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America's healthiest restaurants: some of the best casual dining spots
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You may be like most busy people and eat out frequently for the convienence factor but as nice as it is to not have to cook, those meals out can actually feel like work. How do you navigate the minefields of huge portions, hidden fats, and sky-high sodium levels?
You shouldn't have to resign yourself to paying for restaurant meals with a future cardiac risk. You just need to know where to go to find healthy, fresh food. Backed by an advisory panel of experts in healthy dining, Health magazine sifted through 43 chains with more than 75 locations across the country and, frankly, were astonished by how many restaurants made no nutritional information available. Here are the 10 restaurants that stood at the top of the heap:
Uno Chicago Grill
unos.com
If you haven't tried Uno's recently, you're in for a great surprise. Sure, its famous deep-dish (read high-fat) pizzas still hold court, but nutrition has become the word of the day with a completely trans fat-free menu and plenty of grilled entrees (including antibiotic-free chicken). Adding to the healthy variety: whole-grain pasta and brown rice, organic coffee and tea, and flatbread pizzas that have half the calories of deep-dish ones. Plus, you can add a salad to your pizza for half-price because, according to the menu, "We want you to get some greens in your diet." Now that's a blue-ribbon commitment to health. Another reason Uno's is at the top of our list: You know what you're eating. In the lobbies of most of the restaurant's locations, there are Nutrition Information Centers that detail ingredients, fat and sodium contents, and calories and fiber of every item, in addition to gluten-free options.
Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes
http://souplantation.com
Can a buffet-style restaurant-that symbol of American overindulgence-possibly be one of the healthiest restaurants in the country? It can in this case, because this salad-soup-and-bakery eatery (Southern California locations are named Souplantation, everywhere else they're called Sweet Tomatoes) uses produce so fresh that it's guaranteed to have been "in the ground" 24 hours before it's in a refrigerated truck on its way to the restaurant. At the salad bar you'll find seasonal vegetables like squash and bell peppers, freshly tossed and prepared salads, and a great range of nonfat dressings. San Marino Spinach With Pumpkin Seeds and Cranberries, anyone? This is paradise for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone who's looking for a low-sodium, low-fat, high-nutrient meal outside the home.
Mimi's Cafe
http://mimiscafe.com
This cozy café-style restaurant transforms normally less-than-healthy foods into better-and still tasty-options: a half-pound cheeseburger wrapped in lettuce (that's right, no bun); the cutely named Naked French Market Onion Soup, served without cheese. Another thing to love is the way that Mimi's clearly steers you toward its healthy options. Its "Lifestyle Menu" points you to low-carb picks like the fish of the day served with fresh steamed veggies. Also, Mimi's keeps portions small, so you can get away with occasionally having one of their more indulgent entrees like the Sweet & Sour Coconut Shrimp (608 calories).
P.F. Chang's China Bistro
http://pfchangs.com
Take the best aspects of Asian cuisine-a combination of fresh vegetables and protein-surround them with healthy influences such as whole-grain brown rice, wild-caught, sustainable Alaskan salmon, and all-natural chicken, and you have a recipe for delicious, healthy dining. Wok-based cooking (which requires less oil) using soybean oil keeps fat contents low, and less sodium in the sauces rounds out P.F. Chang's healthy take on Chinese food. Special credit goes to their nutritional information being based on the whole entrée, not a single serving like at most places.
Bob Evans Restaurants
http://bobevans.com
You wouldn't think a restaurant that prides itself on sausage could muscle its way into the top five healthiest restaurants in the country. But Bob Evans scores high on its dinner menu, which has plenty of low-carb, low-fat entrees and alternatives for children and adults (chicken tenders that are grilled instead of fried, potato-crusted flounder, and salmon stir-fry). Look for sides like steamed broccoli florets and fresh fruit, and enjoy old-fashioned family meals in a modern, nutrition-forward way.
Ruby Tuesday
http://rubytuesday.com
If this survey was done in 2004, Ruby Tuesday might have won the blue ribbon for printing all its nutritional content right on the menu. It was revolutionary, and, frankly, it didn't last. But the healthy ethos survived in the chain's ingredients: organic greens, hormone-free chicken, trans fat-free frying oil, and better-for-you beverages including Jones organic teas and made-to-order drinks like all natural lemonades (think real fruit and juice). It's easy to find the good stuff-it's highlighted-and the offerings range from a chicken wrap in a whole-wheat tortilla to broiled tilapia.
Romano's Macaroni Grill
http://macaronigrill.com
This Italian eatery puts its entire menu's nutritional content online, so you know before you go what to steer clear of-mainly, the massive baked pastas. But what pushed Macaroni Grill onto our best list is its "Sensible Fare" menu, with entrees like Simple Salmon, a grilled fillet sided by grilled asparagus and broccoli. Grazie for whole-wheat penne available as a substitute in any dish. And bravo for including a grilled skinless chicken breast with steamed broccoli and pasta on the kid's menu.
Olive Garden
http://olivegarden.com
Like Macaroni Grill, this Italian eatery has great-for-you options, as long as you keep your wits about you (again, avoid the baked pastas!). Use the olive-branch icon on the menu to find low-fat "Garden Fare" items such as Venetian Apricot Chicken, (448 calories, 11 grams fat). Even the fries aren't a disaster, because they're done in trans fat-free oil. You can grab some whole-grain goodness, too, by choosing the whole-wheat linguine at dinner as a substitute for any pasta.
Chevy's Fresh Mex
http://chevys.com
Chevy's makes a big deal out of the "fresh" in its name, and with good reason-no cans in the restaurant, fresh salsa blended every hour, fresh avocados smashed every day for guacamole, and watch-them-made tortillas. All oils are trans fat-free, and the Mexican-style fare has lots of healthy options including Grilled Fish Tacos.
For healthy menu visit options in New Orleans check out http://http://www.examiner.com/x-8725-New-Orleans-Weight-Loss-Examiner~y2009m7d28-Weight-loss-401-Where-can-I-find-healthy-menu-options-in-New-Orleans.
For a list of the best and worst fast food choices http://visit http://www.examiner.com/x-8725-New-Orleans-Weight-Loss-Examiner~y2009m4d24-Fast-food-may-be-easy-on-your-wallet-but-bad-for-your-waistline.
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