make healthy substitutions. Swap out the fries for a side salad. (And I’m not taking about potato salad, and if the salad is a few shreds of lettuce covered in creamy dressing, cheese, bacon and croutons… you get the point)

Last but not least a few things I discovered about regulations around restaurant nutrition information (incase you were wondering); here’s what the law requires:

  • Claims must meet FDA standards. Restaurants that make health or nutrition claims, like “heart-healthy” or “low fat,” must meet FDA standards. For example, if a restaurant claims its mashed potatoes are “low fat,” a typical serving of the food must contain no more than 3 grams of fat.
  • Nutrition information must be provided upon request. Nutrition information need not appear on the menu, but must be provided upon request. It may be provided in writing, such as on a flier, brochure, poster, or notebook, or may be provided orally by a statement from a waiter or other employee.
  • Full nutrition information is not required. Restaurants only need to provide information that pertains to the particular claim. For example, a restaurant that makes a “low sodium” claim must tell consumers who ask that the food contains no more than 140 mg of sodium in a typical serving. However, the restaurant is not required to provide information about calories, fat, or other nutrients.
  • Laboratory analysis is not required. Nutrient levels do not need to be determined by laboratory analyses or certified by third parties. Instead, the levels may be calculated from nutrient data bases or cookbooks. However, restaurants are required to explain how nutrient levels are determined upon request.
  • Only menu items for which claims are made are affected. Restaurants are only required to provide nutrition information for foods for which health or nutrition claims are made.

Be happy. Be healthy. Be well.

Miss. Madie :)