Restaurant Rescue!
According to the National Restaurant Association, American adults eat out on average of 4 times
per week or about 200 meals a year. Those who work are more likely to purchase at least one
meal a day, and because of busy schedules, are increasingly relying on “fast food” and “grab ‘n
go” items. Typically we know little about what’s in purchased food in terms of fat, cholesterol,
salt or carbohydrates. Often times, these foods are not as healthy as what can be prepared at
home.
In June, we sent out a “Where do you eat?” survey to help us know more about where employees
are purchasing meals and beverages during their workday. 815 of you responded and the 3 most
frequented fast food places are Starbucks, Taco Bell and McDonald’s. We asked our dietitian,
Toni Bloom, MS, RD, to give us a restaurant rescue so below you’ll get the skinny on items at
these chains along with tips to make your order a healthier one. When survey respondents were
asked to share what items they purchased outside of a fast food joint, it was perfectly clear that
the 2 favorite meal options were deli sandwiches and Mexican food. Those cuisines will be
reviewed here too. Happy reading, and healthy eating!
Starbucks ...............................................................................................................2
Coffee Beverages ................................................................................................................. 2
Bakery Items.......................................................................................................................... 2
New Beverage Launch........................................................................................................ 3
New Breakfast Offerings.................................................................................................... 3
Lighten Up............................................................................................................................... 4
Go Non-Fat.......................................................................................................................... 4
Skip the Whip .................................................................................................................... 4
Lighten the Frapp ............................................................................................................. 4
Free Your Syrup ................................................................................................................ 4
Taco Bell .................................................................................................................5
Dining al Fresco .................................................................................................................... 5
Supreme-ly Bad Choice ..................................................................................................... 5
South of the Border Surprises ........................................................................................ 5
McDonald’s ............................................................................................................7
Mc D’s Meal Suggestions................................................................................................... 7
Toni B’s Meal Suggestions ................................................................................................ 7
Fries Free................................................................................................................................. 8
Starbucks
Coffee Beverages
When it comes to sipping your calories, the least caloric drink you can
get at Starbucks is brewed coffee, just 15 calories for a grande Caffe
Americano, not a bad deal for your morning (or afternoon) hit of
caffeine. Plus, ordering a coffee leaves you room to be able to eat some
calories not just drink them. The vente White Chocolate Mocha
however, served without whipped cream or any special requests, doesn’t allow for a meal with
your drink, it is the meal clocking in at 510 calories (and 15 grams of fat). If you’re wondering
where your usual drink falls on this 15 to 610 calorie scale, check out the table below for more
details. Note, all stats shown below are based on drinks ordered “as is” without special requests
or whipped cream and for a “grande” portion, the most commonly requested size.
Caffe Americano
Caffé Misto
Cappuccino
Light Mocha (or Caramel) Frappuccino
Light White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino
Latte
Iced Caffe Mocha
Frappuccino
Caramel Macchiato
Tazo Chai Latte
Mocha (or Caramel) Frappuccino
Vanilla Crème
Caffe Mocha
Hot Chocolate
White Chocolate Mocha
Calories
Fat (g)
15
100
120
150
190
90
190
230
240
240
250
265
270
310
410
0
3
5
1
2
7
5
3
6
4
3
7
8
9
12
Sat Fat
(g)
0
0
3
0
1
5
2
2
4
3
2
5
4
5
8
Carb (g)
3
13
12
29
35
19
35
45
34
44
52
37
42
50
61
Bakery Items
The variety of food items available at Starbucks varies by location but almost all have bakery
items. The law doesn’t require these pastry items to be packaged with a nutrition panel making it
difficult for anyone watching their waistline to make an informed decision. You might think a
Cherry Orange Muffin is a great choice because its name includes two fruits but the reality is that
one of these muffins is 410 calories. Add that to whatever drink you’re ordering and you might
be well over the calories your breakfast should contain. Some of the larger Starbucks stores have
to-go sandwiches and salads in addition to their bakery items and because these come with a
nutrition label, it makes it easier to pick a healthy choice.
The table below highlights the calorie, total fat, saturated fat and carbohydrate grams found in
many of the popular bakery items. If your main health goal is weight loss, focus on the calorie
amounts. If instead you’re working on lowering your cholesterol, concentrate on the saturated
fat grams because the goal is to eat no more than 20grams per day, this is just one meal of your
day! If you’re working to lower your blood glucose numbers then it’s the carbohydrate column
that should be your aim. Diabetes guidelines recommend keeping your main meals to no more
than 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates. Look below and you’ll see that it’s hard to accomplish
this with many of the Starbuck’s choices, and remember, these numbers don’t include carb grams
you might be drinking!
Biscotti
Raspberry/Cream Cheese Croissant
Cinnamon Twist
Morning Sunrise Muffin
Almond Croissant
Strawberry/Banana Yogurt Parfait
Chocolate Croissant
Apple or Raspberry Danish
Blueberry Muffin
Cherry Orange Muffin
Bagel
Raspberry Scone
Cheese Danish
Maple Oat Nut Scone
Cinnamon Roll
Calories
Fat (g)
110
260
320
330
330
340
350
370
380
410
430
440
460
490
620
5
12
17
12
18
4
19
19
19
20
1
18
28
22
29
Sat Fat
(g)
2
7
2
5
7
Carb
(g)
15
34
37
54
39
8
2
4
4
0
8
7
9
7
43
44
49
53
92
65
43
69
80
Sodium(mg)
80
270
280
550
230
210
350
380
400
660
350
400
430
740
New Beverage Launch
As this article goes to print, Starbuck’s is launching Vivanno Blends, a fruit smoothie of sorts in
a variety of flavors such as Banana Chocolate and Orange Mango Banana. The company
appears to be competing with Jamba Juice on these and is highlighting the protein and fiber
content of their Blends. They’d like you to view these as great snacks, something to consider
after a workout or in place of a less nutritious vending machine purchase in the afternoon.
Below is a quick nutrition highlight for 16 ounces of their Blends.
Banana Chocolate Blend
Orange Mango Banana
Calories
Fat (g)
270
250
5
2
Protein
(g)
21
16
Fiber
(g)
6
5
New Breakfast Offerings
As of September 3rd, stores across the US will be offering new breakfast items designed with
health and taste in mind.
Perfect Oatmeal is whole grain and served hot in a cardboard to-go bowl. Consumers get
to pick two of three mixes for the oatmeal: dried fruit (100 calories), nuts (100 calories)
or brown sugar (50 calories).
Apple Bran Muffin replaced the current Bran Muffin and is 330 calories. It has 9 grams
of fat and 7 grams of fiber. It’s made with whole-wheat flour, oats, wheat bran, apples,
cherries and honey. It replaces the current bran muffin.
Multigrain roll contains 280 calories and packs in 7 grams of fiber. It's served with
almond butter (100 calories) or strawberry preserves (40 calories).
Chewy Fruit & Nut Bar is and “energy bar” made with oats, dried fruit, nuts, seeds and
honey. It has 250 calories, 10 grams of fat and 4 grams of fiber.
Power Protein Plate has a hard-boiled egg, a small whole-wheat bagel, a 70-calorie pack
of peanut butter, a cheddar cheese wedge, apple slices and grapes. The whole plate is 330
calories and has 16 grams of protein along with 5 grams of fiber. It will only be sold at
stores that have cold cases.
Berry Stella is the new fruit pastry made with whole-grains and seasonal fruits. It
contains 280 calories including 9 grams of fat and 6 grams of fiber.
Lighten Up
If you’ve read this far it must mean you are interested in learning how to make your Starbuck’s
purchases work better for your health and weight goals. If so, there are some simple things you
can do when you step up to the counter that will help lower your fat, saturated fat and caloric
intake.
Go Non-Fat
In 2007, Starbuck’s changed the type of milk they use in their beverages switching from whole
milk to 2% milk and they also removed all artificial trans fat from their menu items. So unless
you request otherwise, your coffee drink contains 2% milk but you can lighten it up by choosing
non-fat milk. This special request will save you approximately 40 to 50 calories per drink and a
few grams of saturated (bad) fat.
Skip the Whip
If you don’t say “hold the whip” you are adding an extra 70 calories to your grande drinks and as
if that isn’t bad enough, the whip contains 7 grams of fat, 4.5 of which are saturated. Worried
about cholesterol and heart disease? It’s time to skip the whip.
Lighten the Frapp
Frappuccino Light Blended coffees have 1/3 fewer calories than the original versions because the
ice they are blended with is calorie-free and makes up much of the volume. You get less “frapp”
but the same flavor just chilled.
Free Your Syrup
Some of the flavor “shots” included in your beverage have a sugar-free option including vanilla,
hazelnut, caramel and cinnamon dolce. These sugar-free syrups have 0 calories up to 4 pumps
and can reduce the overall calories of your beverage without giving up the flavor you crave.
Taco Bell
Many of you said that Taco Bell is a common work day restaurant and
unlike Starbucks, they make the nutrition information for their menu
readily accessible and easy to understand. In addition to specifics about
menu items, and a nutrition calculator that helps you add up your intake,
you can find a downloadable copy of their Nutrition Guide at
http://www.tacobell.com/. There’s no excuse now, if you want to
know what you’re eating when you go south of the border, you can!
Dining al Fresco
The Fresco menu at Taco Bell makes it easy to select a healthy, low calorie and low fat meal.
When an item is “fresco” it means that it’s cheese and/or sauce has been replaced by salsa
making it a big improvement in nutrition. This menu contains 9 items with less than 9 grams of
fat and no item with more than 2.5 grams of saturated fat. If you’re looking to eat a few items
that are less than 200 calories each, go for the Crunchy Taco, Beef, Ranchero Chicken or Grilled
Steak Soft Taco. If your lunch calorie needs allow you to pair together two 330-calorie items
then choose the Steak or Chicken Burrito Supreme, the Fiesta Chicken Burrito or the Bean
Burrito. Keeping with Taco Bell’s motto of “thinking outside the bun”, why not eat outside of
their usual menu and order two Fresco items. If you had two items, along with a diet drink or
bottle of water, you can easily have a lunch meal for sub-500 to 600 calories….not bad!
Remember, these are “Fresco” items so request it that way when ordering or you’ll be getting the
fuller fat, higher calorie regular menu item.
Supreme-ly Bad Choice
When you order a “supreme” item at Taco Bell it typically means that you are asking for extra
fat via sour cream. Supreme is a smart marketing gimmick because nobody watching their
weight wants to request more fat and calories but that’s exactly what you’re doing if your usual
menu item is a Supreme. Look below to see the nutrition effect of ordering your items
“supreme”, more calories, more fat, more sodium, and possibly more you!
Calories
Nachos to Nachos Supreme
Fiesta Burrito to Burrito Supreme
Beef Soft Taco to Supreme Beef Soft Taco
Crunchy Taco to Crunchy Taco Supreme
+ 110
+ 50
+ 70
+ 60
Fat (g)
+5
+4
+6
+5
Saturated
Fat (g)
+4
+3
+3
+3
Sodium (mg)
+ 270
+ 140
0
0
South of the Border Surprises
If you take the time to study the nutrition information provided by Taco Bell, there are a few
items on the menu that might surprise you. For example, if you’re working on your weight and
your inclination is to find salads wherever you go, think again! The Fiesta Taco Salad is 840
calories and the Chicken Fiesta Taco Salad isn’t much better at 790 calories. Sure, it’s the shell
that contributes 370 of these outrageous calories but don’t you find it difficult to not eat the
shell? The goal when dining out should be to minimize the portions and calories in front of you
so that you don’t eat past full and consume more than your brain, and stomach, want.
Another eye-opener on the Bell’s menu is the Stuft Burrito. No matter which flavor you choose
(beef, chicken or steak) be prepared to literally be “stuffed” because each one is approximately
650 calories and contains almost half your day’s goal intake of saturated fat. Some of us might
be able to get away with this item on our usuals list but many of us order a 2nd item in addition to
this one. Stuft for sure.
Another shocker on the menu is the popular Nachos BellGrande. The 770 calories this item
contains might sway many to avoid it when ordering but it’s the 44 grams of fat that should
really make people think twice. That’s 2/3rds of a woman’s fat gram allotment for the day.
Ouch, it doesn’t leave much room to eat anything else if this is your Taco Bell staple.
McDonald’s
The 3rd most popular place County employees said they eat during
the work day was McDonald’s, which is no surprise, because it’s
still one of America’s most popular fast food restaurants.
McDonald’s provides ample information on their website for
consumers interested in making the healthiest food choices they
can off their menu. In addition to letting you see how each
ingredient impacts the overall nutrition make up of each item, they
provide a detailed nutrition analysis of their menu which you can
access at http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal/nutrition_facts.html#download.
People with diabetes will be happy to know that Exchanges are provided for menu items too or, a
quick scan of the carbohydrate column can help in decision making.
Mc D’s Meal Suggestions
For those of you hoping to stick within the recommended guidelines for fat, sodium and calories,
McDonald’s has a useful section to their website where they suggest a meal options and then
provide you with a tally of the two or three items in the meal. If you want to try some of their
healthiest meal combinations, click here and see if any of these “combos” would please your
tastebud.http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal/nutrition_mealSuggestions.
html
Toni B’s Meal Suggestions
I’m approaching my meal suggestions including first, an item that I don’t want to go without
when I eat at McDonald’s – French fries. I consider them the best of all the fast food chains. If
you agree, then let’s allow ourselves a “small” order (yes, that’s the size that comes in the little
bag, the size included in a Happy Meal). Since a small fries contains 230 calories, we need to
find a sandwich or other menu item that is 320 calories or so because that would keep our meal
around 550 calories if we don’t include a sugared beverage. A reasonable meal for females, or
inactive men, is considered to be between 500 and 600 calories. If you’re an active male you can
add another 100-150 or so. You can see from looking below that a low calorie meal at a fast
food restaurant isn’t always a low fat meal, a few of these items are above the goal of no more
than 30-35%, what most dietitians call a low fat food. The items below are ranked in order of
their percentage of calories from fat meaning that the first few items are better for your heart
health than the last few items.
So, what can we add to a small fries order that keeps this 2-item meal sub 550 calories? Read on:
Calories
Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken **
Honey Mustard Snack Wrap (grilled)
Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap (grilled)
Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken **
Hamburger
Ranch Snack Wrap (grilled)
Snack Size Fruit and Walnut Salad **
Cheeseburger
Small fries
Chicken Nugget (6 piece) *
Chicken Nugget (4 piece) *
220
260
260
260
250
270
210
300
230
280
190
Fat
(g)
6
9
9
9
9
10
8
12
11
17
12
% Fat
24
31
31
31
32
33
34
36
43
55
57
Saturated
Fat (g)
3
4
4
4
4
4
2
6
2
3
2
Sodium
(mg)
890
800
830
1010
520
830
60
750
160
600
400
* add 50-60 calories if you dip it in one of the sauces
** to keep under 550 calorie meal, dressing must be either Newman’s Low Fat Balsamic or
Family Recipe Italian
Fries Free
If the choices above aren’t ones you’re willing to make then it must mean you are willing to go
fries-free in order to allow a larger sandwich or meal. If so, the following additional sandwiches
clock in under 500 calories so long as you drink a diet beverage or unsweetened iced tea and
don’t have any other items. By the way, a large fries contains 500 calories so if the thought of
having only one of these items for lunch you crave fries, then feel free to order nothing but a
large fries but again, that’s lunch!
Grilled Chicken Classic
Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT
Southern Style Crispy Chicken
McChicken
Quarter Pounder
Filet-o-Fish
Double Cheeseburger
Big-n-Tasty
McRib
Crispy Chicken Snack Wraps
Calories
Fat (g)
% Fat
420
470
400
360
410
380
440
460
500
340
10
12
17
16
19
18
23
24
26
18
21
23
38
40
42
43
47
47
47
48
Saturated Sodium
Fat (g)
(mg)
2
1190
3
1500
3
1030
3
830
7
730
4
640
11
1150
8
720
10
980
5
800