Did the CSPI not get enough attention as a young child? The Center for Science in the Public Interest is adamant about generating Homer Simpson headlines "Doh!" I'm not sure they will rest until Ben & Jerry's is out of business, the memories of the taste of homemade fudge erased from every American's mind and the county fair replaces cotton candy and corn dogs with rice cakes and Tofurkey sticks.
OK I sincerely apologize to the tofu makers. That was mean and in fact I LOVE tofu. Rice cakes not so much. But I think you get the point.
The CSPI thinks you are stupid. They think you really believe a whole fried onion is acceptable as a serving of vegetables not an occasional treat you share with 6 to 8 people after a soccer game.
A month the CSPI lashed out at fast-casual eateries about sodium content in menu items. Now the CSPI is targeting "Xtreme appetizers, entrées, and desserts at America’s chain restaurants [that] are making Americans fatter and sicker, and the trendy thing for chains to do is to make already bad foods even worse."
Bacon cheeseburgers come nestled inside quesadillas, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Half racks of ribs are promoted as side orders to steak. Baseball-size blobs of macaroni and cheese are tossed in the deep-fryer and served with creamy marinara sauce and even more cheese.
CSPI’s first Xtreme Eating report came out in 2007. "Since the restaurant industry is showing few signs of restraint or responsibility in the face of America’s epidemic of obesity and diet-related disease, Nutrition Action [the CSPI newsletter] will make these awards an annual affair."
They first tackle "Olive Garden’s Tour of Italy, where diners can pile Lasagna, Chicken Parmigiana, and Fettuccine Alfredo onto one very large dinner plate." I'm a soup and salad girl at Olive Garden and have never ordered the tour platter, but I have eaten with folks who have. CSPI didn't mention that more than half of this menu offering heads home in a to-go box, stretching the consumers dollar and portion control.
The CSPI is correct that most people should limit themselves to about 2,000 calories, 20 grams of saturated fat, and 1,500 mg of sodium per day. But consumers don't eat out everyday, for many it's a luxury even at fast casual eateries. For others it's an occasional indulgence at at celebratory meal.
I do think chefs should always provide a variety of choices. The key word there is "choice." I wonder what it would take for the CSPI to blast a series of headlines that talk about the good choices on many of these restaurant menus. It could include choosing broiled fish and seafood — a prominent option on most menus. Skipping butter for a spritz of lemon. Heading right to Chili's Guiltless Gourmet items. Maybe a side bar on the countless charitable monies and in kind donations these corporations give to their communities. I do not believe a single CEO or executive chef wakes up every morning and says "How can we ruin the lives of Americans today?" Good menus are diverse and full of choice. Nine times out of ten, I'll choose a side salad over fries with my blackened mahi sandwich and just each the bottom bun. But occasionally I want fries and I don't want any chain to be bullied into taking them off the menu. OK, I've had my say. And I do believe the CSPI has the right to theirs. So here is their latest report.
Red Lobster Ultimate Fondue: This retro item is also making comebacks at Olive Garden, Uno Chicago Grill, and at a chain that sells nothing but fondues, The Melting Pot. Red Lobster’s Ultimate version, “shrimp and crabmeat in a creamy lobster cheese sauce served in a warm crispy sourdough bowl,” is crammed with 1,490 calories, 40 grams of saturated fat, and 3,580 mg of sodium. That’s two days’ worth of both artery-clogging fat and blood-pressure-spiking sodium.
Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger: Here Applebee’s inserts a bacon cheeseburger into a quesadilla. Two flour tortillas, two kinds of meat, two kinds of cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, and a previously unknown condiment called Mexi-ranch sauce, plus fries, gives this monstrous marriage 1,820 calories, 46 grams of saturated fat, and 4,410 mg of sodium. Bonus heart-stopper: Applebee’s actually invites customers to top the fries with chili and still more cheese.
Chili’s Big Mouth Bites: This is four mini-bacon-cheeseburgers served on a plate with fries, onion strings, and jalapeno ranch dipping sauce. (“Mini” is relative: each one is like a Quarter Pounder.) Like the “sliders” available at other chains, Chili’s Big Mouth Bites can be an appetizer or an entrée (these numbers are for the latter). 2,350 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat, and 3,940 milligrams of sodium.
The Cheesecake Factory Chicken and Biscuits: Nutrition Action calls it “discomfort food.” If you wouldn’t eat an entire 8-piece bucket of KFC Original Recipe plus 5 biscuits, you shouldn’t order this. But unless you live in a city with menu labeling, you wouldn’t know that this dish has 2,500 calories. The rest of the winning—or rather, losing—appetizers, entrées, and desserts are in the June issue of Nutrition Action.
“Ultimately, Americans bear personal responsibility for their dining choices,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan. “But you can’t exercise personal responsibility if you don’t have nutrition information when you order. Who would expect 2,800 calories in a dessert?”