Even those of us who try to avoid chain restaurants sometimes find ourselves with a growling stomach and nothing but Applebee’s in sight. I usually fall into the chain-restaurant trap during unexpected airport layovers, and I find few things more disappointing than an unhealthy meal that doesn’t even taste good. Fortunately, Health Magazine recently named America’s healthiest chain restaurants, and Uno Chicago Grill tops the list:
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.
Health’s favorite dish is Uno’s penne Bolognese, which has “just 16 grams of fat (well within the daily recommended max of 65 grams of fat for a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet).”
Meanwhile, Forbes explores healthy on-the-go eating by recommending new nutritious snack foods. First on the list is the Think5 bar made by ThinkProducts. It contains the USDA’s recommended daily allowance of five servings of fruits and vegetables—with “spinach, watercress and a blend of broccoli, carrots and other veggies”—but according to Forbes, it “pops with the taste of cranberry.” Has anybody tried one? Personally, I think I’ll stick with my unprocessed veggies and fruit—even though five servings can sometimes pose a challenge.
With 250 calories, 14g of fat, and 15g of sugar per 1/3 cup serving, I don’t think the La Brea Snack Granola will be a “healthy” snack for me.
Five servings is a challenge? You know that nutritionists actually believe you should get 9, right? Five is supposed to be the more marketable, easy approach for people who are fruit/vegetable resistant.
Of course, it’s worth remembering that a serving is often smaller than people think it is. The meat and two veg plate often has three or four servings worth of vegetables, at least at my house.
Right. A “serving” isn’t one portion as served. It’s a fairly small amount (about four ounces for most things).
From 5aday.org: a serving size is:
One medium-size fruit
1/2 cup raw, cooked, frozen or canned fruits (in 100% juice) or vegetables
3/4 cup (6 oz.) 100% fruit or vegetable juice
1/2 cup cooked, canned or frozen legumes (beans and peas)
1 cup raw, leafy vegetables
1/4 cup dried fruit
So, for example, a smallish salad with a cup of lettuce, a couple of tomato wedges and some cucumber is at least two servings — a salad with some decent vegetables would be more.