DINING OUT ITALIAN STYLE WHEN YOU ARE DIETING

You might think when you are dining out at one of the country's larger Italian restaurant chains that you are sitting down to some of that famed healthy Mediterranean diet food you've heard so much about. Think again. More likely, if your dining at Olive Garden or Romano's Macaroni Grill you are getting a whole mountain of calories and saturated fat, suggests a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The report was published in last November's issue of the Center's Nutrition Action Healthletter.

Customers at two of the country's largest Italian food chains could be getting much more than they bargained for. They may be getting globs of calories and saturated fat, suggests a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Offerings at some popular Italian restaurant chains may fall far afoul of a healthy Mediterranean diet.

The report, published in the November 2007 issue of the Center's Nutrition Action Healthletter, panned popular Italian food chains Romano's Macaroni Grill and the Olive Garden for their less than healthful offerings.

Among the highlighted entrees was the Olive Garden's fettucine alfredo, which served 1,200 calories and 33 grams of saturated fat, according to an independent lab analysis commissioned by CSPI. Another entree at Macaroni Grill, spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce, slips 2,430 calories and 57 grams of saturated fat to unsuspecting diners. And perhaps you wondered why it was so hard to find nutritional information for Italian restaurant food chains.

Both the Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill quickly responded to the CSPI report. Both chains noted that customers at their restaurants were free to request healthful alternatives to many options on the menu.

The CSPI did applaud Macaroni Grill for posting its nutritional information online. But the huge portion sizes still make for unhealthy meals.

Here are some measures dieters can take at these restaurants:


* Split entrees.

*At the Olive Garden, tell the waitstaff not to bring breadsticks.

*Concentrate on veggies, fruit, protein and limit the starch.

*Stick with red sauces and avoid white cream sauces.

*Order a take-out container to be brought with your dinner. Put at least half of the huge dinner portion in the box for another night's dinner.

*Go with chicken or fish. The Pollo Magro ("Skinny chicken") is only 330 calories and 5 grams of fat. The salmon is only 490 calories, but it has 40 grams of fat.

*Order from the children's menu and save yourself more than half the calories and fat.

*Salads can be a good choice if you get the dressing on the side and use it
sparingly.

*Skipping the bread and olive oil will save you 500 calories.

*Choose healthy vegetable sides. The garlic mashed potatoes are 280 calories with 14 grams of fat as compared to a side of asparagus which is only 30 calories and 1 gram of fat.

Healthier food doesn't always lead to healthier eating. Most people know that olive oil is a healthier fat than butter, but it's not healthier if you eat a lot more of it. Researchers gave a group of diners at an Italian restaurant either butter or olive oil with their bread. Those with the olive oil consumed an average of 16% more fat with each slice of bread. However, they did eat 19% less bread. Wansink stressed the importance of focusing not only on the targeted food but also on the companion foods. Think about eating a healthier meal rather than focusing on separate parts of the meal.