Extreme Eating: Are Restaurants Killing Their Patrons?

Representatives of the Center for Science in the Public Interest have a bone to pick with major restaurant chains: they're badly hurting their patrons. Michael Jacobson, executive director for the group is aiming his attentions towards restaurants like Ruby Tuesday's and Uno Chicago Grill---restaurants he claims cram their entrees with all sorts of unhealthy combinations of ingredients. Some details of their investigations were quite shocking...

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

In a shocking revelation, Michael Jacobson points out the cold, hard nutritional facts about some of these restaurants' most popular menu items:

o Pizza Skins - (Uno Chicago Grill) - 2,050 calories
This dish is essentially a cross between pizza, and a loaded baked potato; inside the pizza crust, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses are stuffed-along with mashed potatoes, bacon and sour cream.

o Fresh Chicken & Broccoli Pasta - (Ruby Tuesday's) - 2,060 calories

Then of course there are the decadent desserts, Jacobson also points out the following with regard to one slice of a Cheesecake Factory dessert:

o Chris' Outrageous Chocolate Cake - (Cheesecake Factory) - 1,380 calories
Per Jacobson, this dessert is laden with layers of cake, brownies, cheesecake, fillers, and more.

While Michael Jacobson acknowledges that both restaurants and patrons have a right to serve and consume (respectively) whatever they wish, he indicates that many restaurants fail to provide the information necessary to yield healthier eating decisions.

CHANGING THE MENUS

On Monday (Feb. 26), the officials from the Center for Science in the Public Interest declared that "table-service" restaurants like Ruby Tuesday's are largely responsible for contributing to the country's heart disease and obesity epidemics. They have also asked that the government (national, state, and local) force restaurants to add the nutritional value of their meals on menus.