Healthy Foods from Restaurant Chains

It seems like every article I've read lately on foods served in restaurants focuses on the massive amounts of fat, calories and sodium that is packed into seemingly harmless dishes. Like the turkey burger from Ruby Tuesday that contains 1,065 calories and 65g of fat! No, this nutritional count does not even include fries (or any side dishes for that matter). I agree that it is definitely appalling, but don't fret - there is still some decent restaurant fare out there.

Uno's Chicago Grill
This chain is known for its deliciously caloric deep-dish pizzas, but whole grains (pastas & rice) are starting to creep onto their menu! Or if you're in the mood for pizza (why would you eat here if you weren't?!) try out one of their flat bread pizzas, which have half the calories of the deep dish version.

Gotta try it: Roasted Eggplant, Spinach & Feta Flatbread Pizza - 220 calories and 9g of fat per serving.

Run, and never look back: Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza - 770 calories and 54g of fat per serving. Yikes!

Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes
Buffets always lead to overindulgence, so how can this place have healthful options? Sweet Tomatoes (aka Souplantation if you live in Southern California) actually guarantees that it's fruits & veggies were "in the ground" 24hrs before being placed on the refrigerated truck that delivers them right to the restaurant. Fresh is always best.

Gotta try it: Oriental Ginger Slaw w/ Krab (prepared salad) - 70 calories and 3g of fat per 1/2c serving.

Run, and never look back: Roasted Mushroom w/ Sage Soup - 320 calories, 26g of fat and 1,100mg of sodium per 1 cup serving. Definitely deceptive.

PF Chang's China Bistro
PF Chang's makes a decent attempt at "healthifying" Chinese food. They offer whole grain rice, lots of fresh veggies, have made a valid attempt at reducing the sodium in their dishes and use soybean oil to keep fat content low. There are still a couple frightening dishes on their menu, but if you plan right, you can get a delicious plate of Chinese food that won't cause you guilt.

Gotta try it: Cantonese Shrimp - 330 calories and 12g of fat.

Run, and never look back: Orange Peel Beef - 1568 calories and 85g of fat.

Bob Evans
Good old Bob Evans, always advertising its sausage. How can anything coming from a place that prides itself on chopped up fat and pig parts be good for you? I'm not saying that their menu has the healthiest choices, but you can definitely find something reasonable if you ever find yourself "down on the farm".

Gotta try it: Slow roasted turkey with mashed potatoes - 291 calories and 11g of fat.

Run, and never look back: Hershey's Hot Fudge Cake, a la mode - 968 calories and 46g of fat (29 saturated)

Denny's
Yet another restaurant that you wouldn't ever consider a healthy place to eat. Fortunately they do offer a "fit fare" menu, which is a big step in the right direction from its standard menu.

Gotta try it: Veggie eggbeater omelette - 332 calories and 8g of fat.

Run, and never look back: Lumberjack Slam - 1,128 calories and 68g of fat. That's one big lumberjack.


While the above chain restaurants may not offer the most healthful foods, at least you know that you can order something fairly reasonable if you ever find yourself sitting in one of their booths. The best thing about all of these restaurants is that they list the nutrition information for all of their menu items right on their website. While the calorie, fat and sodium content of many of the food items may completely shock you, at least they are willing to divulge the information so you know what to avoid.

The best type of consumer is an educated one. Make sure you fall into that category!