Recent studies indicate that as many as one-third of all
American adults are obese. And while healthier diets provide an
obvious antidote to their fattier counterparts, there is an obvious
reason Americans tend to choose foods in the latter category — they
taste awesome.

So, if the challenge is to marry great taste with healthier
intake, and the nation’s well-being hinges on the result, health
mavens couldn’t do much better than to look toward today’s more
innovative restaurant chains.

For example, recently chosen for the top spot on “Health”
magazine’s America’s Healthiest Chain Restaurants list, UNO has
found a way to offer a menu filled with healthy choices, and to
have its customers embrace these choices enthusiastically.

“We start by rejecting the notion that healthy food must
sacrifice taste,” said Frank Guidara, CEO of UNO Chicago Grill.
“That simply isn’t true. Granted, to achieve both, you will require
the highest level of culinary talent. But we have plenty of that at
UNO, and that’s why we knew we could create menu offerings that
would be both healthy and delicious.”

A chef of great talent knows that for every unhealthy item added
to enhance taste, a healthy alternative can be found or concocted.
At UNO, that means diners can enjoy a roasted eggplant, spinach
& feta flatbread pizza on multigrain crust without guilt or
worry, since it has only 280 calories and six grams of fiber per
serving. Diners can choose the multigrain crust option for any
flatbread pizza. Another great option for a delicious entree is the
lemon basil salmon, which has just 240 calories per serving.

And when it comes to carbohydrates, UNO teamed with Barilla to
offer whole grain penne as an option to any pasta — helping to add
more fiber and whole grains to your diet without sacrificing
taste.

Just as important as healthy choices is good, easy-to-access
information. That’s why UNO offers nutrition information through
its Web site and on display in restaurant lobby kiosks, with
categories that show diners which items are under 500 calories,
which are vegetarian and which are created to serve those with food
allergies. What’s more, UNO’s site offers tips for eating healthy
in restaurants, including ways to lessen fat content and caloric
intake without sacrificing flavor.

Healthy eating will become mainstream when everyone figures out
how to combine good health with great taste, and in that pursuit,
UNO is leading the way.

(NewsUSA)