Eat This Not That

You've probably heard of this guy...he writes for Men's Health, he has weekly columns on Yahoo, he makes appearances on the Today Show and he's the author of this book. His name is David Zinczenko and he's my idol for coming out with these books.

But, the other day, this guy was on the Today show doing a segment about some fast lunches we might think are healthy but are hidden with calories, fat and sodium. I try not to eat out a lot. Sometimes I like to eat a lunch out to be social with co-workers, catch up on the work place gossip, and get away from the office. Although we haven't met in a couple weeks, I have a little Thursday lunch club that goes out and we "thought" we were being somewhat healthy with our restaurant choice.

Lately, in an attempt to grab something that doesn't break the bank, is somewhat healthy and filling, and that we can all agree on, we've been heading to the Olive Garden for their soup and salad deal at lunch. You get all you can eat salad, bread sticks (which in my defense I stay away from because I've taught myself white bread is the devil) and soup. They have some not so healthy choices, like the chicken and gnocchi soup, to healthier, like their minestrone.....or SO I THOUGHT!!!

I was devastated, okay, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. But, I was crushed and let down when the Olive Garden was the #1 place listed that is unhealthy for you when you're think you're being healthy that was featured in the segment on the Today show I was watching. I thought I was making a somewhat wise decision at lunch when I would try and eat more salad, hey, fill up on those greens. I would try and avoid the bread sticks, because I knew they weren't good for me. Lastly, I'd go for the Minestrone soup.

Here's why the Olive Garden got a big fat "F" rating. This is the nutritional info for ONE serving of salad:

Garden-Fresh Salad (1 serving with dressing)

350 calories
26 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
1,930 mg sodium
22 g carbohydrates

This is the nutritional info for ONE bread stick

Bread stick (1 with garlic butter spread)

150 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
400 mg sodium
28 g carbohydrates

Oy. For crying out loud it's a vinaigrette dressing! You'd think with that fat count you're bathing in blue cheese! Just one serving of each will give you 25 percent of your day’s caloric intake!! I was also amazed at the amount of sodium in a serving of salad!

So, what's the lesson here? Educate yourself! Can you never go out to eat again, I'm not saying that. But, if you know you're heading out, especially to a well known restaurant or chain, take the time to look online and see if you can find the nutritional information for their menu to help you make smart choice.

Olive Garden, it was fun while it lasted, but I probably won't be back anytime soon for the salad and bread sticks deal!