Healthy Tips for Eating at Olive Garden
I have always been curious as to what healthy selections Olive Garden has to offer. I am diabetic and have to watch my carb intake. I now have a menu on my refridgerator so I can prepare in advance. I enjoy the apricot chicken! It has a wonderful palate of taste and is very filling. On occassion I do indulge and enjoy the cheese ravioli.
It is reasonable to say that the majority of the US population enjoys eating at Olive Garden Restaurants. However, if you are not careful in your menu choices, you could consume 1,450 calories just by saying the words, "I'll have the Tour of Italy." What about those amazing breadsticks? Those amazing breadsticks weigh in at 150 calories a piece. Not to mention that one salad serving with dressing will run your total an additional 350 calories. If you top this off with a regular soda or alcohol, you are well on your way to 2,500-3,000 calories in a single meal. As cruel reality would have it, you only need 3,500 extra calories above your basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories you need in a day to maintain your weight at a given level of activity) to gain one pound of fat. If you had continued your regular diet throughout the day without adjustment, you could have possibly gained 1lb of fat for that one innocent meal. The first thing you should do is plan your day around your Olive Garden meal. This entails significantly reducing your caloric intake at all other meals. Next, plan your Olive Garden visit by obtaining their nutrition information found on their website. You can even download the nutrition information as a PDF file and print. Once you are seated, ask for water, or at least a diet soda. Also, be sure to request that your salad is prepared with fat-free dressing. You should most certainly pass on an appetizer. In selecting an entree, the herb grilled salmon weighs in at a reasonable 510 calories. The seafood brodetto is another ocean option at 480 calories. The venetian apricot chicken is probably the healthiest option on the menu at a light and fit 380 calories. However, many individuals do not appreciate the taste of mixing fruit and meat. Unfortunately, it is difficult to select a pasta entree without increasing your calories quite significantly, but the cheese ravioli with marinara sauce comes in at 660 calories, which is probably your best pasta option. If you are headed to Olive Garden, remember to prepare in advance. Many options exist on the menus which have surprisingly high calorie counts. If you forget to plan ahead, you can always ask for a nutrition guide. If you are headed out to eat, enjoy, but always be prepared. Don't forget to print out your Olive Garden coupons online. http//ezinearticles.com/?Healthy-Tips-for-Eating-at-Olive-Garden&id=5762347