Healthy hints for choosing restaurant appetizers

Who doesn’t love to eat out and start off the meal with some appetizers?  Half the fun of eating out with friends and family is deciding which appetizers to order.  We often order more than one so we can share.  My husband and I like bruschetta from a local restaurant.  This bruschetta is loaded with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and is very tasty. But many people will be surprised that some appetizers are really gut bombs.  Not only loaded with calories but loaded with saturated fat and sodium.  Some people can afford some extra calories.  I had a student that was a carpenter.  He ate 5,000 calories a day and was not overweight.  However, even he should pay attention to how much saturated fat and sodium is in foods, including appetizers. 

Some appetizers have more calories than the meal you will be eating.  A nutrition newsletter I receive provided a good overview of restaurant appetizers. 

What to watch out for:

• Calories – some appetizers have more calories than the entire meal.  Deep fat frying, creamy sauces, and just very large portions pile on the calories.
• Saturated fat – this is the “bad” fat that is linked to heart disease so the less saturated fat the better.  (See:  How to eat for a healthy heart? )
• Sodium – almost everyone knows sodium is linked to high blood pressure.  We need some sodium in our diets but many appetizers are loaded with salt
• Fried – Lisa Richards notes:  Many appetizers are fried, but it is not unheard of to find baked, grilled, and steamed options.  Choosing any of these options over fried foods will decrease your saturated fat intake significantly.

What to seek out

• Look for appetizers with lean protein such as seafood, chicken, beans or tofu.
• Look for appetizers with some vegetables like egg rolls, veggie quesadillas

What to look to consider when ordering appetizers

• Share – easy to share most appetizers and many appetizers are made for more than one serving.  Thus, in the chart below, sharing the appetizer with one other person, cuts the calories in half.  Share that appetizer with 2 other people and you cut the calories (and fat and sodium) even more.
• Make it a meal – order a salad and an appetizer as your meal.  For example, the Cheesecake Factory Quesadilla with Chicken can be a meal.
• Avoid or cut back on appetizers with words like “loaded”, “crispy”, “fried”.  For example, pickles are very low in calories, but when fried, not so much as Cracker Barrel Country Fried Pickles come in at 880 calories.

So how many calories, fat and sodium do some restaurant appetizers have?  (Adapted from Environmental Nutrition, June 2023).  Note, in the chart below the calories, fat, and sodium are for the entire appetizer.   Many appetizers served in restaurants are listed as serving 2 or more people.  Read the menu or ask the server how many people the appetizer is intended to serve.  Sharing the Cheesecake Pot Stickers with another person would only add 210 calories to your meal.  The appetizers with a “ > “ mark are the ones recommended by Environmental Nutrition as these have less calories, saturated fat and sodium.

Restaurant Appetizers	Calories/appetizer*	Total fat (g)	Saturated fat (g)	Sodium (mg)
Applebee’s Brew Pub Pretzels & Beer Cheese Dip	1160	49	15	3580
Ø   Applebee’s Chicken Wonton Tacos	600	27	5	1520
Cheesecake Factory Pretzel Bites with Cheddar Cheese Fondue	1010	61	34	2470
Cheesecake Factory Pot Stickers	420	14	3	2690
Cheesecake Factory Quesadilla with Chicken	1150	74	39	1990
Cheesecake Factory Roadside Sliders	800	35	13	1720
Chili’s Bone-In Buffalo Wings	890	65	11	2800
Chili’s Southwest Eggrolls	800	41	10	2180
Chili’s TD Crispy Chicken Crispers w/o Sauce	590	38	7	1990
Ø  Cracker Barrel Biscuit Beignets	490	26	9	920
Cracker Barrel Country Fried Pickles	880	56	9	3440
Cracker Barrel Loaded Hashbrown Casserole Tots	610	40	15	1640
Longhorn Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms	730	60	36	1570
Longhorn Chicken Bites	740	39	7	1420
Longhorn Steakhouse Firecracker Chicken Wings	720	42	15	2120
Olive Garden Meatballs Parmigiana	1040	83	40	2800
Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip with Flatbread Crisps	1160	81	21	2440
Olive Garden Toasted Ravioli	650	31	10	1330
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries	2620	182	69	7490**
Ø  Outback Steakhouse Table Bread & Butter	370	15	7	420
Perkins Onion Rings	880	45	7	1700
Perkins Steak Quesadilla	930	56	28	2150
Ø  Perkins Strawberry & Cream Cheese Crispers	310	18	7	390
Texas Roadhouse Cactus Blossom	2250	135	26	5000**
Ø  Texas Roadhouse Grilled Shrimp	350	19	6	1530
Texas Roadhouse Killer Ribs	910	53	18	2830

*Calories are high because appetizer may be for 2 or more servings.  Check the menu to see how many people an appetizer will serve.

**Sodium amount seems very high.  However, this is the number reported in the article.

Conclusion:  Enjoy yourself going out to eat.  We do.  You can appear to be a generous soul by sharing your appetizer with others at the table.  Then you can splurge on one of the higher calorie appetizers and know you aren’t getting all those calories, saturated fat and sodium.  Or skip the appetizer and order a salad with an olive oil-based salad dressing.  A guy at the Y said he had lost over 50 pounds on Weight Watchers and he wanted to keep it off but he liked Cracker Barrel.  So once a year, he and his wife went to Cracker Barrel and ordered whatever they wanted.  He splurged but only once a year.  You don’t have to limit eating out to once a year but it is good for your health to understand what appetizers are super high in calories and fat and which ones are healthier options.  If you want more information on appetizers to avoid, read The Worst Appetizers to Avoid at 15 Restaurant Chains, According to Dietitians.  

 

Sources:  Environmental Nutrition, June 2023, notes ,  The Worst Appetizers to Avoid at 15 Restaurant Chains, According to Dietitians  Image Sources:  img , Grilled shrimp , Crispers