The all-you-can-eat pasta option is tempting but paying for a single serving is a better decision. Pasta is cheap, so restaurants turn a quick profit by serving up a never-ending bowl of noodles. Nutrition recommendations say we should consume only six to eight ounces of pasta per day. That is equivalent to one cup, a very small amount compared to the mounds offered at restaurants.
Extra carbs are stored as sugar. Eating too much pasta has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood sugar, and resistance to insulin. Eating too much pasta can blow an entire day of calories on just one meal.
A Slice of Lemon
Some restaurants offer a slice of lemon with a glass of water. The only problem is, according to a study in the Journal of Environmental Health, 70 percent of lemons tested positive for bacteria. The study discovered that bacteria are passed to lemons and other garnishes by food servers or food preparers’ hands.
Like most garnishes, lemons often are handled with bare hands, sometimes even while they are sliced. While a bartender who is being watched may be more likely to wash their hands, a waiter who is rushing through the kitchen may not feel the same way.
Cocktail Garnishes
Bartenders are not held to the health code standards of restaurants. Bartenders serve drinks, not food, after all. A study at Clemson University by food scientists Paul Dawson and Wesam Al-Jeddawi took a close look at bar drink garnishes.
What they found is wet lemons absorbed bacteria 100 percent of the time, but dry lemons absorb harmful microorganisms 30 percent of the time. Another surprising finding was that 83 percent of the ice in cups harbors bacteria. Just one more reason to go sober.
Free Refills
Just one serving of soda contains over 37 grams of sugar. As it turns out, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 37.5 grams of sugar per day. By choosing the free refill option, you can triple your daily sugar allowances in one meal. Order water.
Sodas contain zero nutritional value and are less refreshing than water. Have dessert instead. A soda lifestyle leads to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other health issues.
Chips and Salsa
One of the most tempting snacks ever placed on the center of any table is a basket of warm, freshly fried tortilla chips served with a bowl of authentic house salsa. It’s virtually irresistible. But, stop. Just ten tortilla chips take you back 150 calories for the day, according to the Livestrong foundation.
Salsa is nutritious and low in calories with only 5 calories per tablespoon, but it's those chips that are the problem. Limit your chip consumption and save the calories for the meal, which you know is going to be a generous load of fat and calories.