“We went to Cheesecake Factory tonight for dinner and in NY (we are in Albany, half way) they now have to print all calorie info on all menus.  CRAZY!!!!!!!!!  Things were like 2000, some 2400 for one dish.  Most everything was over 1000 even the salads.  It was really eye opening.  I opted for one of the “Weight Management Salad” which had 400-something calories with the low fat dressing.  It had chicken, blue cheese crumbles, pecans and pears – endives, lettuce, greens.  It was delish!!!

I could not believe how many calories everything had.  It made me veeeeeerrrrrry conscious of what to pick which is a good thing. Joel has ordered the burrito grande many times - 1900 calories!!  OK, it’s big but he can mostly eat 80 percent of it.  All the cheesecakes had about 1000 calories for a slice.  The kids meal grilled cheese and fries had over 800 calories and the chicken fingers/fries had 1000 and this is a KIDS meal.  CRAZY!!!!!”

Let me know what you think about the newly implemented N.Y laws and if you think they would be beneficial where you live.

P.S- My cousin is still in shock over the menu.

P.P.S – Wednesday’s Steps – 10,025 (Phew! Went for a 20 minute walk at 7.30 to get them all in! )

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2. Low Calorie, Low Fat Cheesecake. Minus the Cake.
3. How to Order Healthy at a Greek Restaurant

I don’t know if you’ve been in a Starbucks recently – but they are pushing their new instant iced coffee – VIA. That’s all well and good- and the coffee actually tastes good- but what makes me mad is how they are advertising it. They are offering samples and telling tasters that it’s “lightly sweetened”.

If you look at the back of the package and read the nutritional label, lightly sweetened it is not.

There are two ingredients in VIA. Sugar and Coffee. Sugar is THE FIRST ingredient.

One packet, which makes two cups (or one Grande sized drink) has 100 calories in it. Pretty low compared to a Strawberry Frappachino – but NOT lightly sweetened. It’s sweetened. I guess when the lady at the store told me it was ‘lightly sweetened’ I assumed that it had maybe 16 calories worth of sugar (1 teaspoon), not 100 (6 teaspoons) . ***It has just 20 calories less  than a Grande Coffee Frappachino Light.***

If they offered samples and simply said – yes there is sugar in here – I would not have to write this post – but it’s the way they are selling it that frustrates me. So, from me to you  – a friendly heads up!

At least this way when you make the decision buy the new instant iced coffee from Starbucks, you know what your drinking.

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1. My Picks at 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Starbucks
2. How to Order Healthy at a Greek Restaurant
3. Cravings, Cravings, Go Away.

• When you go to a barbecue your assuming your going to eat. I mean why wouldn’t you? That is what you do at a Barbecue. But your actually not going just to eat, your going so that you can socialize with friends and family! Eating is secondary (at least it is supposed to be!) Make connecting with people your first priority. This may help take focus off of the food. You may actually stop eying the potato chips you “shouldn’t eat”.
• Chat with someone while you’re eating and actually stop eating at 3 points during your conversation to just listen. Once again taking the focus off food. This will also help you to recognize when you’ve had enough. Stopping for a breather gives your mind a little time to catch up with your body so you actually get that “I’m feeling satisfied” signal. (Notice how I said satisfied and not FULL)
• Don’t talk with your mouth full. I knew my parents taught me this for a reason! When your telling a story – stop and talk. Don’t bite- talk – chew, bite – talk. One thing at a time. Put your plate down and tell your story. Again, another way to give your tummy a small break so that it has more time to signal to your brain that you’ve had enough.
• Offer to bring something to help out and make it something healthy. Something that can be your go-to in the event that your having trouble finding healthy options.
• Meet two new people. If you’ve been invited to a barbecue and don’t know everyone – make it your mission to chat with 2 new people. This gives you a task so that the task of standing beside the food table and guarding it with your eyes (and maybe your mouth) is someone elses responsibility.

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A small popcorn, buttered (5 cups) has approximately 470 calories and 37 grams of fat. Of which, 22 are saturated.

A large popcorn, buttered (20 cups) has approximately 1640 calories and 126 grams of fat. Of which, 73 are saturated. AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

A large un-topped popcorn has approximately 1, 200 calories- more than half a day’s worth for most people. And that’s without the topping!

This does not even factor into account the amount of sodium you get from a small bag of popcorn. Not to mention the sugary pop you may have to wash it down.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW… IS MOVIE THEATER POPCORN REALLY WORTH IT?

Some Ideas to avoid popcorn at the movies:

1. Bring your own home made air popped popcorn and save 345 calories, 35 grams of fat and 21.7 grams of saturated fat for 5 cups.
2. Get a large tea and drink it during the show! This is what I do The hot beverage takes any cravings I may have away. Plus it takes a long time to finish, leaving less time to think about popcorn.
3. Bring a bag of fresh cut veggies, an ounce of nuts or even a snack like a Lara Bar.
4. Some movie theaters now have Yogen Fruz in them. I sometimes get a small low fat with strawberries. Yumm.

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1. Drinking In Moderation During The Holidays
2. My Picks At Five Fast Food Restaurants – Pizza
3. Grab and Go Healthy Snacks

• Although I would avoid a burger at Wendy’s because of all the other great options – If you really want a burger go with a  junior. You would be surprised how quickly calories, fat and saturated fat add up on a 1/4 pounder.
• If you’re looking for chicken fingers – have the 4 pack! Remember, anything you dip those fingers in will have calories coming mainly from sugar. Stick to one side sauce.
• If you love Wendy’s fries and you’ve made the trip just to have your beloved fries- go with the kids meal size. Again, the small is not so small at all.

If you’ve just ended up at Wendy’s because it’s convenient- this is the time to try to stick to the healthier side of things. Don’t have fries or a burger just because it’s in front of you and you can smell it. Hard to do I know, but there are other healthy options here. Save your burger and french fry treat for when you really, really want it and make sure it’s a burger and french fry that you love. I personally save up for Swiss Chalet French Fries.

• If you’re having a salad at Wendy’s to be “healthy” be very careful of all the extra side packages that come with it! One package of Caesar salad dressing alone has 125 calories and 13 grams fat, the Oriental dressing has 170 calories and 10 grams of fat. A great idea is to half everything that comes on the side of your salad. 1/2 your dressing package, 1/2 the nuts that come with the oriental salad and if you must have the won-ton crisps, cut these in half too! Doing this alone will save you over 200 calories and 12 grams of fat.
• Go for something different! The chili at Wendy’s is great, high in fiber and low in fat and calories.
• Have a baked potato- but know that this is one BIG baked potato. Cut it in half. And remember anything you put on this potato will add up. 1 pkg of Reduced Fat Sour Cream is 45 calories, 1 buttery spread is 50 calories. Your looking at 140 calories for bacon bits with 11 grams of fat (4 of which are saturated)
• If you want something sweet at Wendy’s a junior frosty is the way to go. Like McDonald’s ice cream, the frosty is made with ice milk. Just be sure to stick to the junior size. As soon as you hit the “small’ size you’ve almost doubled the calories and fat of the junior.

If I missed one of your favorite fast food restaurants – feel free to comment or email me. I’ll be sure to use your request next time I post about fast food.

Related posts:

1. My Picks at Five Fast Food Restaurants – Mc Donalds
2. My Picks at 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Starbucks
3. My Picks At Five Fast Food Restaurants – Pizza

PIZZA HUT

1/8th of medium pizza (1 slice)* Remember 1 slice of a large pizza has more calories then listed because the slice will be bigger!

• All 6 Fit and Delicious menu choices are a good options here. For 1/8 of the pizza you’re looking at 150 – 180 calories and approximately 4 grams of fat.
• Stay away from the pan pizza. It’s double the calories, fat and sodium of the thin and crispy kind.

Visit http://www.pizzahut.com/Nutrition.aspx for more information.

DOMINO’S * 1/8th of medium Pizza. (1 slice)

Visit http://www.dominos.com/home/menu/nutrition.jsp for more information.

There are tons of pizza places! Of the fast food chains, these are the two I would visit. But. if you’re favorite pizza place did not make my list, here are some tips!

• Order the Thin Crust Pizza. But don’t fool yourself. Not all thin crust pizza’s are as low in calories as the ones listed.
• If it’s made to order, ask them to go easy on the cheese.
• Top your pizza off with veggies instead meat.
• If you really love meat on your pizza, try a Hawaiian- made with Canadian Back bacon and pineapple- this is the healthiest, leanest meat option of the unhealthy choices.
• Moderation. Have one piece and fill up on green salad. Especially if you are not aware of the calorie and fat content.
• If you’re having Pizza, try to stay away from all the other unhealthy options these restaurants now offer like wings and cheesy garlic bread.
• When in doubt- make your own! There are great whole grain, low calorie crust options in your supermarket.
• Go online and check out the nutritional information of your favorite slice. Trust me, some of these will surprise you!

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1. My Picks at Five Fast Food Restaurants – Mc Donalds
2. My Picks At 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Taco Bell
3. My Picks at 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Starbucks

McDonald’s has salads with grilled and crispy chicken!

• Stick to the grilled stuff.
• Just because it’s a ‘salad’ does not mean it’s healthy. Putting crispy (really fried in disguise) chicken on salad adds unwanted calories and fat.
• I would also stay away from the Cesar salad at McDonald’s. Once again, if you’re going to intake the calories in a Cesar (even with the light dressing) there is no point in eating a salad to begin with.
• Lettuce is not magically still healthy with crap on it.

Here are my picks for McDonald’s Salads and the dressings to go with them:

McDonald’s has all sorts of new fun things on their menu that never used to be there when we were kids. You’ll see things like wraps, new desserts and fajitas. So my first piece of advice is to stay away from this stuff. Having a wrap at McDonald’s is not worth it!!! If your going to splurge you might as well do it on what you grew up on!

Now, here is the compromise – you end up at McDonald’s because your kids cooperated at Walmart, or whatever the reason- this is NOT THE TIME to have a little fun! This is the time where you should look at the above chart and have a salad.

You should have a treat at McDonald’s when it’s something you want so bad that you actually get in your car and specially go out to get it, it doesn’t just happen to appear in front of you. And in this situation – here are a few standards that won’t break the calorie bank.

So here are some tips!

• The bun in the hamburger is actually where you are getting most your calories. So feel free to put a second normal patty on the bun for an extra 80 calories and six grams of fat.
• Feel free to have only half the bun and make it an open face burger. You’ll save over 75 calories, 2 grams of fat and 125mg of sodium.
• If you’re having the four piece McNuggets treat yourself to half an order of small fries.
• Careful with those dipping sauces! Each contain an average of 50 calories and are made with LOTS of sugar! Try to stick to one.
• If you’re just going for Nuggets get the 6 piece, if you’re just going for fries have the small.
• If you LOVE McDonald’s ice-cream, it’s actually not such a bad treat because it’s made with ice-milk.
• But stay away from the McFurry- over 700 calories! And stay away from tricky ‘healthy” things like muffins (more calories and fat than a cheeseburger or a 6 piece nugget!)

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1. My Picks At Five Fast Food Restaurants – Pizza
2. My Picks at 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Wendy’s
3. My Picks at 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Starbucks

Tip One- Look at the food display and think “what do i NEED” not “what do I want”.

Tip Two- Decide if you’re really hungry or if you’re just tempted because of all the delicious treats staring at you.

Tip Three- If you’re hungry- how far away is a healthy meal ? Is it an hour or two away ? Can you get away with a small healthy snack to tide you over or will you be having a meal at Starbucks ? It’s important to identify this because most people treat baked goods or drinks as snacks. But the reality is – your probably eating more calories and fat in your ‘snack’ then you would at a meal. So make sure to call it what it is. Snack or Meal.

TIP FOUR- If it’s SNACK time, pick one choice. Food or drink. (Unless of course your drink is calorie free like brewed coffee or tea).

Here are my picks:

SNACKS

1. A tall non fat latte. This should be able to tide you over until it’s time for a meal. I know it’s a drink, but it’s one that is full of lean protein. The low fat diary is great for your bones and the protein will help keep you full. Plus a hot drink lasts longer than a cold one- keeping your hands and mouth occupied.
2. A tall non fat vanilla latte. Forget the ‘skinny’ option. If you really want something a little sweet have the real thing. At 150 calories, it’s way better to  feed your body real sugar versus chemicals (which only saves you approximately 50 calories).
3. Nuts. This is a great addition to the menu at Starbucks but BE CAREFUL. These tiny packets of nuts have over 4 servings in them. Make sure you read the nutritional label. If it says 200 calories for 100g and there are 400g in a package – separate your bag into 4 servings and eat just one serving.
4. Perfect Oatmeal. Plain. Once you add all three sides (brown sugar, dried fruit and nuts you’re adding over 250 calories to your oatmeal). You can add them in, just make it a meal! The brown sugar is 50 calories, the nuts and the dried fruit are 100 each.

LIGHT MEAL

1. Fruit and Cheese plate – This is very high in fat. Less fat then a lot of the baking, but it’s still high. The reason? It comes with over 2 ounces of full fat cheese. I would eat half the cheese on this plate and cut the which would cut the caloires by approximately 100 and the fat by approximately 10 grams.
2. Yogurt Parfait – A low fat snack with dairy and protein – but it is high in sugar so watch out for cravings after you eat this one!
3. Reduced Fat Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich - I think they are starting to offer this with egg whites which would bring down the fat and calories even further. Of course, it’s high in sodium so watch your salt for the rest of the day
4. Egg White Spinach Feta Wrap- I’m not sure I trust the nutritional chart here. It says this sandwich contains 8 grams of fiber…??? This one is high in sodium too!
5. Vivano ask them to make it with fat free milk. – Careful this one is high in sugar, but it does contain protein and fiber. The great thing is, it will feel like a treat and it’s not so bad for you Just remember this drink is a light meal.

* You’ll notice I have no baked goods on my list. These are all processed goods- even the low fat options have at least 9 grams of fat in them. If you’re going to consume calories on baked goods, save it for home made or at the very least fresh from a bakery. If your very favorite treat comes from the display at Starbucks then treat yourself once in a while. But cut it in half and THROW the other half in the garbage RIGHT WHEN YOU GET IT. And of course, count it as a mini meal.

* I would stay away from the sugar free options as I’m not a fan of fake sure. A tall non fat vanilla latte is a good option for a treat.

* Be careful of the “unsweetened’ iced lemonades and teas. If unsweetened mean 20 – 30 grams of sugar then I don’t know what sweetened would mean. These DO have calories in them. They do have sugar in them.

Starbucks has great nutritional breakdowns of all there drinks and food items on line. If you’re not sure about something or want to know more about ingredients check it out!

http://www.starbucks.com

Related posts:

1. My Picks at Five Fast Food Restaurants – Mc Donalds
2. My Picks at 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Wendy’s
3. My Picks At 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Taco Bell

I get asked all the time by clients what to do if they end up in a stiuation where they have no choice but to eat at a fast food restaurant. I think it’s important to know what you can have because there are good choices – you just have to know what they are. Of course, my first recommendation is to pack a lunch or a healthy snack but this is not always possible in the reality that is life. So, if you end up staring over the counter at Taco Bell here are a few safe bets!

Taco Bell has a new Fresco Menu with 7 healthier options for you to choose from. I personally would stick to this menu and not veer from it.

What would I order ?

• I would have one taco from this menu to tide me over, fill up on water and wait until I got home for a healthy snack.
• If I was really hungry and the possibility of a healthy snack was not in the picture I would have two taco’s.
• To be honest, I would pick two taco’s over 1 burrito for the simple fact that eating two of something seems more satisfying than eating one!
• If you did want the burrito, that’s o.k! Have 1/2 of a burrito as a snack or a full one as a meal.

As you can see from the breakdown, with ALL fast food restaurants comes sodium. The FDA recommends you do not get more than 2400mg of sodium in a day. Some of these choices have 1/2 of your daily sodium in them – so if you do find yourself having to eat at Taco Bell just make sure you try to cut back on your sodium intake for the rest of the day. Sticking with unprocessed foods with help you.

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2. My Picks at 5 Fast Food Restaurants – Starbucks
3. My Picks at Five Fast Food Restaurants – Mc Donalds

It’s the summer. And with summer time comes cottage time for many people (If not a cottage then some form of family vacation)! It’s really hard to stay on track when you change your schedule, when you’re in someone’s kitchen or don’t have a kitchen at all! Every year – I too am faced with these challenges. We go to my relatives cottage for a week and I don’t have my own kitchen and I’m not on a normal schedule at all. Not to mention all the wine, chips & dip and pies I am tempted with. This is the way I try to face the challenge head on without allowing it to ruin my vacation. Water, water and more water! I drink a lot of water. Keeps me hydrated, keeps me full. Shop Till You Drop As soon as we arrive, I make my husband take me to the grocery store. I find this the most helpful thing to do while we are away. I make a list of all sorts of healthy snacks, breakfast ideas and possible lunches for the week ahead and then we do a huge shop. Lunch – The Final Frontier I don’t know if you find this or not, but for some reason when I’m away, lunch seems to vanish into thin air. It’s often skipped completely (maybe so that people can claim appetizer time as lunch time ).  I make sure I always have lunch. Even something small. This just helps me prepare for all the tempting salty and sweet treats at dinner. The Hour For Dippin’ Your Chips Around four or five o’clock it seems that the wine and appetizers always find a way onto the table. And most of the time, you eat so many appetizers that you actually don’t even need to eat dinner (but you do because it’s dinner and you don’t skip dinner!). This is tough, but I try to stay clear of appetizers. I do not, however, make them off limits.  If there is something that is really worth having – I have a sample. If it’s crackers and dip or something I can get anywhere, anytime – I try to stay away. There are so many treats on vacation why waste them on something you can eat at home! A Vacation Without a Little Wine? I have a glass a night, or none at all. Sometimes, you have wine just because everyone around you is having it- but you actually could do without the glass. If this is the case (a lot of the time it is for me) I pass on the wine and save it for another night. I’m not perfect! There may be one ( or two) nights where I have 2 glasses. The Dinner Bell! This is less of a challenge because normally it’s barbecue. I stick to the lean protein, veggies and salad. I stay clear of starches while I’m away because I get them in other forms (a treat here or there). If you are not so lucky as to have barbecue every night and you frequent restaurants, just try to stick to the same rules : protein, vegetables, salads. The Sweet Stuff Another tough challenge. Here is the thing,  I can not go to the cottage for 7 days and have dessert and appetizers every day without expecting to come home upset with how I feel afterward. If I want to go home and still fit into my jeans I have to learn to say no to things that are just not worth it. If my mother-in-law baked something fresh from scratch (I mean crust from scratch, filling from scratch- no cans, no boxes) then I will have a small piece. If the dessert is from a store or a box or a can- I TRY to stay away. Try is the operative word. Let’s not forget I am a human being and sometimes listening to your own advice is difficult. Even if I’m not perfect on my vacation, if I can follow my own rules 80 or 90 % of the time, it’s way better then throwing caution to the wind and overindulging for 7 days straight. I try not to focus on it, I just try to keep it in the back of my mind. When the appetizers or desserts come out (my biggest challenges) I try to stay conscious of what I am eating. If I can keep my brain from shutting off, I can keep myself from over-eating. 5432 Steps. Rained all day

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