Rating: 
Summary: How did I manage to live this long?
Review: I travel on business a lot - so I eat out a lot. Since you are working during the day and you have to tend to email and return calls at night, eating out becomes your entertainment. And since it is on the expense account, you deserve a good meal. Maybe a great meal. Now I know just exactly why, in spite of "watching what I eat", I was gaining so much weight. When my doctor told me my cholesterol numbers, I figured I had better get serious about what I am eating. And what I read in this book left me alternately laughing and crying. Considering what I and my peers eat on a regular basis, it is a wonder more of us aren't just dropping dead in the steet. Take my favorite "healthy" breakfast, the Belgian waffle (not those cholesterol laden eggs I wanted so much) - Of course with just a bit of butter and ham, not bacon - ONLY 1000 calories and more fat than the steak I had the night before, not to mention 2000 mg of sodium and cholesterol to literally die for. And if we go out to lunch as a bunch, that new cheese fries with ranch dressing is a mere 3000 calories! Yes, I shared it, but that means I only added 1000 calories and a full day's fat to the full meal I also ate. BUT, the good news is that you can live in restaurants for weeks at a time, not shunning your friends and co-workers, not slinking off to have some carrot sticks and bottled water, not ordering just the steamed broccoli and a diet coke - you can eat well and fully and the secrets are in this book. You'll see old cullinary friends in a new light - and maybe learn some new food ordering habits that could literally save your life. I am strongly recommending this book to anyone who will listen.
Rating:
Summary: Don't eat out without it?
Review: If you're curious what really goes down, and you should be, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing is Sacred
Review: In "Restaurant Confidential," nothing is sacred. The restaurant foods you love do not love you.It might be said Michael Jacobson is taking the fun out of eating. Maybe so, but he is introducing honesty. Just because waffles seem like a good ol' traditional meal does not mean it is good for you. Eat out? I do, as often as I can. My budget limits me to the big chains, not the speciality restaurants. As I examine the different chains' offerings, as described by Jacobson, I realize my diet is not as healthy as I once believed. I'm not referring to the obvious diet killers: McDonald's and Burger King, but to Olive Garden and other well-known places to dine. He compares, for example, how some waffles are worse than a big steak. He hardly is advocating that a steak is healthy, but it showing how fatty, how sugary basic breakfast food can be. He goes dish by typical dish, analyzing the good and bad, and sums up in a line or two if that dish is what you should be eating. It is a saddening expose. It is a free country, so choose what you will eat, but with this book, you can choose more wisely, and think about the big picture of your diet more accurately. I fully recommend "Restaurant Confidential" by Michael F. Jacobson. With all of this writing, I'm hungry now. Anthony Trendl
Rating:
Summary: Nothing is Sacred
Review: In "Restaurant Confidential," nothing is sacred. The restaurant foods you love do not love you. It might be said Michael Jacobson is taking the fun out of eating. Maybe so, but he is introducing honesty. Just because waffles seem like a good ol' traditional meal does not mean it is good for you. Eat out? I do, as often as I can. My budget limits me to the big chains, not the speciality restaurants. As I examine the different chains' offerings, as described by Jacobson, I realize my diet is not as healthy as I once believed. I'm not referring to the obvious diet killers: McDonald's and Burger King, but to Olive Garden and other well-known places to dine. He compares, for example, how some waffles are worse than a big steak. He hardly is advocating that a steak is healthy, but it showing how fatty, how sugary basic breakfast food can be. He goes dish by typical dish, analyzing the good and bad, and sums up in a line or two if that dish is what you should be eating. It is a saddening expose. It is a free country, so choose what you will eat, but with this book, you can choose more wisely, and think about the big picture of your diet more accurately. I fully recommend "Restaurant Confidential" by Michael F. Jacobson. With all of this writing, I'm hungry now. Anthony Trendl
Rating:
Summary: Restaurant Confidential--did you know you were eating that?
Review: Okay, so I've been subscribing to Nutrition Action newsletter for several years, and this is a compilation of all those "Food Police" alerts I've already seen and agreed with. If you haven't seen this info before, you really, really should. Restaurants today can take a veggie that's nothing but good for you, deep-fry it, pour cheese on it, serve it with ranch dressing on the side, and basically introduce you to the world of cardio-care and expensive pharmaceuticals. WAKE UP! If you've read "Fat Land," by Greg Critser (or "Fast Food Nation" or "Mad Cowboy"), you already know that this isn't being done for your benefit; it's happening because there's so much beef and dairy being produced in this country that new ways have to be found every day to get you to eat it, seemingly at bargain prices. Middle age spread and weight-creep are not normal parts of getting older; it's your diet catching up with you as you slow down. This book shows you the nutritional breakdown of all those tempting dishes and gives you the numbers you need to make sane, reasonable choices when your stomach growls and you grab the car keys. Buy the book--it's cheaper than upsizing your wardrobe!
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Summary: Sharp Tone Tiring, But Otherwise A Must-Have Book!
Review: The Center for Science in the Public Interest is known for not only their great exposes and fighting for the public, but also their sharp, sarcastic tone. This book gets a little heavy on the snippy-ness. At some point, you just want the info and get tired of wading through the smart-alec tone. That said, this book has changed the way we eat out. TOTALLY. It is worth every penny -- we checked it out from the library but have bought our own copy. Did you know that sirlon steak and eggs are FAR BETTER for you than french toast? I sure didn't! The only other comment I have is that they put alot of emphasis on saturated fat grams. It gets confusing because they say things like "this is as bad for your heart as three big Macs!" And you have to translate that as meaning "this has the same saturated fat as three Big Macs." To be honest, I have very low cholesterol but I need to lose weight. So I don't care about fat, I care about calories. All the tremendous focus on this book on fat grams was a lot less useful to me personally. Since fat is satisfying both physically and psychologically, I find it helpful to make sure I eat enough of it (while keeping my calories down) because otherwise I feel too deprived and then binge!
Rating:
Summary: Sharp Tone Tiring, But Otherwise A Must-Have Book!
Review: This book is AWESOME! It never ceases to amaze me what we inherently put into our bodies without THINKING. Obesity has almost become the "norm" in the American society - and yet we eat out still! I think it is tremendous for people to be able to eat without guilt, eat without counting "points" and still be healthy... Thank you to these two authors who make this 100% possible! A++++++++
Rating:
Summary: Restaurant Confidential - WHO KNEW???
Review: This book is AWESOME! It never ceases to amaze me what we inherently put into our bodies without THINKING. Obesity has almost become the "norm" in the American society - and yet we eat out still! I think it is tremendous for people to be able to eat without guilt, eat without counting "points" and still be healthy... Thank you to these two authors who make this 100% possible! A++++++++
Rating: 
Summary: Everything Is Bad For You!!!
Review: Topping off every single list in this book of things you should never, ever eat: cheese fries with ranch dressing. Is this a popular combo? I'd never in my life heard of cheese fries paired with ranch dressing, but the authors of this book are obsessed with it. I feel self righteous knowing I never knew it existed. I must be a fatty for a whole different reason. Despite the book's chiding, humorless tone, it was useful and often surprising to see how horrible the authors believe restaurant food is. I think though, that with a tiny amount of common sense, we'd all manage to muddle through menus without always having to order the steamed fish with a side of steamed vegetables and a cool, tasty glass of water. Note: I'd be more impressed if the authors had included photos of themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Everything Is Bad For You!!!
Review: Topping off every single list in this book of things you should never, ever eat: cheese fries with ranch dressing. Is this a popular combo? I'd never in my life heard of cheese fries paired with ranch dressing, but the authors of this book are obsessed with it. I feel self righteous knowing I never knew it existed. I must be a fatty for a whole different reason. Despite the book's chiding, humorless tone, it was useful and often surprising to see how horrible the authors believe restaurant food is. I think though, that with a tiny amount of common sense, we'd all manage to muddle through menus without always having to order the steamed fish with a side of steamed vegetables and a cool, tasty glass of water. Note: I'd be more impressed if the authors had included photos of themselves.
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