112

Other Picks

113

Other Passes

Not That!Monterey Chicken

870 calories

47 g fat (18 g saturated)

2,720 mg sodium

If there were ever any question about what happens when you wrap

chicken and bacon together inside a cocoon of cheese, now you know: You get stuck with

90 percent of your day’s saturated fat and more than a full day’s worth of sodium.

And that’s before you add the sides.

Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad1,150 calories84 g fat (17 g saturated)4,410 mg sodium

Guiltless Black Bean Burger610 calories11 g fat (2 g saturated)1,790 mg sodium

Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie1,290 calories68 g fat (33 g saturated)163 g carbohydrates

FOOD COURT

Chili’sEat ThisMargarita Grilled Chicken(served with rice, black beans, and pico de gallo)

530 calories

8 g fat (2 g saturated)

1,650 mg sodium

A third of the calories in this meal

come from belly-filling protein, and on top of that, it delivers

an impressive 17 grams of fiber. Plus research shows the

anthocyanins in black beans can improve your

brain’s ability to process information.

Chicken Caesar Salad710 calories

42 g fat (8 g saturated)1,010 mg sodium

Guiltless Carne Asada Steak370 calories

10 g fat (8 g saturated)1,440 mg sodium

Sweet Shot Red Velvet Cake250 calories

9 g fat (5 g saturated)39 g carbohydrates

From burgers to baby back ribs, Chili’s serves up

some of the coun-try’s saltiest, fattiest fare. Worst among the offenders are the burgers, fajitas, and appetizers, including the 1,690-calorie Loaded Beef Nachos. The Guiltless Grill menu is Chili’s attempt to offer healthier options, but with only seven items and an average sodium content of 1,234 milligrams, it’s a meager attempt at nutritional salvation.

D

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

There’s not too much to choose from after you eliminate the ribs, burgers, fajitas, starters, and salads. You’re best bet is the Create Your Own Combo section. Pair a spicy shrimp skewer with Margarita Chicken or sirloin and a side of black beans and salsa.

THE CRIMECrispy

Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers

(1,650 calories)

THE PUNISHMENTSwim freestyle

laps for 3 hours and 45 minutes

1,930 calories 135 g fat

(62 g saturated) 5,530 mg sodiumEverytime Chili’s

gets rid of one outra-geous dish, they

simply replace it with another. Hence the disappearance of

the Awesome Blossom and the arrival of this

ticking time bomb. It’s tough to decide

what’s worst about this plate: Is it the full day’s

worth of calories? The three days of satu-

rated fat? The days of sodium? Consider each a strong enough

reason to skip this nutritional nightmare.

WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION

Texas Cheese Fries

with Jalapeño Ranch

AT YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

Other Picks

148

Other Passes

149

Olive GardenEat ThisCheese Ravioli with marinara sauce

660 calories

22 g fat (11 g saturated)

1,440 mg sodium

Besides the name and the general shape,

these two dishes are identi-cal: cheese-stuffed pasta

topped with marinara and more cheese. The only

other differences, of course, are 280 calories

and 24 grams of fat.

Not That!Manicotti Formaggio

940 calories

46 g fat (25 g saturated)

2,530 mg sodium

If this book exists to do one thing, it's to

expose simple swaps like this. The restaurant world is crawling with nearly-

identical dishes with drastically different calorie counts.

Make a swap like this once a day and you'll save 25 pounds in a year.

Linguine alla Marinara430 calories

6 g fat (1 g saturated)900 mg sodium

Capellini Pomodoro840 calories17 g fat (3 g saturated)1,250 mg sodium

Grilled Chicken Spiedini460 calories

13 g fat (2.5 g saturated)1,180 mg sodium

Chicken Scampi1,020 calories53 g fat (22 g saturated)1,880 mg sodium

Mussels di Napoli 180 calories

8 g fat (4 g saturated)1,770 mg sodium

Calamari with Parmesan Peppercorn Sauce

1,190 calories84 g fat (10 g saturated)2,680 mg sodium

We initially gave the Garden an F for

failing to disclose its nutritional con-tent, and we really appreciate its effort to increase trans-parency since then. But when a typical entrée packs an average of 905 calo-ries (and that’s before you factor in appetizers, sides, drinks, and des-serts), it’s not time to celebrate just yet.

D+

SURVIVAL STRATEGY

Most pasta dishes are packed with at least a day’s worth of sodium and more than 1,000- calories, so choose either the Linguine alla Marinara or the Ravioli di Portobello; they’re both reasonable options. As for chicken and seafood, stick with the Herb-Grilled Salmon, or Parmesan Crusted Tilapia.

Unlimited SaladWe’ve all seen the ads

on TV, and many of us have taken the bait, tussling with endless baskets

of breadsticks and a bot-tomless bowl of salad

before even turning to the night’s main attraction.

But considering that a single bowl of Garden

Fresh Salad packs 350 calories and

1,990 milligrams of sod-ium, there could be no

worse prelude to a pasta feast. You’re better off splitting almost

any appetizer (save the dreaded

calamari!).

HIDDEN DANGER

Per salad:

350 calories 26 g fat

(4.5 g saturated) 1,990 mg soduim

AT YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

2,220Milligrams

of sodium in the average

chicken dinner entrée at the Olive Garden. That’s nearly a full day’s

worth of salt.

218 219

AT THE SUPERMARKET

Not That!Eat ThisLarabar proves that even

indulgences can be good for you. This bar is made from exactly 6 ingredients: dates, almonds,

walnuts, cocoa powder, cocoa mass, and cashews.

Bars

The main ingredient in this bar is what PowerBar calls

the C2 MAX carbohydrate blend. Translation: 4 different

sugars swirled together.

Larabar Jocalat

Chocolate (1 bar, 48 g)

200 calories 10 g fat

(4 g saturated) 5 g protein 5 g fiber 21 g sugars

PowerBar Performance

Milk ChocolateBrownie (1 bar, 65 g)

240 calories, 3.5 g fat (0.5 g saturated)

8 g protein 1 g fiber 26 g sugars

PowerBar Harvest

Whole Grain Energy Toffee

Chocolate Chip (1 bar, 65 g)

250 calories 5 g fat

(2.5 g saturated) 10 g protein 5 g fiber 20 g sugars

Quaker Simple Harvest Dark Chocolate

Chunk (1 bar, 35 g)

150 calories 4.5 g fat

(1.5 g saturated) 2 g fiber 10 g sugars

Two grams of fiber ain’t gonna cut it.

Quaker Oatmeal to Go

Raspberry Streusel (1 bar, 60 g)

220 calories 4 g fat

(1 g saturated) 4 g protein 5 g fiber 19 g sugars

Kashi GoLean Malted

Chocolate Crisp (1 bar, 78 g)

290 calories 6 g fat

(4 g saturated) 13 g protein 6 g fiber 35 g sugars

Think of it as a high-protein candy bar.

Quaker Fiber & Omega-3

Peanut Butter Chocolate

(1 bar, 35 g)

150 calories 5 g fat

(2 g saturated) 9 g fiber 7 g sugarsMade with

hydrogenated oil.

Kellogg’s Fiber Plus

Antioxidants Dark Chocolate

Almond (1 bar, 36 g)

130 calories 5 g fat

(2.5 g saturated) 9 g fiber 7 g sugars

Clif Bar Chocolate Brownie (1 bar, 68 g)

240 calories 5 g fat

(1.5 g saturated) 10 g protein 5 g fiber 22 g sugars

More of a healthy treat than an everyday bar.

Luna Chocolate Raspberry

(1 bar, 48 g)

170 calories 5 g fat

(2 g saturated) 8 g protein 5 g fiber 13 g sugars

A well-balanced bar, with good amounts of protein and fiber.

Chex Mix Bars Turtle

(1 bar, 35 g)

130 calories 3.5 g fat

(1 g saturated) 4 g fiber 11 g sugars

Twice the fiber and fewer calories than

the Quaker bar.

Kashi GoLean Roll! Chocolate

Turtle (1 bar, 55 g)

190 calories 5 g fat

(1.5 g saturated) 12 g protein 6 g fiber 14 g sugars

The best of the individual Kashi bars.