Good Health Magazine : NUTRITION : TOTING UP THE GRAMS

Reviewer Charles Perry visited five Los Angeles-area restaurants known for their healthful menu selections--Restaurant Lozano, Orean Express, Fragrant Vegetable, Souplantation and Naturally Fast. Perry randomly sampled items at each, and while his objective was to eat tasty food--not necessarily the most nutritious meals--he fared quite well. Following are nutritional analyses of Perry’s selections.

RESTAURANT LOZANO: Perry began his meal with a cup of black-bean soup topped with cilantro-lime-sour-cream sauce. Lozano will substitute yogurt for sour cream upon request. When the black-bean soup is topped with the yogurt, a 6-ounce cup provides 110 calories and contains little fat (7%). By comparison, the soup served with sour-cream sauce yields 132 calories and is substantially higher in fat--24%.

Perry followed the soup course with Jamaican jerk chicken (grilled skinless half breast of chicken marinated in Jamaican jerk sauce, olive oil and white wine), accompanied by spicy slaw (red and white cabbage tossed in cholesterol-free mayonnaise and seasoned with a pinch of sugar and chili juice) and brown rice (brown rice simmered in low-sodium chicken broth and flavored with bell pepper, tomato, carrot and corn). Total count for the main-course offering was 534 calories and 73 milligrams of cholesterol or less than one-third the amount of cholesterol in an egg yolk. When the main-course offering is combined with the yogurt-topped black-bean soup, the meal totals 644 calories with a fat content of about 30%, an acceptable level according to some current dietary recommendations.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

Black-bean soup (6 ounces): Calories 98; Protein 6.4g; Carb. 17.7g; Fat .5g; Cholesterol 1.4mg; Salt 1.4mg.

Cilantro-lime sour cream (1 tbsp.): Calories 34; Protein .5g; Carb. 1.6g; Fat 3g; Cholesterol 6mg; Salt 9mg.

Cilantro-lime yogurt (1 tbsp.): Calories 12; Protein .8g; Carb. 2g; Fat .3g; Cholesterol .9mg; Salt 11mg.

Jerk chicken (1/2 breast): Calories 272; Protein 26.7g; Carb. .5g; Fat 16.5g; Cholesterol 73mg; Salt unknown.

Brown rice (1/2 cup): Calories 201; Protein 3.9g; Carb. 38.8g; Fat 1.4g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 38mg.

Spicy slaw (1/2 cup): Calories 61; Protein 1.2g; Carb. 7.1g; Fat 3.6g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 52mg.

OREAN EXPRESS: Perry sampled two burgers, a tamale and a granola rum shake. The first burger was the Vidal, a tempeh patty served on a whole-wheat oat-bran bun topped with mustard, onions, relish, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, eggless mayonnaise and fresh tomato barbecue sauce. In calories (295), the 3.5-ounce tempeh patty is comparable to a regular ground-beef patty of equal weight. However, a Vidal patty contains no cholesterol and yields 10% less fat than a beef patty’s 65%. With the bun and all the toppings, the Vidal burger contains 42% fat, 12% more than the 30% or less currently recommended.

The textured-vegetable-protein patty in the Chip burger also contains no cholesterol, but it has 219 more calories than the Vidal. The Chip patty is an ounce larger than that in the Vidal burger and contains 26% fat--or 29% less than the Vidal. The buns and toppings served with the Chip and Vidal patties are identical. So which is better, the Vidal with fewer calories or the Chip with less fat? It depends on your nutritional requirements, but there is one easy solution. Eat with a friend, order one of each, split and share the burgers. Combined, one half of each yields 600 calories and a more reasonable 31% fat.

Perry’s third menu selection was the tamale, a hearty item (corn-based dough filled with pinto beans, textured vegetable protein, chili and soy cheese) that contains little fat (4%), no cholesterol but many calories (1,143) and much sodium (3,483 mg). Diners concerned about their health should seldom consume foods with more than 800 milligrams of sodium per serving.

The last item Perry tried was the granola shake. Like the other offerings, it contains no cholesterol. Its fat content is acceptable (about 30%), and when divided with a dining partner, each 7-ounce portion would contain 113 calories, comparable to a cup of low-fat milk (120).

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

Vidal burger (3 1/2-ounce patty): Calories 491; Protein 26.3g; Carb. 46g; Fat 22.7g; Cholesterol 0; Salt unknown.

Chip burger (4 1/2-ounce patty): Calories 710; Protein 65.1g; Carb. 70.6g; Fat 18.8g; Cholesterol 0; Salt unknown.

Tamale (1): Calories 1,143; Protein 133.8g; Carb. 149.7g; Fat 5.7g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 3,483mg.

Granola-rum shake (14 ounces): Calories 225; Protein 1.8g; Carb. 37.5g; Fat 7.8g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 78mg.

FRAGRANT VEGETABLE: For an appetizer, Perry chose yin-yang soup, a blend of high-fiber corn and vitamin-and-mineral-rich spinach. The creamy soup contains no cholesterol and is very low in fat (5%). He followed the soup with broccoli chicken, a selection not listed on the menu but available on request. It is a combination of fried or steamed mock-chicken (tofu) wedges with sauteed broccoli and carrots coated by a seasoned, cornstarch-thickened vegetable broth, served on a choice of brown or white rice. The broccoli chicken (3 1/2 cups) and rice (1 cup) selection may be shared by dining companions. Even if a single diner consumes the entire portion, caloric and fat content is relatively low. The broccoli chicken, ordered steamed with brown rice, contains 471 calories and 18% fat. When the mock chicken is fried and served with white rice, the calories reach 787 and the amount of fat jumps to 49%. Neither form of broccoli chicken, steamed or fried, contains cholesterol. A cup or two of decaffeinated tea makes an appropriate calorie-, fat- and cholesterol-free beverage complement.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

Yin-yang soup (1 cup): Calories 210; Protein 3.6g; Carb. 44g; Fat 1.1g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 682mg.

Broccoli chicken (fried, 3 1/2 cups): Calories 521; Protein 36.5g; Carb. 29.3g; Fat 42.3g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 488mg.

Broccoli chicken (steamed, 3 1/2 cups): Calories 255; Protein 23.4g; Carb. 30.1g; Fat 17.5g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 476mg.

Brown rice (1 cup): Calories 216; Protein 5g; Carb. 44.8g; Fat 1.8g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 10mg.

White rice (1 cup): Calories 266; Protein 4.9g; Carb. 58.6g; Fat .4g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 0.

SOUPLANTATION: For a total of 864 calories, Perry sampled the bean and tarragon-tuna salad; spinach leaves, Hubbard squash and croutons from the salad bar, a bowl of chili and an oat-bran muffin at the soup bar and finished his meal with honeydew melon and strawberries from the dessert bar.

His meal contained 96 milligrams of cholesterol--less than half that in an egg yolk. The amount of fat (41%) was higher than the currently recommended level (30%), and his sodium intake (1,578 mg) was more than half the 3,000 milligrams recommended daily for most healthy individuals. There are several ways he could have reduced the level of fat: eliminating the tuna tarragon salad (60% fat) and croutons (60% fat) or replacing them with additional raw vegetables (cucumbers, jicama, cauliflower or green peppers) and oil-free honey-mustard dressing; substituting the vegetable harvest soup for the chili (39% fat) and opting for fat- and cholesterol-free frozen yogurt rather than the oat-bran muffin (35% fat). His cholesterol, sodium and calorie counts would have decreased too. Note: Perry didn’t add butter or margarine to his muffin. Both are available.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

Bean salad (1/2 cup): Calories 27; Protein .9g; Carb. 3.3g; Fat 1.2g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 22mg.

Tuna tarragon salad (1/2 cup): Calories 65; Protein 1.7g; Carb. 4.9g; Fat 4.3g; Cholesterol 5mg; Salt 119mg.

Spinach leaves (4): Calories 3; Protein .5g; Carb. 0; Fat .5g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 11mg.

Hubbard squash strips (1 cup): Calories 46; Protein 2.3g; Carb. 10g; Fat .6g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 8mg.

Croutons (4 1/2): Calories 111; Protein 4.2g; Carb. 7.4g; Fat 7.4g; Cholesterol 5.5mg; Salt 140mg.

Chili (1 cup): Calories 397; Protein 30g; Carb. 31.9g; Fat 17.3g; Cholesterol 71mg; Salt 996mg.

Walnut-oat bran muffin (1): Calories 197; Protein 4.1g; Carb. 32.3g; Fat 7.6g; Cholesterol 15mg; Salt 281mg.

Honeydew (2 thin slices): Calories 4; Protein 0; Carb. 1g; Fat 0; Cholesterol 0; Salt 1mg.

Strawberries (3): Calories 14; Protein .3g; Carb. 3.2g; Fat .2g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 0.

NATURALLY FAST: Perry sampled two main-course offerings and dessert. The first dish was Slimetti noodles topped with a spaghetti sauce prepared from fresh tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and seasonings. The noodles and sauce contain 375 calories, 11% fat and no cholesterol. However, this dish doesn’t provide a source of complete proteins. Parmesan cheese or beef-flavored textured-vegetable protein could be added to complement the incomplete proteins.

The second choice was the steamed vegetables with jambalaya sauce. This sauce is also a mixture of cooked fresh vegetables and seasonings and is served over steamed broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and zucchini. Combined, the sauce and vegetables contain few calories (128), little fat (6%) and minimal sodium (94 mg). However, like the first main-course selection, this dish doesn’t serve as a source of complete proteins.

Choice of dessert was a peach Great Cakes. It contains no cholesterol and has a fat content of 21%. However, its calorie content is substantial. This is a dish in which half a portion (130 calories) is more easily justified.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

Slimetti noodles (1 2/3 cup): Calories 316; Protein 17g; Carb. 53g; Fat 4g; Cholesterol 0; Salt unknown.

Spaghetti sauce (1/2 cup): Calories 59; Protein 2.6g; Carb. 13.1g; Fat .6g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 383mg.

Steamed vegetables (1 2/3 cup): Calories 90; Protein 6g; Carb. 20g; Fat .5g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 66mg.

Jambalaya sauce (1/2 cup): Calories 38; Protein 1.6g; Carb. 8.2g; Fat .4g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 28mg.

Peach Great Cakes (1): Calories 260; Protein 10g; Carb. 40g; Fat 6g; Cholesterol 0; Salt 20mg.