Finding healthy food can take effort

~Asking for choices can help cut fat, calories when eating out

By Amber BOCKHORST

Business Today

The sign on the Taco Bell drive-thru menu stands out among the typical offerings of mounds of cheese and juicy beef: Low-fat. Fewer calories. The new options off the Fresco Menu are just part of a widespread trend among restaurants -- from fast-food to fine dining -- to provide healthier choices to customers.

The trend is a direct response to one of the country's most alarming statistics: According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 33 percent of Americans overweight or obese. And the percentage continues to grow, especially among children.

Chain eateries such as The Olive Garden and Pasta House feature special symbols on their menus identifying the healthier food options available to consumers. Applebee's has teamed up with Weight Watchers to offer a diet-conscious menu. Even McDonald's has stepped up to the healthy plate with new salads and fruit-friendly Happy Meals. And in the land of fried chicken and barbecued pork, local restaurants are also taking note of their diners' changing needs.

Adam Russell, manager at Lambert's in Sikeston, Mo., said his restaurant has made few changes to the menu in recent years. But that doesn't mean customers there aren't adapting to the healthier-eating trend, they just tend to make individual requests -- like for low-fat dressing or no cheese -- when they place their order.

And at Dexter Bar-B-Que in Cape Girardeau, most folks go for the, well, barbecue. But according to the manager there, the restaurant does offer salads as an alternative.

Restaurants like Jimmi's, recently opened in Cape Girardeau, take into account the needs of typical diners as well as the growing population of vegetarians, says co-owner Russell Beam.

Beam said his menu focuses on traditional dishes with an Asian flair.

"We do have some dishes being offered that are not red meat-based, like our portabella burger or some of our Asian-inspired dishes," he says.

Such dishes, says Beam, are intended to be sensitive to not only vegetarians but other health-concious diners. Beam also says the restaurant uses plant-based oils -- like peanut oil -- in their meal preparation rather than animal-based oils.

Some diners, says Beam, have a problem identifying "perceived healthiness" -- like ordering a salad, which is nutritious, but then adding fat-filled dressing or other less-than-healthy toppings.

His tip: Avoid this mistake by asking for the dressing on the side.

WHY EATING HEALTHY MATTERS

These increasing rates raise concern because of their implications for Americans' health. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including the following:

• Hypertension
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Cancer of the breast and colon