Boycott ~ Chili's & Macaroni Grill

This was so terribly disturbing, I just had to share. I was reading an article on Spark People today about the worst foods of 2008. Some of these nutrition facts were beyond astounding! I post it here in the hopes that people will boycott these items (at minimum) or (hopefully!) be proactive in contacting these restaurants to let them know that this is unacceptable! The info below is taken from the (very informative!) ariticle on Spark People worst foods of 2008.




Chili's Texas Cheese Fries with Jalapeno Ranch dressing


Whose idea was cheese fries? They're delicious, sure, but really, did we need to top deep-fried potatoes with greasy melted cheese and bacon and dip them in dressed-up mayonnaise? No, we did not. Now they're a staple at chain restaurants, who try to one-up each other with signature ranch dressings, extra toppings and, ultimately, more fat.

Chili's boasts: "homestyle fries topped with melted cheese, jalapeños, applewood smoked bacon & jalapeño-ranch dipping sauce."These fries lost the contest for the worst cheese fries in America (that dishonor went to Outback Steakhouse's cheese fries), but it was a tight race.

One hundred and sixty grams of fat. One-six-zero. 160! (Oh, and you'll get 1 1/2 days' worth of sodium in one meal!)

2,070 calories
160 g fat
73 g saturated fat
73 g carbs
85 g protein
8 g fiber
3,730 mg sodium

I mean come on, is that really neccessary? Don't these places care about branding and repeat business? They aren't going to get it when all of their patrons have heart attacks!

Mad enough to do something about it? Then please A. Pass this article on and B. Write or call Chili's to let them know that you think this is ridiculous!
http://www.chilis.com/contact/comments_guestrelations.asp
1-800-983-4637, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central Time, excluding holidays.

Romano's Macaroni Grill Seared Sea Scallops salad

Why bother even calling this a salad? Could we ask restaurants to have a calorie and fat limit for the salad section? I'd like to be able to order salads without worrying I'm consuming an entire day's worth of protein and fat. Judging from the Macaroni Grill menu, it's impossible to create a salad with more than lettuce and dressing for under 500 calories. Macaroni Grill flunked the Men's Health restaurant review.

"Seared sea scallops, tender leaves of spinach, arugula, feta cheese, crispy prosciutto, toasted walnuts and Parmesan crisps with light citrus dressing."

Psst… vegetables and lean protein taste good. You don’t need to douse them in fat for us to eat them. (Don't you just love that it comes with a "light" citrus dressing? Nothing in this salad is light, judging from the nutritional info!)

1,270 calories
94 g fat
27 g saturated fat
2,740 mg sodium
42 g carbs
76 g protein
6 g fiber

Mad enough to do something about it? Then please A. Pass this article on and B. Write or call Macaroni Grill to let them know that you think this is ridiculous!
http://macaronigrill.com/LetsConnect/Feedback.aspx
1-800-983-4637 Monday through Friday 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. Central Time.

I get it, really I do. Restaurants claim they wouldn't make these things if people didn't want them. But isn't that a chicken and egg scenerio? Don't people want them because they are available? I mean really, how many have times have you heard someone wish that restaurants would just create more 1200 calorie salads? Or burgers with enough saturated fat to last you 3 days? I don't know anyone they wants that, requests that, or even knows that is the case! Ok, chili cheese fries should be a no brainer maybe. But salad? I would have looked at that Macaroni Grill salad on the menu and have thought it was probably a decent choice. I guess I still have a lot to learn.

Don't let these restaurants make people junk food addicts! Stand up! You may not think your lone voice matters, but don't let it be your lone voice! Tell friends, families, post it on your social networking sites. Get the word out. If together we demand healthier choices, plus the removal of the worst health culprits, we CAN make a difference. Educate yourself and educate others. Don't let these places make us fat and unhealthy while we turn a blind eye.

Want to do more? Visit the Spark People article worst foods of 2008 for a list of more heart stopping, people killing foods. Contact and/or boycott these restaurants.

~Anyanka
http://www.thewitchescupboard.com/