Researchers have found that fast food may be less unhealthy than a bottomless pasta bowl.
Olive Garden, Red Lobster and T.G.I. Friday’s boast a significant amount of meals that have more calories, saturated fat and sodium than is recommended and even more than a McDonald's value meal, according to the Drexel University-University of Pennsylvania study.
The team studied more than 2,600 menu items across the three chains in an effort to help diners better understand what they are eating, Time reported.
The healthier choice?: Surprisingly, the answer is yes in many cases
More than half of the items served at the seemingly healthier options than the Golden Arches were labelled ‘healthy,’ but there was no uniform standard for making that determination, the study showed.
Research found that meals consisting of a shared appetizer, adult entrée and side dish averaged 1,495 calories and contained 28 grams of saturated fat and 3,312 milligrams of sodium, Time noted.
Federal guidelines suggest adults eat about 2,000 calories per day, children roughly 1,400.
Those suggestions were easily surpassed when including drinks, the study said.
‘Consumers tend to view full-service restaurants as superior in quality and healthfulness compared with quick service restaurants,’ the team wrote. ‘However, a few studies contrasted nutritional values by restaurant types and found much higher calories and nutrients at full-service restaurants.’
Less healthy: Olive Garden was one of a handful of full-service restaurants found to be less healthy than McDonald's when it comes to many menu items
Surprisingly unhealthy: Red Lobster, like sister chain Olive Garden, often had more calories per meal than are recommended on a daily basis
Also unhealthy: T.G.I. Friday's was also found to be surprisingly unhealthy compared to McDonald's
The study also found few ‘healthy choice’ menu options at any of the chain restaurants.
By comparison, a regular sized Big Mac value meal at McDonald’s comes in at 920 calories, 12 grams of saturated fat and 1,130 milligrams of sodium, according the burger chain’s website.
Researchers concluded that tighter portion controls contributed to less calories and sodium at fast food restaurants.
There has not yet been conclusive research to show that people consistently alter their eating habits based on knowledge of how unhealthy food may or may not be.
The conclusions should also be taken with a grain of salt. Fast food isn’t necessarily healthier, it’s just less unhealthy.
Olive Garden's healthiest meals come from their Lighter Italian Fare menu. Olive Garden claims that their Lighter Italian Fare menu items are inspired by Italy's Mediterranean Coast where the diet is primarily vegetables, whole grains, herbs and spices, and olive oil.
In 2011, Darden Restaurants, which owned Olive Garden and, at the time, Red Lobster, realized that it needed a better way to boost revenue from both restaurants. To achieve this goal, six locations would be built as combination Olive Garden and Red Lobsters, designed to pull more profit using one single restaurant.
McDonald's strengthens its commitment to be better, every day with a series of major food enhancements. A new cooking oil blend that cuts saturated fats by 80%, renewed Classic Mayonnaise with half the calories and fish sourced from sustainable fisheries!
Darden SW LLC, a Florida limited liability company, the sole member of which is GMRI, Inc., doing business as Red Lobster and Olive Garden. Florida SE, Inc., a Florida corporation and direct wholly owned subsidiary of GMRI, Inc., doing business as Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.
However, this savory meal packs a salty punch, with almost 3,000 milligrams of sodium per order. “Cheese is very high in sodium so the dishes with cheese, like chicken Parm are high in sodium,” explains celebrity registered dietitian Lisa DeFazio, MS, RD.
Are Olives Good for You? Olives are rich in vitamin E and other antioxidants, which may help reduce the risk of health conditions like cancer, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
In 2014, Darden sold off Red Lobster to Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm, for $2.1 billion. Since 2020, seafood distributor Thai Union Group, based in Thailand, has been the largest Red Lobster shareholder. Thai Union owns 49% of the company. But Red Lobster has struggled under Thai Union.
Darden's family of restaurants features some of the most recognizable and successful brands in full-service dining — Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V's and Bahama Breeze.
One of the key reasons for the sale was that Red Lobster's sales were trending in the wrong direction. Plus, seafood prices can be volatile, and Red Lobster was nearly as large as Olive Garden in restaurant count, exposing Darden to too much variability on the cost front, while not providing enough synergies elsewhere.
"Eating fast food once a week should not affect anyone as long as they have a balanced diet rich in whole foods besides that one time," he says. "Fast food should be limited as much as possible but one time a week is usually the recommendation since many people are eating fast-food at least three times per week."
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We tested the same items from three restaurants in each chain. The good news is that most dishes told the truth. Olive Garden's Lasagna Primavera with Grilled Chicken was one of only two dishes with calories or fat content higher than the restaurant's website said at all three locations.
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