Many popular chain restaurants list in their menus “low-fat, low-calorie” options. These are targeted at health-conscious or want to be health-conscious eaters.
According to a new study, those meals may not be so guilt-free as they’re made out to be.
Eight Scripps TV stations took a sampling of diet menu items from popular chains such as Applebee's, Macaroni Grill, Chili's, Taco Bell and Cheesecake Factory. The took the carry out items to a lab for testing. Lab technicians tested a total of 23 items, finding that 78 percent had higher fat content than listed on the menu and almost 69 percent exceeded the calorie count listed, ABC News reported.
Cheesecake Factory
Bread & Butter - Listed: N/A
Test found: 1,428 cal / 65.6g fat
Pear and Endive Salad - Listed: 590 cal / fat N/A
Test found: 641 cal / 49.7g fat
Macaroni Grill
Skinny Chicken - Listed: 500 cal / 6g fat
Test found: 1,022 cal / 49g fat
Simple Salmon - Listed: 600 calories / fat N/A
Test found: 555 calories / 35.6g fat
On the Border Mexican Grill
Chicken Fajitas - Listed: 570 cal / 9g fat
Test found: 654 cal / 26.5g fat
Chips, Salsa & Queso Dip - Listed: N/A
Test found: 2,067 calories / 117.1g fat
Guiltless Grill Black Bean Burger - Listed: 650 cal / 12g fat
Test found: 770 cal / 32.4g fat
Guiltless Grill Chicken Sandwich - Listed: 490 cal / 8g fat
Test found: 566 calories / 23.3g fat
Taco Bell
Fresco Bean Burrito - Listed: 330 cal / 7g fat
Test found: 449 cal / 19.1g fat
Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco - Listed: 160 cal / 4.5g fat
Test found: 297 cal / 19.6g fat Source: KNXV
Federal regulations allow food labels to say there's zero grams of trans fat as long as there's less than half a gram per serving. And many packages contain more than what's considered one serving. The problem is that people often eat more than one serving and many people may eat two to three servings at a time.
Trans fat occurs naturally in some dairy and meat products, but the main source is partially hydrogenated oils, formed when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to harden them. Imagine what that does to your insides. Obviously and with good cause, consumer groups and health officials have campaigned to get rid of trans fat because it contributes to heart disease by raising levels of LDL or bad cholesterol while lowering HDL or good cholesterol. Fast-food restaurants are switching to trans fat-free oils and New York City and Philadelphia are forcing restaurants to phase out their use of trans fat.
The Food and Drug Administration began forcing food companies to list the amount of trans fat on nutrition labels of packaged foods in January 2006. That led many companies to switch to alternative fats.
Here is the skinny.
The American Heart Association recommends that people limit trans fats to less than 2 grams per day. However, because of a 'margin of error', labels are allowed to be within a half-gram threshold. Any trans fat in products labeled zero trans fat is likely to be far less than the half-gram threshold. For example, a little partially hydrogenated oil might be used to help seasoning stick.
So, at what calorie/nutrtion/fat costs will restaurants go to make their meals look more sellable?
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It is well known (around the world) that "healthy food" business is getting bigger, so everyone tries to earn from it regardless the real effect they can cause to consumers
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