European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 11, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cafes Quick eats Sis Dav Didio the key to fast food dining is controlling your impulses. Fast food handle with caution by Chuck Roberts staff writer fast food is like a handgun. If handled properly it s Safe. But in the wrong hands it can be bad for ones health. Take your Basic whopper for example. If eaten with everything on it a Burger King whopper contains a whopping 614 calories and 36 Grams of fat. But order the same Burger minus the Mayo and you be eliminated 146 calories and about a third of the fat said capt. Lisa Money a dietitian at the 67th evacuation Hospital in Wurzburg Germany. Its the same at most cafes tast food outlets Money said. At la Casa de Amigos a beef Taco salad accounts for 693 calories and 46 Grams of fat. But forgoing the deep Fried Shell will eliminate much of the fat and calories Money said. At Anthony s pizza you can save about 100 calories and about half the fat by ordering the Canadian Bacon instead of the combination. Quot it takes a Little common sense and a Little nutrition know How to get through these places and still eat healthy Quot Money said. She said she was a fast food connoisseur before becoming an army dietitian. As a College Tennis player Money frequented fast food joints during Road trips and soon Learned which foods were hazardous to her Tennis. At the request of stars and stripes Money ranked the cafes fast food outlets based on their own nutrition guides. Her top pick was Robin Hood Sandwich Shoppe amp Deli followed by Anthony s pizza Burger King la Casa de Amigos and Franks Franks. Notably absent from this Survey is Popeye s Chicken a fest newest fast food eatery. Both cafes officials in Europe and Popeye a spokesmen in the states said nutrition guidelines Are not available for the Southern Fried fare. Quot every one of these places has their Good and their bad Points Quot Money said after examining the nutrition guides and making Quick work with her pocket calculator. Quot i would say though if you were trying to lose weight you could go to each one of these places with the exception of Frank s Franks Robin Hood is the Only one that literally markets Light items and is True to their word Quot Money said. Quot they really Are Light in calories and Light in fat and the buyer needs to be aware of  it s a nutritionist s Nightmare by Chuck Roberts staff writer addicted to fast food but feeling a bit guilty about it Well Here Are some recommendations that will make your cafes outlet binding a bit healthier. These ratings were compiled by capt. Lisa Money a dietitian for the 67th evacuation Hospital in Wurzburg Germany. She based her choices largely on the percentage of calories from fat. The american heart association recommends that calories from fat should make up no More than 30 percent of the foods total calories. To figure out the fat percentage simply multiply the Grams of fat by nine. Divide that figure by the total calories and you have your answer. From Best to worst the list includes Robin Hood Sandwich Shoppe amp Dell Robin Hood offers the Best Chance for a fast nutritious meal because it uses lean meats and fresh veggies. The Lite plates Are the Best. The Turkey and Ham plates contain Only 14 percent of calories from fat while the roast beef plate contains 21 percent. Sandwiches can be made healthier by asking for the dressing to be served on the Side. That lets you control the amount you consume Money said. An even healthier alternative would be to substitute the dressing with Mustard or Ketchup which Are fat free with fewer calories. Not everything at Robin Hood is perfect. The Little John salad has just 254 calories but 53 percent of those calories Are from fat. The sheriff of Nottingham salad has 441 calories 71 percent from fat. Pita sandwiches Are another item High in fat. The sheriff of Nottingham Wheata pita contains 737 calories a 54 percent of from fat. Anthony s pizza. Quot As a whole dietitians would normally say pizza is the most nutritious fast food Quot Money said. Quot me being a dietitian what would be a perfect meal would be to go to Anthonys pizza order a slice of Canadian Bacon or mushroom pizza a Small salad to go with it and a drink of water or 2 percent milk or something like  pizza is nutritious because it contains All four food groups bread Dairy meat and vegetable. A slice of cheese pizza is Ideal because it contains 411 calories with Only 26 percent of calories from fat. Quot that s perfect Quot Money said. Unfortunately Many people hear How healthy pizza is and order whole pizzas with extra cheese Pepperoni and fattening olives. Quot that negates it Quot Money said. Burger King the by broiler Chicken Sandwich is Quot by far the Best Quot item available Money said. Quot nothing else comes close to the by broiler in terms of nutrition and  the broiler contains Only 267 calories 30 percent of them from fat but it s virtually fat free if ordered without the sauce Money said. The Basic hamburger is of Money said. It has 272 calories 36 percent from fat. Many people order the Standard Chicken Sandwich because they think it s a healthy alternative but it contains 685 calories with 52 percent from fat which is More than a whopper. A medium order of salted French Fries contains 372 calories and 48 percent of calories from fat a better Choice capt. Lisa Money would be a Side salad which contains Only 25 calories a fat and provides fiber. But watch out for those salad dressings. One packet of ranch dressing is Worth 350 calories. Other choices contain about 300, except for tt-.-? reduced calories Light italian dressing which has 170 calories. Watch out for those chocolate shakes. They May net be heavy in fat but pack 409 calories. That a enough calories for an entire meal for women trying to lose weight on a daily diet of 1,200 calories Money said. Money describes the breakfast croissant Wicks As Quot real bad Quot because they Are heavy on the butter. The croissant wich with sausage egg and cheese packs 534 calories and 67 percent of calories from fat. The Best breakfast alternative is the Blueberry mini muffin. La Casa de Amigos. If cooked properly mexican has a great Deal of nutritional potential because it uses ingredients such As Pinto Beans and lean meats. Unfortunately much of that potential is lost during food preparation. Pinto Beans Are Quot wonderful Quot because they Are Low in calories and fat free but that changes when they Are retried and cooked with lard Money said. The same is True with Rice. Boiled Rice is healthy but it becomes High in fat when retried. A Good alternative is Spanish Rice which contains no fat. Mexican salads Are Misnomer because the Vord salad is associated with nutritious foods Money said. But mexican salads take an unhealthy turn when they Are served in deep Fried shells. People Are fond of breaking off Shell pieces and dipping them into fattening sauces an option would be to order the salad minus the Shell and dressing Money said. Steer Clear of the platters. The cheese enchilada Platter contains 824 calories with 53 percent of them from fat. The leanest Platter is the Chicken enchilada with 508 calories. And 27 percent from fat. Chalupa Are fatty and Quot nachos Are a no no Quot Money said. Choose soft shelled tacos which Are lower in fat. Money said Many people have the misconception that hard shells Are better for you. Franks Franks sausage used for hot dogs contains one of the highest fat contents of any meat Money said. The Cheddar Frank has 569 calories and 66 percent calories from fat. Your Best bets Are the Junior Plain Frank and the Junior sauerkraut Frank but both still contain about 55 percent of calories from fat. Worst bets rating cafes fast food outlets. Ranking based primarily on calories from fat. The american heart association recommends that calories from fat should make up no More than 30% of total diet. Frank s Franks regular Cheddar Frank regular Plain Frank regular Coney Frank la Casa de Amigos beef Fajita salad beef Taco salad regular nachos guacamole amp chips 1 serving Burger King. Whopper whopper with cheese ranch dressing 1 packet Chicken Sandwich French Fries medium salted croissant wich sausage egg and cheese Anthony s pizza 16�?o combination pizza slice 12&Quot combination pizza calories from fat calories 66% 569 66% 476 58% 540 60% 60% 53% 66% 53% 55% 95% 53% 48% 67% 39% 38% 693 693 457 518 614 706 350 685 372 534 574 2,026 Robin Hood Sandwich Shoppe amp de i sheriff of Nottingham wheat pita 54% merry men wheat pita 50% 697 Page 14 a the stars and stripes Friday Decer Rte. The Good and the bad Robin hoods provides the most nutritious fare Franks Franks the most fat Laden. Guidelines were not available for Popeye a Chicken the newest cafes fast food outlet. The latest fast food trends by Marian Burros the new York times the word is out that the Mclean deluxe the lower fat Burger at Mcdonald a that was going to save fast food franchises from the nutrition police is not doing so Well. Some people have concluded from the less than exciting performance of the Mclean deluxe and other reduced fat burgers that healthful fast food is a goner. Wrong grilled Chicken sandwiches Are never Likely to reach the celestial Heights achieved by Down and dirty burgers but they and their health oriented companions a baked fish fresh salads lower fat milk and Yogurt a have carved out a Niche for themselves in the cutthroat world of american eat and run meals. According to Charles Rath executive vice president of marketing for Wendy a Quot one out of four or five of our sales involves a product that is healthier or a More nutritional  Rath said that the More nutritious items on the Wendy a menu a among them Chili baked potato salad bar Chicken sandwiches a account for at least 25 percent of the company a business. Burger King Sells 500,000 grilled Chicken sandwiches a Day. Nothing to sneeze at but not in the same league As its flagship Sandwich the whopper which Sells 2 million a Day. But when the Chicken sandwiches Are advertised the sales double. For every baked fish sold at Long John Silver four of the regular Fried fish dinners Are sold. The Days when the 46 million americans who patronize fast food restaurants every Day would be Happy with just a Burger and Fries Are Long gone. Now these chains Are proud of the variety they offer. Quot we be been Given significant credit of Consumers As a place to go with the widest menu variety Quot Rath said. Quot there Are people who want a Choice from Standard fast foods from the heavier foods fatties  most of these people Are women. Quot a Large number of working women Are health conscious Quot said Maurice Bridges director of Public affairs for Hardeep a. Quot in most cases the father is looking for something heavy a a Quarter Pounder cheeseburger the kids Are looking for kids meals. We needed to offer something to Hubby the wife worried about health and that a Why we have grilled Chicken salads Turkey clubs Low calorie dressing. We have attempted to do something that would attract  others look at this increased emphasis on lower fat lower calorie even lower sodium foods As a Way to make decisions about where to eat Quot veto  Cori Zywotow a spokeswoman for Burger King offered the example of five people going out to eat. One of them is on a diet and won t go to a fast food restaurant that has nothing to fit into the diet. Now almost every fast food Chain can offer the health conscious diner a Choice Quot it is very necessary in this trading environment to offer Choice and variety so that the veto vote is eliminated Quot Zywotow said. But the hardest thing is trying to figure out just what Consumers do want. People think thin and eat fat. Long John Silver now Sells baked As Well As Fried foods because Quot trends show this is what Consumers desire Quot said Mary Roseman a company spokeswoman. But what people say and what they do Are not always the same Best bets Here Are the some of the healthier choices you can make at your local fast food Emporium. Frank s Franks Junior Plain Frank 54% 298 Junior sauerkraut Frank 55% 308 can induce Mustard Ketchup onions dickies and relish. All Are Low calorie. Calories from fat calories la Casa de Amigos soft Chicken Taco 29% Chicken enchilada 25% Spanish Rice 16% bean Burrito 29.9% Taco Amigo 31% Burger King by broiler Chicken Sandwich 27% Side salad without dressing 0% hamburger 36% Anthony s pizza 16�?o cheese pizza slice 26% 16�?o Canadian Bacon pizza slice 28% 16�?o mushroom pizza slice 26% 244 181 114 334 172 267 25 272 411 447 417 Robin Hood Sandwich Shoppe amp Deli Lite Turkey Sandwich plate 14% 317 Lite Ham Sandwich plate 14% 329 Lite roast beef Sandwich plate 21% 336 Little John half Sandwich 33% 623 Quot Consumers behaviour in fast foods has not kept up with what trends show Quot Roseman said Quot and that s the difficult task fast foods have. Nutrition is the hardest thing we have to do because of consumer behaviour people do not grow up thinking of fast food As providing  and that has proved to be a problem for Long John Silver. Roseman said Quot we find a lot of people never come to us because they never knew we had healthy fish on our menu even though we have had them for a Yeai and we do advertise. There a a perception  Michael Jacobson executive director of the Center for science in the Public interest a consumer advocacy group in Washington said people have Learned that fast food restaurants now offer choices that Are Low in fat calories and sodium and that they Are also quietly reducing fat calories and sodium in Many of their regular items. Jacobson one of the most vocal critics of the fast food Industry has pushed them relentlessly to provide More nutritious food. Quot All the companies Are interested in nutrition now Quot he said. Quot it s 180 degrees different from 10 years ago. Now we have to re educate people that there Are some healthful choices at their restaurants. Its not an overnight  to find out what will sell the chains regularly test Market new dishes. There Are some big winners like the grilled Chicken. Wendy a has just introduced fresh salads to go with a nationwide advertising Campaign. According to Rath in the first 10 Days the salads accounted for More than 6 percent of sales at Wendy a a year ago Arby s added three Light sandwiches to its menu. Quot the response a said Mark Stine vice president for corporate communications Quot is in the fairly Good Range depending on How much it is  they Appeal to women he said adding Quot construction workers want something  this confirms what other chains have Boon saying about the Niche for More healthful foods. And then there is the list of losers. A leaner Burger appears to to one of them. The message from the Public has been Quot Don t mess with my  a people who want hamburgers want hamburgers Quot said Rath who likened a surrogate Burger to a cake made with fake chocolate. Quot if i want a piece of chocolate cake i think its very difficult to find a piece of chocolate cake made with something other than chocolate and have it be a satisfying eating  Carl s or. Tested a loan Burger but decided  offering it. Hardeep a tried too and gave up after 18 months. Quot what was lacking Quot Bridges said Quot was the juice that made it taste like a Burger. It looked like a Burger. It was priced like a Burger. But it was taste free. Quot our customers have basically said a if i want something Low in fat i Don t want a  we spent millions of dollars on research and product development and the customers said yeah but id rather have a grilled Chicken Sandwich Quot Mcdonald a introduced its Mclean deluxe with far More fanfare than other chains gave theirs. Word in the Industry is that sales have been disappointing. Mcdonald a which refuses to disclose sales figures denies that it is dissatisfied with sales of the Mclean deluxe. Quot we Are very Happy with the Mclean deluxe Quot said Terri Capatosto director of communications for the company. Quot if there Are ways we can improve it we Are going to do that. It has a very solid place on our menu we have no plans for removing  healthful alternatives Are Here to stay but no one including Jacobson  Day when fast food restaurants will give up All their grease. What stays and what goes is a business decision the chains Quot Are not providing healthful foods just to satisfy a few critics Quot Jacobson said adding Quot they can make Money with healthful foods As Well As Junky foods and they Are finally beginning to realize  Bridges of Hardee s said Quot we done to want to offend our Core who buy a Quarter Pounder with a Large Fries and a Large Coke. But we do want to satisfy the Niche of Consumers concerned with health and diet Quot 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 15