Tag Archives: restaurants

“Grease Puck of Dough” is a Better Name for Pizza Hut’s Big Pizza Sliders

Is there anything more American than pizza? Well, specifically, Pizza Hut’s version of the Italian dish? Maybe the only way Pizza Hut could make the famous food more American is make it in a “fun size.” Well, this year, they’ve done just that. Pizza Hut recently introduced Big Pizza Sliders. So what’s the deal? Are they a better option? Or just another fast-food gimmick?

Well, let’s start with the stats. The Big Pizza Sliders are sold as three sliders for $5 or up to 9 sliders for $10. Consumers can mix and match and get up to three combinations of up to three toppings each. They end up being about 3.5 inches in diameter and can range from 230 calories for a plain cheese slider, up to 350 calories for a beef or sausage slider. The fat content ranges from 8-19 grams depending on toppings. (more…)

Posted on March 7, 2024 by Lacy

Fast Food Industry Fails to Serve Healthy Fish Sandwiches – 8 of the Best and Worst

In case you were wondering why the ads for fast-food fish increase this time of year – here’s your answer. Catholics started Lent on Wednesday, a 40-day observance wherein an individual fasts or abstains from something worldly, including abstinence from meat on Fridays. Catholics are permitted fish, and the restaurant industry takes full advantage. While grabbing a fish sandwich from a drive-thru seems innocent enough considering how healthful fish can be, those combos are often no better than the cheeseburgers.

Once you batter, fry, slather with mayo, and stuff fish inside a big white, starchy bun, you’re left with alarmingly high sodium and diet-crushing calorie counts.

We scanned restaurant menus to organize a list of the healthiest fish sandwiches, but our direction had to change when we couldn’t find any. That’s right – the fast food industry fails when it comes to serving a sandwich that meets our nutritional criteria, which is 500 calories and 500 milligrams of sodium or less for a meal. A couple come close with modifications, but they often don’t leave room for any sides.

McDonald’s Filet O’Fish Sandwich “wins” for the “healthier” fast food fish sandwich, as long as you ditch the cheese and maybe even the tartar sauce. The Long John Silver’s grilled salmon option is the best meal we found, and you even get to order corn with it! And for cold sandwiches, Panera barely wins with its tuna sandwich (barely because the sodium is still too high).

Take a look at the break down of eight of the most popular fast food restaurants and why you should avoid their fish menu. If you’ve got to go meatless on Friday, consider their vegetarian options – or just pack a lunch! (more…)

Posted on February 15, 2024 by Natalie K

McDonald’s Commits to Serving Certified Sustainable Seafood at All Locations

McDonald’s isn’t usually one to make headlines for positive news, but that’s just what they’ve done this week. The company announced yesterday that it will commit to serving only certified-sustainable seafood at all of its locations, making it the first U.S. national restaurant chain to do so.

This, of course, is big news for sustainability advocates as McDonald’s is the one of the largest single buyers of fish in the U.S.

Consumers will notice the change not only in the company’s packaging, which will now include a blue ecolabel of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). But also in a marketing effort which will roll out as soon as the changes are official in early February. In addition to their famous Filet-O-Fish sandwich, McDonald’s will also launch a new product called Fish McBites, which will be made with MSC-certified, wild-caught Alaska pollock.

As reported by the Huffington Post, the MSC is an independent non-profit organization that sets standards for sustainable fishing based on the impacts a fishery has on its ecosystem, its fish stock health, and its fishery management system. (more…)

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Dana

McDonald’s Posting Nutrition Information on Menus Nationwide, but Will it Do Any Good?

Ever wonder how many calories are in a McDonald’s meal? If you do want to know just how nutritionally void that Big Mac is, you would have to pull up the information on the restaurant’s web site. Until now!

Today, the corporation announced that they will list nutrition information on restaurant and drive-thru menus nationwide. President Obama’s new health regulation requires restaurant chains to post calorie information. McDonald’s move comes ahead of federal government regulation that could require major chains to post nutrition information as early as next year.

Jan Fields, president of McDonald’s USA, said in a press release that the company volunteered to give out their nutrition information. “We believe it will help educate customers.”

I asked our resident dietitian, Mary Hartley, what she thinks of McDonald’s providing their nutrition information, and she said, “It’s good publicity and they (McDonalds) know it really won’t make a difference, but who knows what will happen over time. Many people have no idea of how many calories they need and so the information is meaningless.” She points to the fact that New York City has required calories posted on menus for several years and it’s done little to change buyer behavior there. (more…)

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Samantha

Want a Healthy Kids Menu? Hyatt Figured it Out with For Kids By Kids

I’m kind of a soap box mom when it comes to kid nutrition. I just can’t imagine few things being more important than my daughter’s health and development of her eating habits. Like good manners, potty training, and a wild imagination, they are skills that will last her a lifetime.

Her very favorite foods include avocado, blackberries, shrimp, black beans, and peaches. She thinks dried apricots and pistachios are candy. And on the rare occasion we get a “real” treat, a bite or two of a shared ice cream cone is suffice. Given all of this, imagine how hard it is to take her out to eat with us. Between my refusal to give her fried junk, and her disinterest in eating it, the standard fare of a kids menu leaves a heck of a lot to be desired.

That is, until you visit the Hyatt. I often rave about the breakfast at The Hyatt’s Harvest Kitchen here in Wichita, calling it the best breakfast in the city. It’s the only Harvest in the country, but Executive Chef Paul Freimuth says another is in development in California with plans to expand further. I should think they’d want to – with locally sourced ingredients and attention to quality, the entire menu is like a work of art. While my daughter loves the yogurt bar, fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs on Sunday mornings, the Hyatt is now offering her and other kids many more options at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

This past July, Hyatt introduced its For Kids By Kids menu. It’s a kid-friendly menu that is super healthy, to satisfy parents, and full of foods kids like best, to keep the little ones happy. Hyatt didn’t just dream it up on a whim, they partnered with 11-year-old Haile Thomas, a young chef who is committed to the health of herself and her peers. (more…)

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Natalie K

6 Ways to Eat Like a Skinny Person

Think people who maintain a healthy weight avoid junk food or are slaves to the gym? You may be right, but there’s a missing link you should know about. In fact, the way you eat can be just as important as what you eat, as evidenced in a study from Cornell University. During the study, researchers watched 213 diners at Chinese restaurant buffets and they found some fascinating differences in the ways thin and overweight people ate.

Want to eat like a skinny person? These tips should help:

Choose Wisely. Thinner study participants poured over food choices before filling their plates. Choose only foods you enjoy and that satisfy you—then leave the other stuff off your plate.

Chew Slowly. A difference of only three chews per bite separated the thin from the overweight in the study, but the difference isn’t as small as you think. In fact, increased chewing per bite of food has been linked to lower body mass index. (Your eating speed may also affect your diabetes risk; read more.) Chewing impacts satiety, so take some time with every bite. And be sure to check in with yourself throughout the meal, registering your hunger and fullness levels using the Hunger Scale.

Forget the Fork. Could chopsticks be a get-slim secret? The study certainly points to a difference—heavier participants tended to use forks to shovel in the food, while slender eaters slowed down their eating pace with chopsticks. (more…)

Posted on August 1, 2023 by BestLifeDiet

Ordering Food Online Shields Us from Public Food Shame

No matter what the most secure person says, we’re all a little self-conscious. We all care somewhat about what others think of us. Perhaps one of the most nerve wracking experiences for us all is eating. Whether we feel awkward about how we eat or what we eat, the act is often an uncomfortable one to share with onlookers. And if we’re not the healthiest eater, the process of ordering food may feel like judgement day.

As drive-thrus became more prevalent as I grew up, I recall hearing testimonies from obese people about their orders. I specifically remember a woman confessing that she’d always order two drinks so the employees didn’t think she was ordering all that food for herself. That way she could grab her over-sized meal in near anonymity and drive off with little notice.

Today, those who order food online may be pulling a similar “trick” in larger proportions. April Fulton recently reported on NPR’s food blog, “The Salt,” about a study conducted regarding online food ordering. The study was examined by Ryan McDevitt, an assistant professor at the University of Rochester’s Simon Graduate School of Business. McDevitt evaluated 160,000 orders from a pizza chain from a four-year period. He determined that online orders by the same people who had ordered on the phone or in person previously were 15 percent more complex, 4 percent more expensive, and 6 percent higher in calories. McDevitt pointed out the statistic that when online, people quadrupled their bacon toppings. (more…)

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Lacy

World’s First Pizza Museum to Serve Food with a Conscience

Pizza is everywhere in our culture, whether we realize it or not. It’s the one food that most people can agree that they like, and a favorite of millions.

It can be found at chic restaurants as well as gas stations, and is eaten hot, cold, and even for breakfast. So isn’t it hard to believe there is no museum dedicated to the preservation of all things pizza? Well, not until now. One man, Brian Dwyer, is about to change that with the opening of a Philadelphia pizza museum and restaurant, Pizza Brain, in August.

What interests us as much as a whole building dedicated to pizza memorabilia, however, is how Dwyer and his friends plan to operate their restaurant. Besides wanting to be thought of as a family restaurant where everyone is welcome to affordable, familiar pizza, Pizza Brain is also committed to working in a “socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible fashion,” according to their website. (more…)

Posted on July 30, 2023 by SarahS

Chipotle Puts its Dairy Out to Pasture

Chipotle, how do I love thee? Let me keep counting the ways! This place keeps getting better and better. Chipotle just announced that effective this June, 100 percent of their stores’ sour cream and 65 percent of their restaurants’ cheese will be made from pasture-raised cows.

A pasture-raised cow is one that has daily access to outdoor pastures. Additionally, the animals are never fed hormones, only a vegetarian diet. The leading Mexican grill chain has made some bold and progressive moves in the last year, challenging the existing quality found in typical fast-food. Chipotle has already made a commitment to serve only naturally raised meats that contain no hormones or antibiotics. As a further commitment to health and sustainability, Chipotle buys its produce from farms located within 250 miles of each location. They also support family farms with The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which helps farms with sustainable practices and promotes healthy eating for kids. (more…)

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Lacy

When It Comes to Kid’s Menus, Tell Your Kid to Grow Up

I intend on my son growing up to be a man. Height-wise, he’s nearly there and he’s only eight. With every passing stage I mourn a little for the little baby I once had. I refuse to let him grow up too fast.

He still mispronounces a few things and I won’t correct him because sometimes, the fact that he calls it a “mow-lawner” is the only connection I have to the tiny baby boy he once was. We won’t let him watch many television shows, we don’t allow the word “butt” in our house, and there’s serious controls on our Internet. Mature life will come soon enough, he needs to be a child for as long as possible. However, there is one aspect of being a kid I have never permitted with my son. When it comes to his diet, I refuse to treat my son like a child.

As I read the latest report about the nutrition content found in the so-called “healthy” kids meals I rolled my eyes. One restaurant’s hamburger was higher in fat than than three of another fast food joint’s chicken nuggets. And ‘fast-food place A’ serves a grilled cheese with way more sodium than “fast-food place B’s” corn dog. So it seems, in our tireless effort to get our kids healthy, we’re splitting hairs over whose junk food may have tweaked the recipe enough to be slightly lower in fat or cholesterol to earn the title as a “healthier option.” (more…)

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Lacy

Ask Fast Food Employees for the Inside Scoop on Menu Ingredients and Preparation

When you are in a rush and hungry, we’re all guilty of turning to fast food. It is quick and convenient. However, it’s anything but healthy.

People hear the horror stories about fast food chain employees who tamper with food. Just last week, one diner found a finger at Arby’s. Yet, we rarely get to hear about what is actually in our food. Most employees are preparing food in a harmless fashion for consumers. They get to see all the content that goes into a one-dollar hamburger. This isn’t another article about the terrible things employees do to food, instead it is about how people are blinded by marketing tactics and advertisements.

A recent thread on Reddit asked restaurant employees to share what they know about the preparation, ingredients, and processing of the foods they served. (more…)

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Samantha