Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

According to an online survey conducted by ARAMARK Corp., a food services company, people want to have more information about the nutritional facts of the food they eat in restaurants and they also want to be able to order half-portions.

• USATODAY.com – Diners want more info and smaller entrees

When Ruby Tuesday provided the nutritional facts for all the food items on their menu, I was shocked at how high in calories and fat everything was. It was difficult for me to find anything on the menu that was within the amount of calories I had left for the dinner. I ended up ordering something and cutting it in half, throwing the rest away. It sure would have been nice to be able to just order half an entree in the first place.

• Nation’s Restaurant News: Ruby Tuesday halts on-menu disclosures: nutrition watchdog group CSPI sees end of 5-month-long effort as ‘step backward’

Now, Ruby Tuesday has stopped putting the nutrition facts on their menus and are putting them on tablecards instead. They say it was cost prohibitive to replace all of their menus whenever a recipe changed, but I suspect it might be the embarrassment of printing the hard, cold facts next to the pictures of yummy treats.

I know I can find something healthy to eat at whatever restaurant I go to, but having the nutrition facts easily accessible makes that so much easier. Being able to order a smaller portion would help me also. The restaurants won’t do it until we demand it. Let’s make our voices heard.