Read the Label Before Ordering Your Food

Three years ago, New York City Board of Health banned smoking in restaurants.

Then the Board initiated the move to ban trans fat from all of their food.

Early this year, the Board required the city’s chain restaurants with more than 15 units nationally to list nutritional information and calories on menus and menu boards. These include TGI Friday’s, Outback Steakhouse, Chipotle, Quiznos, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Subway, Auntie Anne’s, Jamba Juice and Chevys chains.

Now these restaurants are required to list the calories along with prices of the foods on the menus to comply with regulations. Click here for details.

When you eat out, it's difficult control the ingredients in the food and how it's prepared. It's likely that you don't know how much you're eating. Now you get a chance to know the calorie and price of the item on the menu. Many people got this whooping calorie shocking reaction in addition to the price-sticker shock.

The typical reaction is ...

"Wow...!! I couldn't believe a small muffin has that many calories."

"I thought I'm eating healthy by just eating salad. But that plate of salad with everything on it cost me 1300 caloires?!"

"That Grande Frappuccino is 430 caloires?! and loaded with fat!!"

Now get this ...

Taco Bell Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef = 1,450 calories

Outback Bloomin' Onion = 2,310 calories

Wendy 3/4 Pound Triple with Cheese = 980 calories

Chiptole Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito = 1,179 calories

Chili Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream = 1,600 calories

McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips with creamy ranch sauce = 830 calories

Starbucks Pecan Magic Bar = 450 calories


The so-called "low-calorie" or "low-fat" meals in restaurants may not be that low as you would think. Read more about the 16 secrets the restaurant industry doesn't want you to know.

... just food for thoughts ... and think twice before you replace your order.

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Trans Fat Ban in New York City's Restaurants

The New York City Board of Health made one of the nation's first and most healthy moves to ban and phase out artificial trans fat from the city's restaurants. Click here to read more.

Artificial trans fat has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and death by increasing bad LDL cholesterol and decreasing good HDL cholesterol. The proposal sets a timetable for restaurants to switch to oils, margarines and shortening that have less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. Restaurants will still have until next July 1 to eliminate oils, margarines and shortening from recipes that contain more than a half-gram of trans fat per serving. By July 1, 2008, they would have to remove all menu items that exceed the new limit, including bread, cakes, chips and salad dressings. The requirement for posting caloric content will take effect next July 1, and applies to restaurants that before March 1, 2007, already provided calorie counts on Web sites or in some other public format. Health officials said it would apply to about 10 percent of the city’s restaurants, mainly large chains that have highly standardized menus and portions.

This measure is widely opposed by the restaurant industry. But it would be a model for other cities. Chicago is considering a similar prohibition that would affect restaurants with more than $20 million in annual sales.

Click here to learn more about trans fat and cholesterol.