Use Restaurant Nutrition Analysis To Test Restaurant Menu Items

Michael Kwan (Freelancer) In the last twenty years, health and nutrition have been pushed as the way to lead better, more satisfying lives. Today, those who eat right and exercise regularly are usually considered more well-off than their counterparts. It isn’t enough just to make money anymore. Being a fit individual not only leads to a longer existence, but it leads to greater respect from peers and co-workers. This is most certainly the reigning trend; statistics tend to show otherwise.

While exercise may be talked about and paraded around endlessly in the media, society seems to paint another picture entirely. With the rise in computers, big screen televisions, multi channel cable packages, and tech jobs, America is becoming an increasingly sedentary place to co-exist. Hours once spent outside are now spent on the internet.

As the comforts of being inside have drastically increased, America as a whole has gotten larger, more complacent and scarily out of shape. While prices have climbed astronomically on pretty much everything in life, the price of eating out has stayed surprisingly low. And as the economy spirals, the only things still staying afloat are the food chains. From the 99 cent cheeseburgers, to bottomless steak fries, the only value left in this country is fried food. Not only are three sandwiches for three bucks convenient and cheap, they’re comfort.

And there’s very little to find comfort in these days, especially for that price. That’s why restaurant nutrition analysis is so important. Nobody is advocating the complete end of fast food. It’s just a matter of using knowledge to know what you’re putting in your body. Using restaurant analysis to test restaurant menu items is not only useful, but often surprising.

Restaurants have always used too much fat and excessive salting and seasoning to add the flavor that people so crave from a purchased dinner. Something as seemingly safe and benign as a turkey sandwich can be loaded with heart attack-inducing calories to make it tasty enough for the average consumer. The listing of nutrition facts isn’t mandatory.

Even the most open of restaurants and chains rarely share everything about their menus. This is because the average consumer is unlikely to have any idea of what they actually consume on a regular basis. That’s not to say they eat poorly all the time, it just means they are unaware of how many calories the average meal out actually includes.

While recent films have shown just how unhealthy fast food actually is, chain restaurants are, on average, much, much higher in caloric content. Not only are the servings enormous, but the fixings, and ingredients of most single dishes contain more calories than a person should consume in an entire day. Restaurant nutrition analysis is surprisingly cheap and affordable. Not only are there home testing kits, but there are also places where samples can be tested in as little as a few days.

And once you get a better idea of the content of what you’re eating, you can start making better choices for the future. Value-added testing packages for restaurants offer the opportunity to educate customers on the nutritional value of their menu items. Affordable restaurant nutrition analysis packages are available for sodium, fat, protein, carbohydrates, fat and more.

Cooked foods are packed hot (hot-packed) and covered with the liquid from cooking. Cold-packed foods shrink during processing and should be packed tightly. Hot-packed produce should be placed in the cans fairly loosely. Use a knife blade to release any air bubbles trapped in the containers. If food is cold-packed into tin cans, place the open cans in a hot water bath that comes within 2 inches of the top of the cans.

Boil until the temperature of the food reaches 140 degrees for fruits and soft vegetables or 180 degrees for harder vegetables. Seal cans while hot and process immediately as with hot-packed foods. Syrup for cold-packed produce should be prepared in advance, kept boiling hot and poured over the foods after they've been packed. Tin cans are sealed before processing.