Dining Out
I've been focusing on carb counts lately, in an effort to re-establish some better diabetes habits (and to see some better numbers). The effect has been remarkable. Turns out, when I count carbs correctly, those numbers are much much prettier. Still not perfect, but since I'm not striving for perfection, it's rather fantastic.
Counting carbs is easiest when I reach for pre-packaged food items. Unfortunately, those aren't always the most nutritional, the most satisfying, or the most interesting. I've been going heavy on the veggies in an effort to get some variety and nutrition back into my diet. The effect of a misjudged bowl of greenbeans is not nearly as dramatic as a misjudged serving of mashed potatoes.
The big challenge when it comes to food (at least for me) is dining out. My husband is a fan of your garden-variety sit-down chain restaurants, and we have lots to choose from in our area. Too many, in fact.
The other day, we were talking about going out to eat before a cub scout meeting. Given a choice between Friendly's and Applebee's (I know, some choice, eh?) I was leaning toward Applebee's if only because they have nutritional information on their menu. Or so I thought.
Thanks to my carb craziness, I actually sat down at the computer to look up the Applebee's nutrition info before going to the restaurant, figuring that I can choose my mediocre menu item just as easily from home! Well, it turns out that Applebee's doesn't have good nutritional info available. They just have a handful of items for which they provide Weight Watchers points. Does me no good!
Well, that sent me down an investigational path, on a quest to rate local restaurants based on what they tell you about their menu. I understand they don't want to scare us off by actually revealing the carb/calorie/fat counts of their delightful dining options. However, I have no qualms about rating restaurants based on how forthcoming they are with the facts.
So here, for your mid-Atlantic chain restaurant diabetic dining pleasure, is a list of what I found. Panera is by far my new favorite lunch spot. Who cares how the food tastes if you can bolus correctly?
http://www.panerabread.com - nutrition info right next to the description
http://www.chilis.com - 2 page PDF list of items and their nutrition info
http://www.unos.com - nutrition info by menu item. Also a handy list of items categorized by 'less than 30 g CHO
http://www.rubtuesdays.com - PDF file (two pages)
http://www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com - PDF of gluten free (includes "order without bun" selections. Duh.) No other nutritional info.
http://www.ocharleys.com - no info. But you can contact them for nutritional info using a form. Hahahahaha.
http://www.olivegarden.com - no info. Flags 'low fat' items,
http://www.tgifridays.com - lowcarb/lowfat list. Only 2 low carb items.
http://www.redrobin.com - nothing. I no longer care how quickly they build the one down the street.
http://www.sonicdrivein.com - link on each item page to that item's info, PDF of info, AND promotional nutrition info (OMG the raspberry banana smoothie has 104 g CHO. This is ballsy, IMHO, considering the food they serve. Hats off to them!
http://www.wawa.com - easy to access nutrition info for their sandwiches, etc AND sandwiches you 'build'
http://www.outbacksteakhouse.com - some info, but confusing. "Toast - 1 Bread Exchange and 15 Carbs". Somewhat moot, though, as it's steak :)
posted by Kassie @ 2:12 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
For a while Ruby Tuesdays was actually printing the Cal/Carb/Fat ON THE MENU. That didn't last long when most of the items were actually over 1,000 cals each. Seriously freaked me out to eat anything. I think they realized that that was a little too much info.
For a while Ruby Tuesdays was actually printing the Cal/Carb/Fat ON THE MENU. That didn't last long when most of the items were actually over 1,000 cals each. Seriously freaked me out to eat anything. I think they realized that that was a little too much info.
grr..sorry about the double post.
Try Dotti's Weight Loss Zone at http://www.dwlz.com. She has gathered a TON of info on restaurants, particularly the chains, and it's not just points either.
To really be freaked out - see PF Chang's nutritional info on their website. Brown rice isn't going to save you from the delightful, wonderful Kung Pao Shrimp!
lol, sarah, I got all excited about four comments! :)
Ottoete - thanks for the tip! That site is terrific!
The most comprehensive list we have found is at ttp://www.calorieking.com/
You can just type in the chain name and it will bring up their available data.
If you are totally analytical (like I unfortunately am), you can buy their list for Palm or Pocket PC.
calorieking's got great info. I have to say, though, that I like the restaurant websites that let you browse through items and descriptions (like panera) and then show you the info. If I know what I plan to eat, though, calorieking rocks.
Kassie, I too have looked stuff up online before I've gone out to eat to figure out how much to bolus for. For what it's worth, Au Bon Pain and Dunkin' Donuts also post their nutritional info online.
The absolute best thing that happened to me in recent months was my neighborhod Panera closing. Even if I was going for a sensible lunch, you had to walk past the bakery section, which was very tempting (their shortbread cookies are fabulous).
Great information in this post and the comments. Thanks.
It seems this year I decided as well to start properly counting my carbs!! I know the theory, and can do it sucessfully...but when it comes down to it, I tend to "guess" and figure that 4.5 units will cover that pizza dinner fine...whoops....test and re-see after a few hours....
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