Best and Worst Food at Chili’s

You can enjoy delicious food at Chili’s that won’t be an entire week’s worth of calories! You can also order a meal that is your entire day’s worth of calories – and then some! You just need to know what to order and what not to order.

Chili’s has a “Guiltless” line of food that may not be completely healthy (hey, it’s not your delicious homemade food, ok?!), but it is still a much better choice when you compare it to the other meals on the menu. I guess you can consider this a little splurge, but not completely over doing it?

What does “Guiltless” Mean?

If you check out the Chili’s menu, this is what they have to say about their Guiltless line of food:

“Guiltless Grill choices for your healthy lifestyle are featured on HealthyDiningFinder.com and meet HEALTHY DINING’S nutrition criteria: not more than 750 calories, 25 grams fat, and 8 grams saturated fat.”

If you know you are going out to eat at Chili’s, just plan on a single meal being 750 calories (or less!), and plan your other meals accordingly.

Guiltless Meals at Chili’s

Here’s a list of delicious food that is “Guiltess” and Chili’s. As you can see, a lot of them are less than 750 calories!

Note: Many of these meals you will need to ask for the “Guiltless” version, since the original is loaded with additional ingredients that make it have much more calories and fat.

Chicken & Green Chili Soup

Made with rice, green chiles and tomatoes. Topped with cilantro, avocado, and a lime wedge.

The information below is for the cup, not the bowl. If you want the bowl, it’s just double the amount as the cup. My only concern with the bowl is the amount of sodium.

Calories: 100

Total Fat: 4 g

Protein: 8 g

Sodium: 620 mg

Carbohydrates: 11 g

Fiber: 1 g

Santa Fe Chicken Wrap

With steamed broccoli. Served with low-fat ranch.

Calories: 680

Total Fat: 25 g

Protein: 37 g

Sodium: 2110 mg

Carbohydrates: 80 g

Fiber: 8 g

Grilled Salmon with Garlic and Herbs

Served with steamed broccoli and rice.

Calories: 480

Total Fat: 17 g

Protein: 49 g

Sodium: 1590 mg

Carbohydrates: 37 g

Fiber: 5 g

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

With steamed broccoli and Guiltless Grill honey-mustard dressing, wheat bun. No bacon or cheese is included on the “Guiltless” version.

Calories: 610

Total Fat: 13 g

Protein: 43 g

Sodium: 1320 mg

Carbohydrates: 78 g

Fiber: 8 g

Classic Sirloin

Served with carne asada rub,  pico de gallo, and steamed veggies on the side. My main concern with this meal is the amount of sodium in it (see below). I am still including this on the list since I think it can be a simple fix. Simply ask for the restaurant to use less of the carne asada rub, which is where most of the sodium comes from.

Calories: 370

Total Fat: 9 g

Protein: 53 g

Sodium: 3680 mg

Carbohydrates: 20 g

Fiber: 6 g

Worst Food at Chili’s

Now that I have listed some of the better options, here are a couple of foods I would absolutely avoid. I decided to have a little fun with this, and list the “winner” for the meals  with most calories, fat, sodium, and “most deceptive”!

Most Calories: Southern Smokehouse Burger w/ Ancho Chile BBQ

If I want to maintain my weight, I need to eat about 1,500 – 1,700 calories a day (with exercise!). This one meal exceeds the amount of calories I am supposed to eat in an entire day! No wonder people are gaining weight. Imagine eating this type of a meal every day. The calories add up, and so the pounds (of fat).

This meal comes with not only a ton of calories, but a ton of fat and sodium too.

Calories: 2290

Total Fat: 139 g

Protein: 93 g

Sodium: 6500 mg

Carbohydrates: 163 g

Fiber: 11 g

Most Fat AND Most Sodium: Jalapeño Smokehouse Burger w/ Ranch

That’s right, you read it right. This meal won two awards; most fat and most sodium! It almost won “most calories” too! Can one meal really be that unhealthy for you? Yes.

Fat can be healthy for you, if you get it from the right sources. Most -if not all- of the fat listed here is not from healthy sources. This is when fat is bad!

Oh yeah, I even found that this meal has more fat (remember, the bad kind!) than every single one of the desserts on the menu.

Calories: 2210

Total Fat: 144 g

Protein: 92 g

Sodium: 6600 mg

Carbohydrates: 136 g

Fiber: 11 g

Most Deceptive: Bottomless Tostada Chips w/ Salsa

The reason this appetizer won “Most Deceptive” is because  of a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s “bottomless”, which means you can keep refilling your chips and salsa again and again without paying anything extra. This is when the calories really add up. In addition to all of those calories, fat, carbs, and sodium you are consuming, we haven’t even counted your meal’s calories, fat, carbs, and sodium!

Calories: 1020

Total Fat: 51 g

Protein: 12 g

Sodium: 1210 mg

Carbohydrates: 125 g

Fiber: 11 g

You can see why one little meal can completely ruin your entire week’s efforts of trying to lose weight. It’s that easy.

Now that you have this information, both the healthy and not-so-healthy choices, I hope that you feel more confident that you can go out to eat without ruining your health goals completely.

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Image Credits: Chilis.com

For More Nutrition Information: Chili’s Nutrition

Tags: Chili's, Health, low calorie, low fat, low sodium, Nutrition, Nutrition Information, Restaurant, review

Olive Garden’s Healthy Salmon Dinner

Sometimes, it’s just nice to enjoy a dinner without having to worry about all of the cooking and cleaning. It’s also nice to enjoy a delicious dinner that isn’t full of empty calories and guilt.

If you are planning on a dinner at the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, you may want to consider trying the Herb-Grilled Salmon.

The dinner includes a salmon fillet that is seasoned with Italian herbs and extra-virgin olive oil. It also comes with seasoned broccoli.

Calories: 510

Total Fat: 26 g

Sodium: 760 mg

Carbohydrates: 5 g

Fiber: 2 g

This is a low calorie dinner, and one of the much healthier options to choose from when eating at the Olive Garden. I am not worried about the fat content, since Salmon and Olive Oil are full of very healthy fats that are actually good for your heart. This dish is a little high in sodium, which is due to the Italian herbs used to season the salmon. If you would like, ask if the amount of herbs used on the salmon can be reduced. It’s not a guarantee that the restaurant will be able to accommodate, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

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Image Credit: olivegarden.com

Tags: Health, low calorie, Nutrition, Olive Garden, Olive Oil, Restaurant, review, salmon

“Low Calorie” doesn’t mean “Healthy”

Everyone seems to be obsessed with the term “low calorie”. Companies market their product as a “low calorie” meal or snack, which as a result, leads consumers to believe they are buying a healthy product. Unfortunately for us, “low calorie” doesn’t mean that it is “healthy”! This concept is a huge misunderstanding that I would like to clear up for everyone.

When Low Calorie doesn’t mean Healthy

I went searching for what consumers thought was a great low calorie snack for weight loss. Here are some of the most common low calorie snacks consumers suggested to others, and my suggestions of healthy alternatives.

•JELL-O Brand Gelatin and Pudding Snacks- The low calorie snack packs make this product easy to consume on a daily basis, which is concerning once you read the label and see what ingredients are listed in the product. They may be labeled as sugar-free and fat-free, but there are tons of artificial sweeteners and unhealthy ingredients you just shouldn’t be putting into your body.

Alternative- You can make your own Pudding using Dr. Oetker’s Organic Pudding mix. You can make a small batch and divide it into small serving size containers to enjoy throughout the week. This product still contains sugar, but I think this is a better alternative than the snack packs mentioned above, but still should be used only in moderation.

•Quaker® Rice Cakes - What’s not healthy about a low calorie snack that is gluten free containing 9 grams of whole grains in it? Lots of sugar and corn syrup. Once you add the sugar and corn syrup (among other things) to the healthy ingredients, it’s no longer healthy.

Alternative- If you are looking for a yummy whole grain, check out Arrowhead Mills® Organic Puff cereals. You will find that there is only one ingredient in this product, just how it should be! They taste fantastic plain or with your choice of milk.

•Popcorn- These are usually full of ingredients that are anything but real butter. Lots of chemically altered ingredients and additives.

Alternative- Buy popcorn with nothing added or make it yourself.

•Frozen Desserts- Consumers recommended Sugar-Free Fudgsicles, Low-Fat Ice Cream Bars from The Skinny Cow®, and Sugar-Free Ice Pops. Notice a common theme here? Companies are selling frozen desserts in small quantities and replace the sugar and/or fat with even more harmful artificial ingredients and tell you that they are now healthy because they have fewer amounts of calories. Sadly, a lot of consumers fall for this gimmick.

Alternative- I love Organic Blackberry Sorbet Bars by Julie’s Organic. Natural ingredients with no sugar or artificial sweeteners added. You can also try making your own healthy desserts, such as frozen grapes!

•Dannon Light ‘n Fit Non-Fat Yogurt- This is made with Splenda®, and goes along the same line as the gelatin and pudding snacks.

Alternative- All Natural Yogurt or Greek Yogurt with no added ingredients.

•100 Calorie Snack Packs- These low calorie snack packs were highly suggested by consumers, mainly due to taste and because it’s a “mindless alternative”. You can choose from cookies, crackers, and chips. Low calorie? Yes. Healthy? Not one bit. The company just provided small portions that are prepackaged and sold as low calorie. These products are full of sugar, which creates fat in your midsection. Not something you should do for fat loss, right?

Alternative- There are plenty of healthy crackers or other snacks to much on, without all of the processed ingredients, additives, and preservatives.

•Fiber One® Chewy Bars- Consumers suggested this low calorie snack because they taste like a candy bar. Not surprised, considering these snacks contain a lot of sugar and high maltose corn syrup (a sneaky way of adding a cousin of “high fructose corn syrup” into products).

Alternative- Looking for a chewy bar that tastes delicious? Check out all of the Fruit and Nut Bars by LÄRABAR®. Most of the flavors are made with healthy ingredients, with only six ingredients or less. The Pecan Pie flavor, for example, only has three ingredients; dates, pecans, and almonds. You wouldn’t believe these are healthy and low calorie once you taste how delicious these bars are.

•Campbell’s® Healthy Request® Soup- The soup may only have 90 calories per serving, but with two servings per can, most people are going to eat more than one serving. 180 calories still isn’t all that bad, but considering there are 410 mg of sodium per serving, that means you would be consuming 820 mg of sodium in just one serving. This soup may be marketed as “Heart Healthy”, but that still doesn’t make this soup healthy for you. It’s crazy how marketing works sometimes.

Alternative- Make your own homemade soup. Even if you buy an Organic or All Natural Soup with very few ingredients (think Amy’s Kitchen soups), you are still going to find more sodium than you bargained for.

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Image Credits: arrowheadmills.com; larabarstore.com

Tags: all natural, artificial ingredients, Dessert, gelatin, Healthy, Healthy Alternative, healthy snack, jell-o, Lara Bar, low calorie, low calorie snack, Nutrition, Organic, Popcorn, pudding snacks, snack, soup, sugar, USDA Organic

deluxe honeydrop™ Products

I am so excited to introduce to you healthy beverages that are new on the market! Since learning about the company’s origins, USDA Certified Organic products using simple yet beneficial ingredients, and learning how I can make my own adorable custom “bee tee”, I have recently become obsessed with this fabulous new company! The company is called deluxe honeydrop™, and I’m sure you are going to fall in love with their products as much as I have.

How it all started…

Cancer survivor David Luks developed deluxe honeydrop™ during cancer treatments at Sloan Kettering two years ago where he learned about the benefits of an organic lifestyle. With that knowledge, he decided to create a drink from the land, not the lab.

I got the idea for honeydrop in the wake of having survived cancer. One day, my nutritionist handed me an article about honey and honey’s many health benefits. The article explained that honey is a naturally sweet byproduct of pollination that contains antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.

Like many of us, David realized that the brands that were promoting their use of honey in products were actually using mostly refined (white) sugar. This of course, defeats the purpose of trying to have a healthy beverage.

Luckily for you and me, David decided to create these healthy and delicious beverages for us – without adding sugar, corn syrup, or artificial products.

Healthy Beverages

Currently, deluxe honeydrop™ includes two organic honey infused organic juices and one organic tea. These beverages are comparable to drinks like Vitamin Water – except these are actually good for you. The beverages contain only 40 calories per serving (2 servings per 16.9 oz PBA-free, recycleable bottle) and each bottle has a spoonful of real honey from Brazil.

The flavors include:

Bee Calm – Chamomile, Tea & Honey

Bee Strong – Blueberry & Honey

Bee Alive –    Blood Orange & Honey

Benefits of Honey

Honey protects against obesity and hypertension; it is lower on the glycemic index (64) relative to sugar (100), making it a more ideal sweetener for diabetics.

Honey is also a great alternative for athletes since it contains glucose and fructose; glucose burns slowly for lasting energy, and fructose burns fast for instant energy and performance.

Honey also naturally helps alleviate sore throats, and contains antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

I seriously wonder why anyone would anyone want to use processed sugar over honey!

Where to Buy

This is still a relatively new product, so you will want to make sure that you find or request honeydrop™ beverages at your local grocery or health food store!

Right now,  there are 125 Whole Foods stores across the country carrying deluxe honeydrop™ beverages,  with more expansion planned in 2011.

Enjoy the delicious low calorie beverages, and let me know which one is your favorite – I know, hard to choose which one, right?!

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Image credits: honeydrop.com

Tags: antioxident, athlete, bee, beverage, Blood Orange, Blueberry, chamomile, David Luks, deluxe honeydrop™, diabetic, Fructose, glucose, Health, health food store, Healthy, healthy lifestyle, honey, honeydrop™, hypertension, low calorie, minerals, natural sugar, obesity, organic living, processed Sugar, product review, Sore Throat, sugar, sweetener, tea, USDA Organic, vitamins, Whole Foods

Healthy Tips for Thanksgiving

Here are some healthy tips to help you survive on Thanksgiving Day…

Exercise

A great way to start your Thanksgiving day is to exercise. If you plan on consuming more calories because of this traditional high calorie meal, a hearty workout will be very beneficial for you, including your waistline.

Exercise is a great way to start your day, which can also help you maintain healthy choices throughout the day.

You may want to focus on an cardiovascular workout, such as swimming, jogging, or using an elliptical machine. All would be great ways to burn a lot of calories for the day.

Drink Water

Just like any other day, it is important to drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated. A benefit to drinking enough water is that you eat less than you would if you were dehydrated, which helps keep you full so you don’t overeat.

Healthy Snacks

Snacking throughout the day is great – only if you munch on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Remember that Pumpkin pie is a dessert, not a healthy snack to curb your appetite.

Portion Control

Did you know that the average Thanksgiving meal can be 2,000 calories or more? The reason for this isn’t necessarily for what is being eaten, but how much of it is eaten. Be sure to eat a healthy breakfast and snacks before your Thanksgiving Lunch or Dinner. This way, it won’t feel like this is the first and only meal you have had all week.

Healthy Thanksgiving Meal…Mostly!

Be sure to fill your plate with mostly healthy foods rather than piling it with high calorie, fattening, or sugary foods. This way you still get to enjoy some of your favorite traditional food without over indulging.

Remember that treats like candied yams should remain a treat and not become the main course.

Satisfied, not Full

Thanksgiving meal isn’t a race to see who can eat the most in the shortest amount of time. Like any other meal, you shouldn’t continue eating after you are satisfied.

To avoid this painful scenario, be sure to follow these tips:

• Start with just a small amount of food on your plate. If you put a lot of food on your plate from the start, you are more likely to finish your plate, even if you are completely satisfied or full. If you finish your small plate of food and you are still hungry, go ahead and add more food to your plate. It’s easier to add food to your plate later than to test your self control.

• Eat slowly!  It takes about 15 to 20 minutes before your stomach realizes that it is “full”.  At that point, the sick feeling of overeating is unavoidable. It’s Thanksgiving, and it’s OK to eat slowly and enjoy your family and friends.

• Stop eating once you are “Satisfied”. This is a signal that your body gives you letting you know that you have enough food.

Enjoy your family and friends, and have a Healthy Thanksgiving!

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Tags: cardiovascular, drink water, elliptical machine, exercise, Healthy, healthy meal, Healthy Snacks, holiday, jogging, low calorie, portion control, satisfied, small plate, snacks, swimming, Thanksgiving, water, workout