The show this week
You'll never guess how high-calorie the foods are at the popular sit-down chains
Originally aired November 7, 2007 — We've all been trained to think of fast food as junk food. We understand that burgers and fries and "breakfast sandwiches" are not good for us. Most of the burger chains publish detailed nutrition charts on their websites, and they hand them out at the counter if you ask. Maybe a lot of the choices are unhealthy, but at least the information is out in the open.
Here's a surprise. The food served at your neighbourhood casual-dining chain restaurant is positively loaded with fat and calories and sodium, in amounts far surpassing those usually found in fast-food meals.
We had nutritional analyses done on 16 popular items from sit-down chains (see below for some charts). As Wendy Mesley reports, a single meal at one of these restaurants could actually contain more calories than most of us should eat in a whole day.
November 7, 2007
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Tips
How to stay healthy eating restaurant food
Restaurant meals will probably always be a little richer than what you would make at home. Here are some ways to make healthier choices when dining out.
- When you get to a restaurant, ask for nutrition information before you order.
- Ask yourself: How frequently do you eat food away from home? The more often, the more you need to make healthy choices.
- Ask for a doggy bag: If you’re trying to lose weight, set aside half or nearly half your meal right when it’s served.
- Don't be afraid to request food the way you want it: ask for dressings, sauces, gravy, butter and mayonnaise on the side.
- “I’ll start with the salad, please.” Research shows that you consume fewer calories when you begin your meal with soup (not cream-based), or salad (with lower-fat dressings). If you partially fill up on foods packed with nutrition, you're less likely to overeat on the stuff that may not be so good.
- Look for cooking terms: Order baked, roasted, poached, grilled, broiled or steamed.
- Beware of battered, fried, or in sauces of butter, alfredo, cream, rich cheese, rose, Bearnaise, Hollandaise or pot pies, hash and creamy casseroles. They are synonyms for one thing: fat.
- Hold the salt: Soups and cold cut sandwiches are often high in sodium, as is restaurant prepared rice.
- Beware liquid calories: Instead of choosing pop, alcohol or designer coffee, opt for real juice, milk and especially water.
- Parents don’t want unhappy, unruly children at a restaurant. Chances are if you give them pop, a chicken fingers and fries, they’ll be happy and behave. Nutritionists worry children will associate junk food with having a good time. Not so bad when you're only eating out occasionally. When you dine out twice a week (the average), it heavily influences their attitudes to food.
- While kids' meals might offer milk or veggies, the main dish is often deep fried. And they’re pretty much the same from restaurant to restaurant. For any kid regularly eating out, it’s hard to eat healthy. Instead of pop, let them have chocolate milk. Stick to skim milk if your child's over two years of age. At least they’ll get some calcium. If you order juice, dilute it with some water to cut down on sugar content. Also, try to get some steamed veggies with their dishes, and cut down on the fries.
You'll never guess how high-calorie the foods are at the popular sit-down chains
Originally aired November 7, 2007 — We've all been trained to think of fast food as junk food. We understand that burgers and fries and "breakfast sandwiches" are not good for us. Most of the burger chains publish detailed nutrition charts on their websites, and they hand them out at the counter if you ask. Maybe a lot of the choices are unhealthy, but at least the information is out in the open.
Here's a surprise. The food served at your neighbourhood casual-dining chain restaurant is positively loaded with fat and calories and sodium, in amounts far surpassing those usually found in fast-food meals.
We had nutritional analyses done on 16 popular items from sit-down chains (see below for some charts). As Wendy Mesley reports, a single meal at one of these restaurants could actually contain more calories than most of us should eat in a whole day.
What does that work out to in hamburgers?
A McDonald's Quarter Pounder measures out like this:
- 420 calories
- 20g fat
- 619 mg sodium
So, OK, burgers are a sometimes food. But you may be surprised to learn that a number of the most popular menu items at Canada's casual-dining restaurants make those burgers look puritan by comparison. Here are Marketplace's test results, from an independent lab, compared with the Quarter Pounder.
KELSEY'S:
| Classic Chicken Wings | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 1581 | 3.7 |
| Fat (g) | 102 | 5.1 |
| Sodium (mg) | 2907 | 4.7 |
| Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 720 | 1.7 |
| Fat (g) | 56 | 2.8 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1930 | 3 |
| Chicken Fajitas | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 1484 | 3.5 |
| Fat (g) | 46 | 2.3 |
| Sodium (mg) | 4582 | 7.5 |
MONTANA'S:
| Firecracker Sizzling Shrimp | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 549 | 1.3 |
| Fat (g) | 25 | 1.3 |
| Sodium (mg) | 2030 | 3.3 |
| Country Cobb Salad | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 521 | 1.2 |
| Fat (g) | 34 | 1.7 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1433 | 2.3 |
| Big Sky Burger | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 866 | 2 |
| Fat (g) | 47 | 2.3 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1406 | 2.3 |
| Vegetable and Feta Burger | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 778 | 1.85 |
| Fat (g) | 35 | 1.75 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1397 | 2.2 |
| Add fries to that... | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 440 | 1 |
| Fat (g) | 23 | 1 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1193 | 2 |
MILESTONE'S:
| Baked Goat Cheese & Slow-Roasted Garlic | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 729 | 1.7 |
| Fat (g) | 27 | 1.35 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1408 | 2.3 |
| Squash Ravioli | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 865 | 2 |
| Fat (g) | 27 | 1.3 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1024 | 1.6 |
| Fire-Grilled Wild Coho Salmon | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 660 | 1.6 |
| Fat (g) | 30 | 1.5 |
| Sodium (mg) | 955 | 1.5 |
APPLEBEE'S:
| Spinach and Artichoke Dip | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 1161 | 2.8 |
| Fat (g) | 75 | 3.8 |
| Sodium (mg) | 2234 | 3.7 |
| Southwest Philly Rollup with Fries | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 1593 | 3.8 |
| Fat (g) | 90 | 4.5 |
| Sodium (mg) | 3926 | 6.4 |
| Applebee's House Sirloin with mashed potatoes and vegetables |
How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 682 | 1.6 |
| Fat (g) | 34 | 1.7 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1549 | 2.5 |
RED LOBSTER:
| Pan-Seared Crab Cakes | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 456 | 1 |
| Fat (g) | 31 | 1.6 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1413 | 2.3 |
| Crab Linguini Alfredo | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 1330 | 3.1 |
| Fat (g) | 53 | 2.7 |
| Sodium (mg) | 2999 | 5 |
| Honey BBQ Shrimp & Chicken | How many quarter-pound
burgers that equals |
|
| Calories | 714 | 1.4 |
| Fat (g) | 12 | 0.6 |
| Sodium (mg) | 3443 | 5.6 |
Links to more information
Health and nutrition resources:
- Dr. Yoni Freedhoff’s blog
- Freedhoff’s clinic
- Tips from dietitian Liz Pearson on eating out
- Nutrition policy information from the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Assocation
- A backgrounder on menu labeling from the Centre for Science in the Public Interest
- CSPI's Calorie Quiz
Legislative information:
- A bill brought forward in 2006 by Ontario Liberal MP Tom Wappel
- A 2003 bill, also from Wappel
- Parliamentary Health Committee evidence (part 1)
- Parliamentary Health Committee evidence (part 2)
- CSPI Canada reacts to Bill C-283
- CSPI Canada reacts to Bill C-283 (part 2)
- Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association reacts to Bill C-283
- Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association reacts to Bill C-283 (part 2)
Credits
"Calorie Confidential"
Producer
Virginia Smart
Associate Producer
Jasmin Tuffaha
Editor
Don Chung
Camera
Neith MacDonald
Bill Arnold
Mark Bochsler
Sound
Karndeep Jassal
Dave Fox
Set Decorator
Mark Lewandowski
