Hidden Restaurant Health Hazards
Be careful when dining out. Salad, soup and smoothies may sound like low-fat options, but what you don't know might hurt you. Read on to find out the real nutritional value of some seemingly diet-friendly options at a few of your favorite haunts.
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Toss It Out
When dining out on a diet, salad seems so virtuous. But beware, dishes like the Sriracha Shrimp Salad from PF Chang's, with its marinated shrimp, candied papaya and roasted pine nuts actually contains nearly a day's calorie count (1130) and an unbelievable 46 grams of fat.
Not So Smooth
A blend of soymilk, nonfat yogurt, sorbet, ice and antioxidant-rich green tea, the Jamba Juice Matcha Green Tea Blast sounds like a refreshing and healthy blended drink. But 32 ounces of this smoothie will set you back 640 calories. Considering that green tea alone is virtually calorie free, this concoction isn't worth slurping regularly.
No Soup for You!
Soup might seem like the safest choice on the menu, but be warned -- not all soups are created equal. If you decide to bypass the pasta to go the soup and breadsticks route at Olive Garden, you should know that just one bowl of the Pasta E Fagioli soup adds up to almost 600 calories and nearly 10 grams of fat.
Guilty Grill
Convinced that the grilled options at your favorite restaurants are the healthiest? Not so fast. The term 'guiltless grill' certainly doesn't apply to the Grilled Salmon Meal at Chilli's. 8 oz. of salmon served with sides of rice and veggies packs in a whopping 700 calories and 33 grams of fat.
Fajita Fright
At a deep dish pizza place, fajitas may sound like a sensible option. However, Uno's Grill Chicken fajitas, packs a whopping 83grams of fat and 1350 calories! Beware of high calorie sides, like sour cream and guacamole, which can add a lot of weight to an otherwise healthy meal.
Saturated Salad
When you see items like grilled shrimp on a menu otherwise smothered with cheese and butter, you may think you're making a smart choice. But watch out, because the salad you order could be just as bad. Chilli's Ceasar Salad with Lime Grilled Shrimp serves up 77 grams of fat and 980 calories.
Villainous Veggie Burger
Think twice before picking Ruby Tuesday's veggie burger as a healthy option, as the sandwich clocks in at a mind-blowing 943 calories. Mind you, this doesn't include toppings or any side dishes. We're not sure what's been done to this poor burger, but with 52 grams of fat we're going to put this on our "don't" list.
Sandwich Shocker
Veggies and feta cheese piled high on fresh baked bread sounds like a health friendly dream, but don't be fooled by this harmless sounding sandwich. Panera has packed a whopping 560 calories and 23 grams of fat into their Mediterranean Veggie sandwich. Compared to others on this list, it's relatively low, however that much fat in a veggie sandwich isn't a smart bet for anyones health.
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