Top Dish Selections at Restaurants, Unveiled by Secret Sugar Content
In a revelation that may surprise many, a nutritionist, Mary Sabat, has highlighted how certain popular restaurant dishes can contain more sugar than expected, even in seemingly healthy options.
Sabat, a personal trainer and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), has ranked popular restaurant dishes based on their sugar content. According to her, some dishes can contain shocking amounts of added sugar.
One such dish is General Tso's Chicken, a staple on many Chinese takeout menus. The dish is often drenched in a thick glaze made from sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and sometimes hoisin or corn syrup. A serving can have between 25 to 65 grams of sugar, making it one of the highest sugar entrees on Chinese menus and containing more sugar than many desserts.
Another surprising entry on Sabat's list is the Açaí Bowl, often marketed as a health-conscious choice. However, the açaí base in these bowls is usually blended with sweetened juices or purees, and the toppings like granola, honey, banana, and coconut add more sugar. One bowl can contain between 30 to over 60 grams of sugar, rivaling a milkshake in sugar content.
Pancakes with toppings are another hidden sugar trap. Restaurant pancakes have sugar added to the batter, and toppings such as syrup, whipped cream, chocolate chips, or fruit compotes can greatly increase sugar. A full pancake breakfast can have between 30 to 70 grams of sugar, sometimes exceeding a soda and dessert combined.
These three dishes are explicitly named by Sabat. However, she notes that sugar can hide in sauces, dressings, and breaded dishes within various savory entrees, suggesting other high sugar items could include certain sweetened chicken dishes, sugary dressings or sauces, and some brunch or breakfast items commonly laden with sweetened components.
The sugar content in Chinese Orange Chicken is particularly shocking, often more than double the daily recommended added sugar limit.
In an interview with Eat This, Not That!, Sabat emphasized the importance of being aware of the sugar content in restaurant meals, especially those that seem healthy at first glance. She advises checking the nutritional information before ordering and opting for dishes with lower sugar content whenever possible.
[1] Source: Eat This, Not That! (2021). Unseen Sugar in Popular Restaurant Dishes: A Nutritionist's Perspective. Retrieved from https://www.eatthis.com/unseen-sugar-popular-restaurant-dishes/
- Mary Sabat, a nutritionist, personal trainer, and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), reserves a high sugar content in some popular restaurant dishes, even in seemingly healthy options.
- One such dish, General Tso's Chicken, can contain between 25 to 65 grams of sugar, making it one of the highest sugar entrees on Chinese menus.
- Another surprising entry on Sabat's list is the Açaí Bowl, which contains between 30 to over 60 grams of sugar, rivaling a milkshake in sugar content.
- Pancakes with toppings also contain hidden sugar, as a full pancake breakfast can have between 30 to 70 grams of sugar, sometimes exceeding a soda and dessert combined.
