Answer to Question 1
Calorie content for menu items should be readily available to customers. Answers will vary, but possible responses can include:
It can be obtained from a nutrition analysis and recorded on a master menu, accessible to service staff.
Calorie content for each dish can also be printed on customers' menus.
Full nutrition content can be made available on the restaurant's website
Answer to Question 2
Answers for local and national restaurants will vary. Ideal restaurants should feature a clearly outlined healthy section of their menu that explains specific health benefits, ingredients, and cooking methods. Examples of national restaurant chains that offer healthy menu items are:
Subway provides a Heart Healthy menu certified by the American Heart Association. Subway markets to customers who are looking for a quick and low-cost meal on-the-go. Subway uses television commercials to advertise its healthy menu options, and provides nutrition information on their website.
Bonefish Grill a fine-dining seafood restaurant that offers gluten-free menu options and advertises the health benefits of eating grilled and baked fish through television commercials and their website.
Answer to Question 3
Possible Challenge/Barrier 1: Research shows it's healthier to prepare food from scratch than to you processed ingredients, but some individuals lack the cooking skills and knowledge to do so.
Strategy 1: Restaurants can provide an array of healthy menu items that are made from scratch and thus lower in sodium, fat, and preservatives than processed foods.
Possible Challenge/Barrier 2: Individuals often claim that they are too busy to prepare healthy meals every day. Fast food, however, tends to be high in calories and fat, and often lacks important nutrients.
Strategy 2: Fast food and other restaurants can develop and provide healthy menu options available for pick up, take out, or ordering. For busy family dinners, a different healthy dinner menu could be available each evening that could be reserved and picked up at appointed times.
Possible Challenge/Barrier 3: Individuals who do not frequently or regularly eat a healthy diet may perceive healthy food as less tasty or satisfying than unhealthy foods, such as fast food meals.
Strategy 3: Using low-fat cooking techniques and a variety of spices for complex and delicious flavor, restaurants can develop healthy menus that are also tasty.