News Alert! Recent study published in JAMA confirms what Rachel has been telling her patients all along: Those calorie counts on restaurant menus can be deceiving. On average meals had about 100 calories more than listed, some even having 1,000 more calories! Yikes!!

Rachel hits the streets of LA, venturing out to different restaurant chains to check things out for herself. Interview after interview with super busy restaurant staff members, Rachel has found that many of them seem to have what she calls the “heavy-handed” syndrome. They will quickly toss a heavier sprinkle of ingredients into a large bowl, mix it up, and present it on a plate. Who has time to carefully measure as corporate instructs? Always in a rush, ½ a ladle of dressings or sauces turns into a full ladle (that’s a whole lot of extra calories!), a small handful of croutons becomes a full handful, and ¼ cup of walnuts easily becomes 1/3 of a cup. It’s all too easy to pile them on.

Want even more of a shock factor?  1/3 cup of walnuts is the caloric equivalence of a glazed donut (1/3 cup of walnuts 219 cal > Krispy Kreme glazed donut is 200 cal)! So, despite how “healthy” the menu items may be, all high calorie items should be in YOUR control— always on the side is a good way to go. Some that top our list are: walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, and even dried fruit.

Another suggestion? Don’t buy into the “light” menu. Heavy-handed syndrome can also occur when a chef is “lightly” sautéing your food. For example, does he measure out one teaspoon of oil or does he pour straight out of the bottle, guesstimating at best? 1 tsp of oil = 40 cal, whereas a measly 1 TBS to 1.5 TBS is a whopping 120-180 calories!

Bottom line: If watching your waistline is your top priority, don’t be shy. Whether a light or regular menu, “easy oil prep,” and “on the side” are two phrases that should always be mentioned at the end of your order. Own the power and save some serious calories.