California Restaurant Association

Sacramento, Calif. – Southern California-based Healthy Dining and the California Restaurant Association (CRA) today celebrated the leadership of California’s restaurants with the official state unveiling of www.HealthyDiningFinder.com. This groundbreaking new Web site provides the public with an online resource to easily identify nutritious choices served at nearly 30,000 popular restaurant locations in all 50 states. Restaurants featured encompass a wide variety of price ranges and cuisine types, including such favorites as P.F. Chang’s, Buca di Beppo, Sizzler, Marie Callender’s, El Pollo Loco and Carl’s Jr.     

 

“This is the culmination of more than 16 years of experience and research in Southern California,” explained Anita Jones-Mueller, MPH, restaurant nutrition expert and founder of Healthy Dining. “Even back in the early 1990s, Southern California restaurants recognized the need for offering healthier menu items and nutrition information. Now, using the ingredients for success, based on the Southern California program, Healthy Dining is expanding throughout the United States.”

 

Due to the important public health implications of this program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided partial funding for the development of HealthyDiningFinder.com.

 

“By making healthier food choices, Americans can help reduce the risk of obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease, which are all major health concerns,” said Michele Reyes, Ph.D., M.S., an epidemiologist with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “HealthyDiningFinder.com provides Americans with a tool to identify healthier restaurant menu choices.”

 

HealthyDiningFinder.com offers consumers thousands of healthful options available at restaurants throughout the state and across the nation, along with corresponding nutrition information. The site continues to grow, with new restaurants joining every week. For each featured menu item, a breakdown of nutrient values, including calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, fiber, and fruit and vegetable servings, is provided. Trans-fat information will also be available in the near future.

 

When selecting menu items for the Web site, Healthy Dining’s team of nutrition professionals looks for choices that feature lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Entrees should not exceed 750 calories, 25 grams of fat and eight grams of saturated fat, while the cutoffs for appetizers, side dishes and desserts are 250 calories, eight grams of fat and three grams of saturated fat.

 

When available, dishes that are lower in sodium and cholesterol are also featured. In some cases, the Healthy Dining team works with participating chefs to develop “Special Requests,” which guide consumers on how to order menu items with healthier modifications. Examples include: “Request no butter,” “request dressing on the side” or “request a side of steamed vegetables instead of fries.” These requests lower the calories and fat grams in the meal and may also boost the fiber, vitamin or phytochemical content by substituting more healthful ingredients. (See FAQ for more details.)

 

“On behalf of the more than 22,000 CRA members, I’d like to thank Healthy Dining for their outreach and for creating this incredible program,” said Jot Condie, President and CEO of the CRA. “This is yet another example of California industry proactively leading the charge toward healthier food options, and it has a much-needed education component. We feel that this program provides consumers with the information they want while not stifling the creativity that happens in California’s kitchens, meeting both the taste and health demands of the customer.”

 

The CRA and Healthy Dining collaborated after the 2005 Governor’s Summit on Health and Nutrition to advance the Governor’s Vision for a Healthy California. This collaboration resulted in a formal “Commitment of Significance” recognized by the Governor’s Office and the California Health and Human Services Agency.

 

 “With the steady increase in both restaurant sales and consumer interest in health, many people are searching for guidance to help them make smart choices when dining out,” says Jones-Mueller. “Healthy Dining significantly contributes to this effort by encouraging restaurants nationwide to promote nutritious options that taste great.”