I don’t want to be Mr. Negative and talk about how careful you have to be in reading information, so I will give you an example and let you conduct your own experiments. The companies that sell you food have found tiny loopholes in the law that require them to give you nutritional advice. Here is how that works.

You go the the site and read the nutritional analysis or you read the label on the side of the product. Labeled products are easier because the info you want and the product are together at the time you purchase them. You usually don’t have that information in a restaurant, so it can be harder to remember.

Here is an example of the deception from one restaurant. I don’t mean to pick on them, they are not unique, but they were reviewed in Nutrition Action Newsletter, April 2009.

The restaurant is Chicago Uno. They have a restaurant near me and I really like them. Like all restaurants, the portions are too large and the plate to serve them even larger (eating on a smaller plate with smaller utensils is psychologically  better and makes you eat slower so you feel full on less food). Here is an example from their less than 500 calorie menu and one from the burger menu.

The Honey Crisp Chicken Salad has 410 calories for every 249 gram serving (454 grams in a pound). Trouble is each salad served is 500 grams and contains 820 calories. The portion size for 410 calories is 1/2 of the salad since they list the salad as containing two portions.  Another example from the burger menu.

The Chicago Uno BBQ Burger with Bacon and Cheddar is listed at 700 calories but it contains 2 - TWO - portions. It is actually 1400 calories if you eat the whole burger. This is one reason I tell you to get a to go box with your order, divide it in half and put 1/2 in the box before you begin to eat. Remember 1/2 of this burger is 700 calories, not including what you drink, a side salad or fries - not to mention dessert. Eat 100% of all I mentioned and you could have consumed 3000 calories easily.

It isn’t just calories but how many grams of carbohydrate in this meal and the effect of those calories on your insulin and other essential hormones. It isn’t just Chicago Uno but every food service business that does this.  The most important thing for you to remember is what you want from your health. It is always most valuable when it is threatened. Take actions that will  preserve it by not over indulging in food of low quality and too many empty calories.

Let me hear your opinions and thoughts on this. I don’t want to start a business bashing binge! I want to discuss how we can retain our health and improve it and what you do about it. I also want to know what you think of this information.

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