I went out for dinner on Saturday night with some friends. We had picked the restaurants a couple of days ahead so I had time to check out the nutritional guide they have posted on their web site. I like to have a couple of healthy choices in mind to choose from before I go cause you just never know what you are in the mood for when you sit down to order. After reading the nutritional guide I had three choices in mind: Salmon (310 cal), Steak (410 cal) and Ravioli (490 cal). The Salmon and Steak is served with steamed veggies and a small salad; the sides were included in the calorie count. The 490 calories for Ravioli was listed without tomato sauce. So if you wanted tomato sauce you would need to add 90 cals , making the Ravioli 580 cals. The Ravioli was not the best choice but it was okay… or at least I thought.

When we sat down at the restaurant to order on Saturday night I looked at the menu and read over the three choices I had previously made… then I started thinking about what will my friends with think about what I choose. I know that sounds silly, but they were obviously not thinking about their calorie intake, and I did not want to be …Hey, look at me I’m on a diet!! I wanted to order the Salmon but they were all ordering pasta and huge burgers. So I opted for the Ravioli with the sauce.

As I said previously I thought that would be an okay choice at 580 calories. When my meal came out it was obvious to me that there was no way this dish could be 580 calories.. The amount of cheese covering the ravioli must of added 300 calories to the dish. After a closer look at the nutritional guide the calorie count for this dish was listed without cheese!! Why do restaurants do that... the waitress never asked if I wanted cheese. If the cheese is a part of the dish then it should be included in the calorie count.

Lessons learned……Next time I will read the nutritional guide a little closer!! And I will not be so concerned about what my friends think! After sharing an appetizer, having a couple drinks and ordering the Ravioli my dinner total was well over 1300 calories.

Anyone else have these issues when eating out?