One of the nation's largest restaurant chains Applebee's has recently introduced an entire "under 550 calorie" menu and invited HULIQ to try it.
People are generally unaware of the how many calories are in their restaurant meal. As portion sizes are getting bigger and bigger, consumers want and use nutrition information. According to a study* by International Food Information Council three out of four American adults use food labels on packaged foods. About 73% of the study participants say that they look at the calorie information on the Nutrition Facts Panel. Thus, food producers and restaurants realize that posting calorie information may encourage them improve the nutritional content of their menus.
Last week Applebee's invited** HULIQ to try its new 550 calorie menu. The author of this story took his wife and two young children to try the new calorie-conscious menu.
The new menu is offered separately from the restaurant's traditional menu. Green is a dominant color on the new menu called "Resolve - to have it all." It reads "Try our new fantastically delicious, unbelievably indulgent, all under 550 calorie menu." Everything goes perfectly in parallel with the season. Green for the green-conscious consumer, low calories for the weight watcher patron and "Resolve" for New Year's Resolution minded people, who may be thinking to lose some weight as part of their resolution. It's still January.
There are five main menu items in the "under 550 calorie menu." The one that really stood out for us was the "Sizzling Asian Shrimp & Broccoli." We particularly liked the sweet and spicy sauce, which was topped with cilantro, in other words, an explosion of Asian flavors. Almost everything you wanted healthy may be found in this recipe: tender spiced shrimp and colorful mixed veggies in the sweet and spicy souse. The price is only $9.99.
Those who like fish, Cajun Lime Tilapia is recommended. Moving from Asia to Caribbean world, this grilled Cajun-seasoned Tilapia fillet is topped with lime juice and black bean & corn salsa. It is served with risce and seasonal vegetable. The price is $10.29.
Depending on your desire, the other three items take you from South American cuisine to Mediterranean tastes. Here we tried the "Sizzling Chili Lime Chicken" and "Signature Sirloin & Garlic herb Shrimp." There is something for the stake lovers as well, such as the Roasted Garlic Sirloin. This is a 7 oz. sirloin, which is marinated in garlic and sauteed with onions. It's served with grilled portable mushroom cap and filled with creamed spinach. The price is 11.99.
One other thing that we would like to share here with our readers is that low calorie foods may not exactly taste the same as your full-fat foods. This is natural because fat’s function is to add flavor and texture to foods. Artificial flavors and additives are routinely used to replace flavor. But in the case of the Applebee's low calorie menu, you don't think of the difference in taste, but rather the Asian flavor when tasting the Asian Shrimp and Broccoli or the Mediterranean flavor trying the Signature Sirloin & Garlic Herb Shrimp.
* International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation. Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes Toward Food,
Nutr & Hlth. Washington, DC: 200
** Aplebee's sent HULIQ a 50 dollar gift certificate, which could be released only at Applebee's.
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