AMERICA'S BEST AND WORST RESTAURANTS
Burger Joint
Best: Wendy's
The Wendy's menu is built on the same bedrock foods as every other burger joint: beef, cheese, and fat-fried potatoes. But the chain trounces the competition in two ways. First, several of its burgers, including the Double Stack and nearly the entire line of Jr. Burgers, fall below the 400-calorie threshold. Not enough beef for you? Not a big deal. The quarter-pound Single has only 470 calories, and if you add bacon but hold the mayo, you're facing a still-reasonable 550. Wendy's sides also surpass the competition's. The chili strikes a perfect balance between flavor and nutrition, and customers can replace fries with chili, a side salad, or a baked potato in a standard value meal at no extra charge, a courtesy that's rarely granted in the world of fast-food restaurants.
Top Pick
Jr. Cheeseburger and a Small Chili
490 calories
18 g fat
1,560 mg sodium
For great flavor and smart portion control, order two satisfying favorites—chili and a cheeseburger—for under 500 calories.
Worst: Dairy Queen
DQ is the only fast-food chain that specializes in both burgers and ice cream, and both sides of the menu are driven by the same excess that gives fast food a bad name. Granted, burger-and-shake joints are bound to have calorie-dense choices, but there's no reason they need to inject each food item with egregious amounts of sodium and spike the desserts with trans fats. The indulgences at DQ include basket meals that rack up at least 49 grams of fat each, large malts with 1,300-plus calories, and the iconic Blizzard, a blended soft-serve sundae that averages over 800 calories for a medium serving. It's even served from a beverage cup, the better to scarf down alongside your burger and fries.
Survival Strategy
Stick to entrees under 500 calories, like the Original Cheeseburger or any regular-sized hot dog. If you want a treat, order a small ice-cream cone.
The Wendy's menu is built on the same bedrock foods as every other burger joint: beef, cheese, and fat-fried potatoes. But the chain trounces the competition in two ways. First, several of its burgers, including the Double Stack and nearly the entire line of Jr. Burgers, fall below the 400-calorie threshold. Not enough beef for you? Not a big deal. The quarter-pound Single has only 470 calories, and if you add bacon but hold the mayo, you're facing a still-reasonable 550. Wendy's sides also surpass the competition's. The chili strikes a perfect balance between flavor and nutrition, and customers can replace fries with chili, a side salad, or a baked potato in a standard value meal at no extra charge, a courtesy that's rarely granted in the world of fast-food restaurants.
Top Pick
Jr. Cheeseburger and a Small Chili
490 calories
18 g fat
1,560 mg sodium
For great flavor and smart portion control, order two satisfying favorites—chili and a cheeseburger—for under 500 calories.
Worst: Dairy Queen
DQ is the only fast-food chain that specializes in both burgers and ice cream, and both sides of the menu are driven by the same excess that gives fast food a bad name. Granted, burger-and-shake joints are bound to have calorie-dense choices, but there's no reason they need to inject each food item with egregious amounts of sodium and spike the desserts with trans fats. The indulgences at DQ include basket meals that rack up at least 49 grams of fat each, large malts with 1,300-plus calories, and the iconic Blizzard, a blended soft-serve sundae that averages over 800 calories for a medium serving. It's even served from a beverage cup, the better to scarf down alongside your burger and fries.
Survival Strategy
Stick to entrees under 500 calories, like the Original Cheeseburger or any regular-sized hot dog. If you want a treat, order a small ice-cream cone.
12 Months of Restaurant Survival Strategies
Adopt one every time the calendar flips and be leaner by the end of 2011
January: Avoid the combo meals
A recent survey of New York City restaurants reveals that combo meals account for 31 percent of all burger-chain purchases, and the average calorie toll exceeds 1,200 per meal. Defend yourself by ignoring the preset combos and building your own meal with a couple of nutritious items instead.
February: Order small cups
A Duke University study found that when people order drinks at fast-food joints, they tend to pick the medium size regardless of the volume of the cup. That means restaurants can control how much you drink by deciding how big to make their "medium." Keep portions under control by sticking with the small soda. (You'll get at least 8 ounces, which is plenty.)
March: Eat more plants
Most restaurants offer a vegetable side other than fries. Order it. A University of Florida study that tracked the diets of two groups of young adults—an overweight and a normal-weight group—showed that both groups ate about the same number of calories. So why the difference in body weight? The thinner participants ate more calories from vegetables.
April: Drink up
If your stomach is growling as you enter a restaurant, reach for the water first. In a Virginia Tech study, two groups ate low-calorie diets, but only one group also drank 2 cups of water before each meal. Over 12 weeks, the water drinkers lost nearly 5 pounds more than the control group. The reason? Water, like food, fills the stomach, blunting appetite.
May: Ban the handouts
What do tortilla chips, dinner rolls, and breadsticks have in common? All of them are made from cheap refined carbohydrates, loaded into baskets, and doled out free of charge to patrons. Take the bait and you'll end up with a few hundred worthless calories tacked onto your meal. The better option? Tell the server to save the basket for another table.
June: Order by number
The health-care reform law will require chains with 20 or more outlets to post calorie counts on menus. Until then, do some digging to find out how many calories are in your favorite restaurant meals. (A copy of Eat This, Not That! 2011 could help.) A study in the American Journal of Public Health shows that people regularly underestimate calories in foods by nearly half.
July: Slow down and then decide
A study published last year in Psychological Science reveals that the mere sight of a fast-food sign on the side of the road is enough to make people feel rushed, which can lead to impulsive decisions—and dangerous nutritional choices. Sidestep your impulses the next time you eat out: Plan your order before you walk through the door.
August: Don't exaggerate the occasion
You're 45 percent less likely to make healthy choices when you identify a meal as a "special occasion," according to a 2008 study in the International Food Research Journal. The problem is, study participants identified "special occasions" several times a week. Unless you know what you're celebrating, stick to your healthy habits.
September: Keep it simple
Beware of menu verbiage. The longer the name of an item, the more fattening it tends to be. IHOP's original French toast has 920 calories, but the Strawberry Banana French Toast has 1,060. At Applebee's, a burger has 770 calories while the Steakhouse Burger with A.1. Sauce swells to 1,190. If you can't check calories, have the simply named entrees.
October: Avoid peer pressure
What your friend eats might be making you fat. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that your risk of obesity jumps 171 percent when a close friend becomes obese. Friends may influence your eating habits, the study authors suggest. Don't let them dictate your meal ("Let's share the chili cheese fries!") when you eat out.
November: Listen to your gut
Try ordering a smaller meal—you might be surprised at how full you feel. In a Penn State study, people ate 30 percent more food when they were served bigger portions, yet felt no more satisfied than those who'd received smaller portions. Start by ordering less than usual (the Whopper Jr., say), and then gauge how satisfied you feel before ordering more.
December: Watch the alcohol
Your booze buzz just might be making you eat more. A study in the Journal of Psychology & Behavior found that drinking alcohol before a meal prompted people to consume 19 percent more calories. In the mood for a drink with dinner? Save yourself from calorie overload by holding off on your drink order until you've settled on a healthy meal.
January: Avoid the combo meals
A recent survey of New York City restaurants reveals that combo meals account for 31 percent of all burger-chain purchases, and the average calorie toll exceeds 1,200 per meal. Defend yourself by ignoring the preset combos and building your own meal with a couple of nutritious items instead.
February: Order small cups
A Duke University study found that when people order drinks at fast-food joints, they tend to pick the medium size regardless of the volume of the cup. That means restaurants can control how much you drink by deciding how big to make their "medium." Keep portions under control by sticking with the small soda. (You'll get at least 8 ounces, which is plenty.)
March: Eat more plants
Most restaurants offer a vegetable side other than fries. Order it. A University of Florida study that tracked the diets of two groups of young adults—an overweight and a normal-weight group—showed that both groups ate about the same number of calories. So why the difference in body weight? The thinner participants ate more calories from vegetables.
April: Drink up
If your stomach is growling as you enter a restaurant, reach for the water first. In a Virginia Tech study, two groups ate low-calorie diets, but only one group also drank 2 cups of water before each meal. Over 12 weeks, the water drinkers lost nearly 5 pounds more than the control group. The reason? Water, like food, fills the stomach, blunting appetite.
May: Ban the handouts
What do tortilla chips, dinner rolls, and breadsticks have in common? All of them are made from cheap refined carbohydrates, loaded into baskets, and doled out free of charge to patrons. Take the bait and you'll end up with a few hundred worthless calories tacked onto your meal. The better option? Tell the server to save the basket for another table.
June: Order by number
The health-care reform law will require chains with 20 or more outlets to post calorie counts on menus. Until then, do some digging to find out how many calories are in your favorite restaurant meals. (A copy of Eat This, Not That! 2011 could help.) A study in the American Journal of Public Health shows that people regularly underestimate calories in foods by nearly half.
July: Slow down and then decide
A study published last year in Psychological Science reveals that the mere sight of a fast-food sign on the side of the road is enough to make people feel rushed, which can lead to impulsive decisions—and dangerous nutritional choices. Sidestep your impulses the next time you eat out: Plan your order before you walk through the door.
August: Don't exaggerate the occasion
You're 45 percent less likely to make healthy choices when you identify a meal as a "special occasion," according to a 2008 study in the International Food Research Journal. The problem is, study participants identified "special occasions" several times a week. Unless you know what you're celebrating, stick to your healthy habits.
September: Keep it simple
Beware of menu verbiage. The longer the name of an item, the more fattening it tends to be. IHOP's original French toast has 920 calories, but the Strawberry Banana French Toast has 1,060. At Applebee's, a burger has 770 calories while the Steakhouse Burger with A.1. Sauce swells to 1,190. If you can't check calories, have the simply named entrees.
October: Avoid peer pressure
What your friend eats might be making you fat. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that your risk of obesity jumps 171 percent when a close friend becomes obese. Friends may influence your eating habits, the study authors suggest. Don't let them dictate your meal ("Let's share the chili cheese fries!") when you eat out.
November: Listen to your gut
Try ordering a smaller meal—you might be surprised at how full you feel. In a Penn State study, people ate 30 percent more food when they were served bigger portions, yet felt no more satisfied than those who'd received smaller portions. Start by ordering less than usual (the Whopper Jr., say), and then gauge how satisfied you feel before ordering more.
December: Watch the alcohol
Your booze buzz just might be making you eat more. A study in the Journal of Psychology & Behavior found that drinking alcohol before a meal prompted people to consume 19 percent more calories. In the mood for a drink with dinner? Save yourself from calorie overload by holding off on your drink order until you've settled on a healthy meal.
Read more at Men's Health: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/best-and-worst-restaurants/page/6?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-878170-_-04222012-_-moreon1#ixzz1sq4XEVrA
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