Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 1, 1995 TAG: 9511010011
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE PARDUE THE ENVIRONMENTAL MAGAZINE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Yet according to a 1991 Gallup poll, one fifth of the population looks for a restaurant with ``healthy'' menu items when dining out and one third say they would order non-meat items if they were available.
The National Restaurant Association predicts that, for the first time ever, consumers this year will spend more at fast-food places than they will at full-service restaurants - a whopping $86 billion, according to industry estimates.
No wonder McDonald's builds a thousand new restaurants a year.
Getting a decent, healthy meal on the go today often requires intimate knowledge of area eateries or seeking out ethnic restaurants off the beaten path. But these days, even the major fast-food chains are making strides in introducing new, more health-conscious menu items.
Fat, and most crucially saturated fat, is the primary reason to avoid fast food. According to nutritionists, only 30 percent of dietary calories should come from fat.
But check out these numbers. According to ``Bowes and Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used,'' 55 percent of the calories in a Big Mac comes from fat.
Compare this to beans, which are only 4 percent fat; potatoes, which are less than 1 percent fat; and rice, which contains 1-5 percent fat.
In 1986, Hardee's became the first major chain to abandon beef fat and switch to 100 percent vegetable oil for its fried foods. Now, with the exception of Roy Rogers - which still uses beef tallow for its fries - vegetable oil is the frying standard.
Fast-food restaurants would do their patrons' cholesterol counts a favor by offering a low-fat, meatless burger patty.
Two years ago, the 7,200-plus outlet Burger King chain did just that. The Griller, a meatless burger, was test marketed in 19 western New York outlets as well as in focus groups over a nine-month period beginning in late 1993. But The Griller was discontinued despite its popularity.
Reportedly, the decision to nix The Griller wasn't based on its public reception, but rather on an overall ``back to basics'' marketing strategy the corporation is employing.
During the 1980s, many fast-food chains introduced new menu items such as chicken nuggets and salads, designed to appeal to health-conscious customers.
But more variety meant slower service and higher costs, leading some chains - notably Burger King in its effort to catch up to its rival McDonald's - to retreat to the tried-and-true burgers-and-fries formula, and the introduction of the ``value menu'' to steer customers toward a limited number of items in different combinations.
The situation is similar at other mainstream fast-food joints, with a few notable exceptions. Some Arby's - though none of the Roanoke Valley outlets - are experimenting with vegetable pita-bread pockets and are looking into other low-fat and meatless options.
Wendy's offers salad bars at all locations, a ``Super Bar'' - which includes meatless pasta and Mexican offerings at some outlets - and baked potatoes with toppings at others. Wendy's is also testing a grain-based meatless burger, although not at any Roanoke Valley restaurants.
McDonald's has won raves for its McLean Deluxe, which is 91 percent fat-free and doesn't have all those calorie-loading condiments. (Nutritionists still complain that fat makes up 28 percent of the burger's 320 calories).
Another entry, Hardee's Real Lean Deluxe, is worse: It gets 35 percent of its calories from fat.
Outside the burger arena, health prospects improve.
Most Mexican fast-food places have stopped using lard in refried beans, and there are often several relatively imaginative entrees available at chains such as Taco Bell and Chi-Chi's.
Pizza is a relatively safe bet, and some pizza places such as Pizza Hut have even made the switch from animal rennet in cheese to vegetable or synthetic coagulants.
Kentucky Fried Chicken has more than the usual number of vegetable side dishes such as corn on the cob, ``vegetable medley,'' macaroni and cheese, and pasta salad although some - including baked beans, red beans and rice, ``mean greens,'' garden rice and green beans - contain meat or meat stock.
A number of the more ubiquitous mainstream sit-down type places are getting into the healthier-choices act as well. Ponderosa restaurants, for example, offer an extensive food bar that includes fresh fruit, salads and cooked vegetables. And Kenny Rogers has recently introduced a lean rotisserie-roasted turkey option.
Subway Shops, the nation's fastest-growing fast-food chain, has broken new ground with the introduction of the ``All-Vegetarian Turkey Sub,'' a submarine sandwich featuring gluten-based vegetarian turkey slices and American-style soy cheese.
The sandwich is currently offered only at several Subway outlets in the Boulder, Colo., area, with plans for possible expansion to other Colorado and Southern California outlets if it proves successful.
The chain, which offers whole-wheat bread at most stores, also has a veggie-and-cheese sub featuring an array of vegetables and rennetless cheese, plus a salad with the same ingredients.
With fast food becoming a mainstay of the American diet, there's reason to believe that the future will hold more and more health-conscious choices.|
by CNB