If you’re like me, you’re probably trying to lose some weight. Everyone tells me that this means no more going out to restaurants. Restaurant meals are diet booby traps because you don’t really know what ingredients went into your meal and the amount of food you get is usually way more than anyone should eat at one sitting.
This is all changing rapidly as more and more restaurants are now including nutritional information right on their menus. In some states, this is mandated by law and in others the more forward thinking restaurants are taking it on themselves to be up-front about what you’re getting in that lasagna you just ordered.
In many restaurants it’s now becoming common to see a wealth of detailed information on menus such as calorie counts, sodium levels and amount of saturated fats. Now, along with the ingredients that went into your lasagna you can also see how much salt you’re taking in as well. You have to be a little careful though to make sure that just because it says “low fat” next to a menu item that there isn’t a high level of other undesirable ingredients such as sodium or cholesterol. Low fat is a good idea but not if it’s at the expense of other nutritional goals.
The increased focus on providing the information on what’s in your food has lead some food makers to get a little creative with the claims they put on the labels. Package labels now boast of ingredients that can cure your cancer, lower your risk of heart disease and make you immune from Alzheimer’s disease based on ingredients that have changed only slightly or in some cases, not at all. After all, slapping a label on a bag of apples that says “Gluten Free” is a little misleading to people who don’t realize that apples never did and never will contain gluten.
Consumers are slowly becoming educated about their food choices and are growing in awareness of the implications of what they’re eating. In a 2008 survey by the FDA, well over 50% of the respondents said that they always read the nutrition labels before they put food into their shopping carts. Over 40% reported that they weren’t tricked by dubious claims of “heart health” or “low fat”.
Many restaurants and grocery stores are beginning to understand that it’s good for business to recognize that people want more transparency in what goes into their food. More and more restaurants are offering gluten free and other specialty menu items to bring in those customers who, because of food allergies, had little choice in where they went out for dinner. Ultimately, this is good for the customer and good for the business as well.
Learn more about nutrition and health. Visit HealthyLiving411.com where you can find reviews and articles to choose the best diet plan for you.
