KFC hedging its marketing bets on removing trans fat from its menu

Remember all the brew ha-ha over trans fat at KFC last year? Now they’ve taken it too far in the other direction.

Am I the only one who thinks the new KFC television commercials bragging about their food not having trans fat are over-the-top obnoxious? I’m mean, give me a break already. What is happening to our culture–are we a nation full of mind-numbed nincompoops who buy into everything the media says about health hook, line, and sinker?

What halfway intelligent-thinking person believes the food at the restaurant formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken is now suddenly “healthy” just because it allegedly doesn’t have any trans fat? They’re so proud of themselves, they even created this page about it on their web site. Oh joy!

It’s pathetic, absolutely positively ridiculous. What is KFC thinking with all these ritarded people dancing around, making fools of themselves, celebrating that they can “have KFC again” now that their food is trans fat-free?

Click here to see a sampling of this new KFC ad campaign for yourself, why supposedly taking away trans fat from KFC does not make it healthier, and the disturbing secret that KFC doesn’t want you to know about their “zero trans fat” claim.

Cracker Barrel is the only major restaurant chain catering to low-carbers

Have you been to a Cracker Barrel restaurant lately? Not only do they make options available for low-carbers, but they actually CATER TO US with our own low-carb menu items! WOW!!!

When I opened up the menu for Breakfast, I was flabbergasted that they actually used the phrase “low-carb” on their menu. Now that’s a switch considering restaurants like Ruby Tuesday are running away from the low-carb market. And yet there it was staring me right in the face–”Low Carb Offerings” for Breakfast. Amazing!

The same “Low Carb Offerings” section is also on the Lunch & Dinner menu with a whopping 11 genuinely low-carb meals to choose from, including roast beef, grilled chicken tenderloins, spicy grilled catfish, grilled steak salad, and so much more. These meals range from 0-10 carbs each–well within anyone’s definition of a low-carb meal!

Click here to learn more about the enticing “Low Carb Offerings” menu sections at Cracker Barrel and why I believe low-carbers should be spending their money there while on vacation this summer.

Olive Garden ain’t exactly a place for “low-carb friendly” meals

If my wife Christine had unlimited resources and was able to buy anything she wanted in the whole world, then there’s no doubt in my mind that she would buy her very own Olive Garden restaurant to fill her need for their famous soup, salad, and breadsticks. The woman would literally live off of this meal every single day if she could, although she does admit she’d probably balloon up in weight just as quickly as we’d go bankrupt paying for it!

So, when a brand new Olive Garden opened a couple of weeks ago about a mile from our house, she has been literally begging me to go.

And so we did. I was quite impressed by their carbohydrate-conscious suggestions right there on the menu, including eating fresh veggies instead of potatoes.

But then the waitress suggested THIS dessert if I am avoiding sugar.

Here’s a picture of it:

Click here to find out why eating this allegedly “no sugar added” dessert menu item would have been bad news for my low-carb lifestyle and why dieters and diabetics should absolutely avoid it like the plague!

Have you tried the new “Crispy Brick Chicken” meal from Applebee’s yet?

In Episode 3 of my “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show” podcast last week, I highlighted this survey that concluded restaurants do not need to ignore the low-carb consumer because they are a growing group of customers who are beginning to frequent those restaurants who actively cater to their dietary needs when dining out. And it’s true, too! Some former favorites have been crossed off our list of restaurants we frequent because they refuse to provide flexibility with their menu to make it low-carb.

Unfortunately, not every popular restaurant chain has gotten the message that low-carb living is alive and well despite the claims it no longer exists. You will recall Ruby Tuesday removed their low-carb menu before the summer not long after scrubbing their phenomenal low-carb cheesecake from their menu at the beginning of the year. It’s too bad for companies like Ruby Tuesday who once led by example about how to meet the needs of the growing low-carb market. But not anymore and so low-carbers have stopped going there. That’s too bad!

Applebee’s banking on the star power of Chef Tyler Florence

However, I was encouraged recently when I saw a television commercial for Applebee’s touting their new “Huge Flavor” menu featuring celebrity Chef Tyler Florence from The Food Network who is helping the popular mid-scale restaurant chain spruce up their menu a bit with some exciting new meals.

There was one featured item from Chef Florence’s new menu in the TV ad that REALLY caught my attention–it was a plateful of chicken grilled up under open flames with a side of some leafy greens. My immediate thought was “Hey, that looks pretty low-carb!” It’s important to note that there was no mention of “low-carb” in describing this meal or any of the new menu items during the commercial. Hmmmm.

Because my wife Christine absolutely adores Applebee’s and Saturday was her birthday, I decided to surprise her by going there to celebrate. Not surprisingly, I just had to order the meal from the television commercial which I found out was called the “Crispy Brick Chicken.” It looked so good on the television commercial and also in the picture on the menu.

Would it live up to my lofty expectations for a low-carb menu item? Click here to find out!

Following the sudden removal of their world-famous low-carb cheesecake from their menu a couple of months ago, Ruby Tuesday just announced their new strategy heading into the future for their restaurant chain and their popular Atkins-friendly menu has been given the axe so they can focus more on “appealing to a wider customer base.”

bq. The menu at Ruby Tuesday was incredible for people on low-carb and it will be sorely missed because it truly reflected a “low-carb” menu that people following a low-carb plan actually wanted to get, especially that outstanding cheesecake I used to love to get during my weight loss and can’t get anymore (BOO HOO!).

Read more about this decision by Ruby Tuesday to say A-B-C ya to low-carb dieters by clicking here.

I love to eat chicken as part of my low-carb lifestyle. It’s a tasty way to enjoy a high-protein and even relatively low-fat food with virtually no carbs. What could be better to order from a fast food restaurant than a chargrilled chicken breast, right?

Well, have you ever questioned whether that “chargrilled chicken” you get at your favorite fast food or sit-down restaurant was actually grilled in the restaurant you purchased it from? Well, there’s new evidence that you really should. Why?

According to a Fast Company magazine column, most restaurants put their chicken breasts through a fake “grilling” process to fool their customers into believing they are getting a fresh-off-the-grill chicken breast. I had no idea they were doing this!

bq. Have you ever wondered how they get those marks to look so symmetrical each and every time you order one off the menu? Well, there’s a reason for that and you may not like it either!

Click here to learn more about this artificial process of fattening up the chicken with fillers and putting them through a method called “char marking.” Plus, you won’t want to miss which popular restaurant chain is the lone exception to this because they actually grill their chicken at the restaurant.

As the one and only major restaurant chain in America offering a sugar-free, low-carb dessert option to its customers, Ruby Tuesday had a very positive image and reputation among low-carbers.

But now the company has announced they have decided to stop serving their world-famous low-carb cheesecake.

bq. Ruby Tuesday was the last bastion of hope for people who are diabetic or livin’ la vida low-carb and desiring a dessert they can enjoy when dining out. But now their cheesecake has already been scrubbed from their dessert menu on their web site and they will be letting their existing stock run out.

While this is unfortunate news since the Ruby Tuesday cheesecake has been a favorite among many on the low-carb lifestyle, it now leaves the door wide open for another restaurant chain to step up and cater to a group of consumers that is being completely ignored right now.

bq. It’s time we as consumers stand up and demand restaurants give us a healthier sugar-free, low-carb dessert option. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but even ONE obligatory menu item to show they care enough to reach out to a growing population of people wanting better dessert choices.

Read more about this story by clicking here.

T.G.I. Friday’s has announced the addition of two new menu items on its Atkins-approved menu–Cajun Chicken Quesadillas and Chicken Verde Enchilada Combo.

Cajun Chicken Quesadillas (10 net carbs) – Cajun-seasoned chicken breast diced and pan-seared with melted Jack and Colby cheeses, red peppers and green chilies, and made with tortillas from Atkins.

Chicken Verde Enchilada Combo (16 net carbs) – Grilled chicken breasts topped with salsa verde, pico de gallo and melted Monterey Jack cheese, made with tortillas from Atkins.

Red Lobster has announced that its LightHouse Menu is being permanently added to the company’s base menu at all restaurants across the US. What’s more, the LightHouse Menu–which features the calorie, carb and fat content for each of the more than 30 items listed–is also being expanded to include three new selections.

The new selections include:

* Grilled Shrimp (142 cal, 1 carb, 3g fat) – Two skewers of garlic grilled shrimp served with seasonal vegetables.

* LobsterChops (321 cal, 0 carbs, 9g fat) – Three grilled skewers with a split Maine lobster tail wrapped around a jumbo sea scallop.

* Roasted Tilapia in a Bag (297 cal, 15 carbs, 9g fat) – Fresh tilapia filet roasted in a bag with white wine, spicy seasonings and seasonal vegetables that is opened tableside.

Other popular dishes on the LightHouse Menu include a Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail Dinner (228 cal, 2 carbs, 4g fat), Snow Crab Legs (262 cal, 0 carbs, 4.5g fat) and Live Maine 1 1/4 lbs. Lobsters (145 cal, 2 carbs, 1g fat).

Ruby Tuesday has introduced a new menu with more than 30 Smart Eating items that are lower in carbs, calories and fat. Some of the new items include: the low-carb Peppercorn Salmon Caesar salad, the low-carb Chicken Cobb salad, several low-carb sandwiches in whole-grain wraps, and a low-carb Chocolate Lava Cake.