FatBloggers.net A little push to lose the tush.

As a dedicated calorie counter (I try to limit to 1200 calories per day), I’ve found a new favorite (chain) restaurant.  It’s Uno Chicago Grill.  Now, I admit may seem like an unusual, and possibly terrible choice for someone on a diet.  After all, their signature single serving deep dish pizzas start at 1700 calories, and go as high as 2330 calories per serving!!  Talk about a great way to blow a diet.  By the way, that 2330 calorie option is the “Farmer’s Market Vegetable” pizza - so don’t pick that one thinking it’s the most healthy…

Given that information, what could I possibly like about this place?  Two things: they have a lot of other good choices besides those calorie stuffed pizzas, and they make the nutritional information of their entire menu available from a little computer kiosk at the front of the restaurant.  I know exactly how much of what I can have, and still stay 100% on target for my diet.  Perhaps more importantly, it simply lets me enjoy myself while eating at a restaurant, which is extremely difficult when I have to worry about what and how much I can or can’t have to stay on target. 

I was even more thrilled the last time I went to Uno’s, because they had a new “summer fresh” menu, which was just a two page menu addition with some new salads.  Certain items on this menu had a “under 600 calories” designation right on the menu.  I didn’t even have to go check their in-store computer.  I knew I had enough calories left for the day to allow for at least 600, so I happily picked one, and thoroughly enjoyed my Asian Chicken Salad, to the last bite.

As far as I’m concerned, if Uno Chicago Grill can make their dish’s nutritional information readily available on location, anybody can (and should!).  I know a lot of places don’t agree though.  Some business are throwing fits about a New York Board of Health requirement that calorie information be printed on menus, in the same size as the menu item description.  I’m not sure that dictating exactly how the information is provided is a good idea, but the backlash from some business is ridiculous.  Coldstone Creamery is apparently so angry about this, they have simply stopped providing nutritional information altogether, unless you e-mail them and wait about 5 days for a response.  They don’t publish the information online at all anymore.  That pisses me off.  Just because I’m on a diet doesn’t mean I don’t want some ice cream sometimes.  I just want to be informed and smart about it.  Now they’re forcing me to make a uninformed decision about my diet, or to eliminate me as a customer. 

The worst of the worst however are the large chain restaurants that don’t provide nutritional information at all.  In the case of small places, I understand that may be a cost they can’t afford to take on, but the big guys really have no excuse.  Case and point, Red Robin.  Apparently they’re so ashamed of their food, they won’t tell you a single thing about it.  Not online, not in the store, not via e-mail, not anywhere.  I recently had the unhappy experience of finding this out only AFTER I had dinner there one night.  I did my best to eat reasonably, assuming I’d be able to check and confirm my choices were ok online after I got home, but there was no information to be found.  Searching for it only turned up more complaints and dismissive form-letter-type responses from folks requesting their nutritional information. 

I have to admit I never expected I’d get so worked up about nutritional information at restaurants, but being serious about my diet means I really have to take this kind of stuff seriously.  Dieting is hard work.  Anybody that makes it easier gets gold starts in my book.  I guess anybody that makes it harder just doesn’t care for my business.