RESTAURANT CONFIDENTIAL: The Shocking Truth About What You're Really Eating When You're Eating Out

This book from the Center for Science in the Public Interest is a follow-up to the organization's exposé on the dangers of fast food. This guide offers all imaginable nutritional details about restaurant food, including meals available at mall eateries, fast-food outlets and family-oriented establishments, along with ethnic eateries from Chinese to Italian. The material is first presented in a breathless, tabloid style designed to astound the reader ("It is not at all unusual for a typical restaurant meal to pack 1,000 calories, not counting appetizers or dessert, each of which could run another 1,000. Yet, most women need only about 2,000 calories per day, whereas men need only 2,500.") What follows is a practical list of the best and worst meal choices, according to calorie, fat and sugar content. After spelling out the calorie and fat gram content, the authors offer an alternative in "The Bottom Line." For example, after describing the amount of oil and sugar in sweet and sour pork, the authors advise, "No amount of adjusting will make this good enough to eat. Skip it." While the book probably won't change the way most Americans eat, avid dieters or anyone obsessed with eating healthy will find this book useful as they plan their meals. (May 17)