Eating out and eating healthy usually don’t mix. A lot of my nutrition clients think they make good choices when eating out, but the truth is unbelievable. I researched a bunch of restaurants and found some startling numbers. Instead of checking out fast food joints who are known for their unhealthy food, I decided to target the less obvious places like Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Chili’s, and Baja Fresh.
I’m about to throw a bunch of shocking numbers at you. In order to understand their impact, you should have some sort of reference. On a nutrition label, the percent daily values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. More realistically, most people consume 2500 calories or more a day.
2000 Calorie Diet = Less than 65 Grams of Total Fat, 20 Grams of Saturated Fat
2500 Calorie Diet = Less than 80 Grams of Total Fat, 25 Grams of Saturated Fat
Other references:
A Can of Soda = 40 grams of sugar (that’s approximately 10 teaspoons of added sugar!)
Big Mac = 590 calories and 34 grams of fat
Snickers Bar = 280 calories, 14 grams of fat, 30 grams of sugar
Let’s just say that you wake up early in the morning and don’t have time to make yourself breakfast, but you NEED your morning coffee. So on your way to work, you stop by Starbucks to get your fix. While you’re there, might as well pick up a healthy snack???
- Mocha Frappuccino Blended Coffee, regular size (one of the scarier choices): 420 calories, 16 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 61 grams of carbs, 51 grams of sugar
- No Sugar Added Banana Nut Coffee Cake: 470 calories, 27 grams of fat, 63 grams of carbohydrates
- Low Fat Blueberry Apricot Muffin: 360 calories, 74 grams of carbs, 45 grams of sugar
It’s a hot day, so you want something lighter like a smoothie. Smoothies are filled with fruit so they are good for you, right??? Most traditional smoothies are low in total fat, but they are surely loaded with sugar and calories. Here are Jamba Juice’s most popular smoothies:
- Banana Berry, Original Size: 450 calories, 106 grams of carbs, 93 grams of sugar
- Peanut Butter Banana, Original Size: 840 calories, 29 grams of fat, 139 grams of carbs, 122 grams of sugar
When picking something on the menu, it can’t be too bad to choose a classic pasta dish with chicken or a basic chicken burrito with beans, rice, and cheese, right???
- Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta: 1500 calories, 78 grams of fat, 39 grams of saturated fat, 123 grams of carbs, 3040 mg of sodium
- Baja Fresh’s Chicken Burrito: 880 calories, 36 grams of fat, 18 grams saturated fat, 84 grams of carbs, 2190 mg of sodium
Needless to say, the combination of eating healthy and eating out is a tough mix. For healthier restaurant and menu options in Santa Barbara, check out my latest research. In America, our meals are valued on size. For some of the examples that I picked, one smoothie or one meal is providing all of your day’s calories, fat, or saturated fat. Not only is it important to select your food carefully, but it is wise to eat half and take the rest home with you.
Leave a Reply