Miscellany: Learning to Eat Healthy, Part 2

In general, restaurant food is worse for you than home-cooked food. Restaurant chefs really care only about taste, whether the food's from McDonald's, Applebee's, or the corner deli. The consumer has little or no control over how much oil and fat the kitchen uses. What can be controlled, however, are the selections one makes, which brings us to "Eat This, Not That!"

It's a book that makes you look critically at the dishes a typical sit-down place offers. The casual chains, like Red Lobster or Outback Steakhouse, can serve up dishes that are much more unhealthy than anything you'd find in Burger King. Seemingly innocuous plates of chicken or salad can serve up huge amounts of calories, saturated fat, and sodium.

"Eat This, Not That!" helps you to steer clear of these deceptive dishes, providing a few "picks" (meals that are healthy, or at least aren't totally unhealthy) and a few "passes" (nutritional landmines that will bloat your belly) for dozens of national chain restaurants, both casual and fast food. In addition to the main restaurant guide, there are helpful chapters on shopping for healthy foods and planning healthy meals, always with a focus on providing the most nutrients and taste with the least empty calories and fat. There are full color pictures on almost every page, which explains the rather hefty $20 asking price, but it's a fun read.