Getting the Nutrition Facts at Restaurants

The nutrition facts at restaurants can be hard to come by if you don’t know where to look.

Most restaurants, especially fast food places, won’t just hand you a nutrition guide as you decide to order. You almost always have to request it specifically, and it will often take them a few minutes to track one down.

You can do a little research before heading out to some restaurants by visiting their website and looking over the nutritional information for their foods. Some even have information laid out in the same format as a nutrition facts label. There are also other websites dedicated to providing the nutrition information of choices at popular restaurants.

If you can’t find nutrition information, or you’re visiting a local restaurant that may not have that information readily available, you can keep the following points in mind:

Choose grilled or baked foods instead of fried

Instead of chicken nuggets, get a grilled chicken sandwich and cut it up. Choose a baked potato instead of french fries.

Go with fresh fruits or vegetables if possible

More and more restaurants are offering fresh fruit cups in place of fries. Take advantage of this!

Choose non-caffeinated, sugar-free drinks

Sugared drinks are one of the biggest sources of unnecessary calories. Restaurants are getting better at offering healthier choices of drinks, but sometimes you have to ask.

Michael P. Scaccia, M.D., F.A.A.P.