This menu review covers restaurants commonly used by AssetMark employees and is intended to help guide employees towards healthier food choices during the workday. The menu selections and overall recommendations are based on the review of online menus for selected locations available to AssetMark employees and are to be used as general guidelines when ordering. It could be helpful to review all the restaurant information provided, as the tips will be relevant to other similar restaurants. No specific information was gathered from the establishments to clarify cooking methods, quality of ingredients, serving sizes, potential breading, additives, etc. Lisa Michelle Miller, BS, NC Nutrition Consultant, certified Owner & Nutrition Program Director, Kitchen on Fire Cooking School Owner, Ocean View Nutrition (Personal Consultations / Public Speaking) lisa@kitchenonfire.com lisa@oceanviewnutrition.com
Panera (All Locations) Overall Recommendations Enjoy a balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates for breakfast. Avoid having high carbohydrate items (i.e., breads, bagels, fruit, granola) without high protein items (yogurt, eggs, meats). Lunch: Avoid (or reduce) o Crispy/Fried Items due to damaged fats: Parmesan Crisps, Wonton Strips, Frizzled Onions, Croutons o Southwest Corn Blend (GMO?) o Low Fat Dressings: Dressings naturally have fat as a key element and if they are removing fat, they are adding substitute items with a fat feel and/or sugar and salt products. Since fat carries flavor and without the fat there is a perceived need to you sugar or salt to enhance the flavor. Breakfast and Lunch: Quality Meats - Look for raised without antibiotics on the poultry Healthier Menu Choices Power Almond Quinoa Oatmeal Asiago Bacon, Egg & Cheese Bagels Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwich Avocado, Egg White and Spinach Sandwich Turkey Sausage, Egg White and Spinach Sandwich Lunch: Salad Box Though watch the side items of bread and a cookie Ask to substitute out one of those items for fruit or another side dish. Premium Sandwiches: Steak and Arugula or Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT Tuna Salad (my concerns here are the quality of tuna and mayonnaise ask) Ham & Swiss Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with almonds Turkey Chili
Lyfe Caters to You (Chicago) Healthier Menu Choices (Overall Recommendations noted within the text) Breakfast Burrito Art s Oatmeal Start Greek Yogurt Bowl Avoid: Potato Hash & Orange Juice Starters: Grilled Artichokes with Garlic Aioli Edamame Hummus & Veggies Soups & Wraps & Salads: Sweet Corn Chowder (ask if it s GMO free corn) All of the wraps look like good options (watch the amount of sauce & dressing for the buffalo chicken wrap) Farmer s Market Quinoa Crunch Bowl Kale Salad (except the breadcrumbs) Simple Greens Main Dishes: All the main dishes look good, though I would avoid the pastas. It s hard for me to judge the carbohydrate balance between the pasta and other food items within the pasta dish without visiting the restaurant. Ask questions about the proteins. Should be: Wild Salmon Organic or at least antibiotic-free chicken Sprouted or Organic Tofu Tastes of Lyfe Combination Catered Menus: Bronze and Silver both include four carbohydrate-heavy items on the menu. People could make the right choices, though this really stacks the deck towards finishing the meal overloaded in carbohydrates and therefore not having a balanced meal to sustain their energy through the afternoon. The Gold selection is a healthier choice, though it s a bigger hit to the budget. Ask if they are willing to swap a couple things out on the lower priced menus.
Blackwood BBQ (Chicago) Overall Recommendations Given other restaurant options, i.e., Lyfe, I don t believe this restaurant is on the healthier end of the spectrum. The sides tend to be heavy. The sauces tend to be high in sugar. I m not aware of the cooking methods and quality of the meats. Ask about the meats when ordering to understand what is organic and or grass fed. Healthier Menu Choices Hash for a Bunch I would select the pork. This is the best of their breakfast menu, though it would not be the first place I d send my clients. Lunch Meats: (Ask the quality of each) Pulled Pork Pulled Chicken Lunch Sides: Smokehouse Beans Southern Vinegar Slaw Sweet corn on the cob Mixed Greens Salad Sauces: North Carolina Style Vinegar South Carolina Style - Mustard
Concord Café Weekly Menu Overall Recommendations Avoid high carbohydrate dishes found on the menu, i.e., French toast, Pancakes, and Croissants. Other common carb-loaded breakfast items may include bagels, cereal and/or a banana. Those should always be paired with a protein source, i.e., meat, nut butter or dairy. Watch the muffin content. Muffins are often high in sugars, especially if they say low fat. Lunch: If ordering a sandwich avoid a second starch (bread is one starch), i.e., avoid including fries or cream/potato based soup. If ordering a soup check for protein content or have something else with it like a piece of chicken or side of black beans. Skip the lunch combos with the fries and soda or ask for substitutions like a side salad or other vegetables. Save your fried food splurge for an evening rather than lunchtime as the carb load could bring down your energy level. Your starchy carbs (bread, potatoes, beans, rice) should be about ½ cup for lunch. Watch the full meal specials for carb content. Beware of meals that double up the carbs, i.e., pasta and bread, Naan and rice, tortilla and rice. Healthier Menu Choices Burrito, Wrap or Eggs Lunch: Minestrone Soup; Chorizo and Fish Sandwich; Carvery Items; Roasted Vegetables; White Bean and Kale Salad
Yalla Mediterranean (Concord) Overall Recommendations Menu: Overall the quality looks very good based on the information found on the website. I would put this on the top of the restaurant list for healthy eating based on the restaurants reviewed. Healthier Menu Choices Wraps: The two chicken-based recipes look the healthiest, though I wouldn t shoot down the steak or the falafel either. Sides: Moroccan Carrot Salad Turkish Slaw Favorites: Chicken Skewers Kefta Skewers
Maria s Italian Kitchen (Encino) Healthier Menu Choices (Overall Recommendations noted within the text) Appetizers / Antipasto / Breads: Caprese Skewers Deluxe Antipasto Bar with the inclusion of roasted vegetables. Ask about the quality of cured meats. Pass on the bread if possible given there will be other carbohydrate items to enjoy. If bread is desired by the team select the Rosemary Bread. Salads / Vegetables: Overall the salad selections look good. Avoid the BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad due to the sugar in the sauce, crisp onions and wontons. Skip the Cesar Salad since you will not get many vegetables and there are croutons as well. Be sure to order one of the vegetable dishes in the mix! Pasta and Specialties: Avoid baked items and items in a cream sauce as they are too heavy. Select items based on the sauce and the inclusion of fresh vegetables. The vegetables will not only be helpful for nutrients, they are also lighter than the other items on the plate and the one food that will provide a good amount of fiber which will help digest a heavy/rich meal. Sauce choices would include tomato, wine, pesto or oil based sauces. Chicken/Meat/Pizza/Sandwiches: Oven-Roasted Chicken is my top choice Choice of sides includes the broccoli pasta salad, pasta primavera salad, summer pasta salad and broccoli (select only one pasta salad). Chicken and pasta dishes: Same criteria as above for sauce recommendations and avoid the items that are breaded. Meat dishes are heavy so order light on these items with lots of variety. Skip the pizza and sandwiches. Picnic Box Combinations and Power Meals: This is a nice way of planning the mix of items. Use the recommendations above to select the items. Be sure there is a mix of salads and cooked vegetables included. Vegetables should be at least half of the plate.
The Allen Street Grill (State College) Healthier Menu Choices (Overall Recommendations noted within the text) Starters: Ahi Tuna Sashimi Hummus & Vegetables Soups & Salads: Vegetarian Chili (remove the tortilla chips) Bert s Beet Salad Cesar Salad (remove the croutons and select one of the proteins to add ask the quality of each and select your choice based on quality) Greek Salad Sandwiches: Substitute the housemade chippers with a salad Grilled Sirloin Burger rare, no cheese, try a lettuce wrap or eat only half of the bun Vegetable Wrap however this is low on protein and it would be great if they could add beans or turkey Turkey Bacon Grill Though I d skip the bacon if you don t know the quality and also if it s too crisp Seafood: Ahi Tuna Cedar-Blanked Salmon ask to swap the potatoes for another vegetable or the rice pilaf Seafood Mixed Grill Meats Chicken Piccata ASG Mixed Grill chose meats that are less cooked if possible