If you have ever wondered if a half Cuban Chicken Panini at Panera has more calories than the 6-inch Oven Roasted Chicken at Subway, the answer is now just a few clicks away.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene launched a new website last week that allows consumers to compare nutritional information from the nation’s 66 largest chain restaurants.
The list on MenuStat.com includes Starbucks, Panera, Chipotle, Einstein Bros, and Jamba Juice. The site allows you to compare restaurant dishes based on serving calories; total, saturated, and trans fats; cholesterol, sodium, potassium, carbs, fiber, sugar, and protein.
Food consumed in restaurants accounts for one-third of the calories Americans eat, according to Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City health commissioner. Farley said in a press release that MenuStat is different from other nutrition websites in that “it provides ’time-stamped' nutritional information so users can assess changes over time” as well as make comparisons and analysis.
Users have the option of choosing nutritional information from 2012 or 2013. The convenient graphing function allows you to compare average nutrition information for different types of menu items in different restaurants. For example, according to MenuStat, Dunkin Donuts desserts have on average slightly less trans fat (only a thin line with the number 0), than Panera desserts—which has an average of 0.3 trans fat (slightly up from last year where Panera recorded 0.2).
It also says you can compare serving sizes, but this information did not appear to be available for many restaurants. The lack of serving size begs the question of accuracy when making comparisons—for example, a comparison of sodium in sandwiches if the sandwiches are different sizes.
However, if you decide to play with the site (which is kind of fun and informative if you regularly eat out) be sure not to take the numbers as comprehensive nutrition assessments.
Looking at nutrition information in isolation—such as number of calories—does not give you an overall picture of the health promoting effects of the food. For example, if you eat 300 calories of sprouted whole wheat bread topped with avocado and tomato, your body will be a lot happier than if you eat 300 calories of white bread with American cheese and pickles that have added preservatives.
MenuStat also does not give ingredient information so you still won’t know what additives, preservatives, or colorings are in what you eat. (And you can be sure there are some at chain restaurants).
MenuStat is a good website for people who are curious or motivated by calorie counting.
And in case you are really curious, Subway’s Oven Roasted Chicken 6-inch has 320 calories, 110 calories less than Panera’s Cuban Chicken Panini Half, (unless you ask for extra mayo on the sub).
