Dr Oz & Rocco DiSpirito’s Restaurant Secrets Making You Fat

Dr Oz: Rocco DiSpirito’s Restaurant Secrets

Everyone loves going out to eat. It’s more convenient than cooking at home, and it’s a chance to be social with friends or family. But have you ever really thought about the health consequences of dining out? Even if you are trying to order light dishes or watch your choices, the restaurants have secrets that could be sabotaging your diet and your waistline.

To help expose these industry secrets, Dr Oz invited Chef Rocco DiSpirito to unveil some of the ways that eating out is making you fat. Find out where they’re hiding the fat and calories, and how every detail of your meal is planned out.

Doctor Oz: How Restaurants Manipulate You

It starts with the lighting. You will feel less self-conscious about your menu choices in low lighting (and you thought mood lighting was simply for romance). Plus, you may not be getting skim milk when you order it in coffee.

Even if restaurants are making these substitutions and choices with good intentions, they still add up to a lot of extra calories and pounds for frequent diners. Here are some more secrets Chef Rocco talked about with Dr Oz.

Check out Rocco’s Healthy Chicken Guide.

Dr Oz: Extra Butter In Restaurant Recipes

There is butter on almost everything you eat in a restaurant. That’s because it keeps the food moist and improves the taste of almost everything. It’s even in places you might not expect, such as a Vinaigrette salad dressing.

Chef Rocco admitted that one of his restaurants used to go through 12 pounds of butter every day. Even healthy seeming choices, such as fish, are smothered in butter before being grilled. Shrimp might be marinating in it overnight. Even your vegetables are probably getting a healthy coat of butter.

The way to avoid this is to be explicitly clear with your restaurant staff. They want to give you what you want, but they’re going to assume you want extra butter unless you tell them otherwise.

Check out Chef Rocco’s Pink Slime Thoughts.

Dr Oz: Thick Sauces Are Bad For You

Chef Rocco also said that thicker sauces are much worse for your health than thin sauces. He revealed that most restaurants use a Rue that is half flour and half butter to make common sauces such as Alfredo sauce. Thick, goopy sauces are only adding calories to your meal, and can put your dish as high as 1400 calories.

You can also avoid this problem by asking questions about the sauce when you order. See if they can substitute Au Jus sauce as a lighter, fat free alternative. Rocco called this his go-to sauce. Alternatively, you can bring your own vinegar to use as a sauce. Wouldn’t you feel weird about bringing your own condiments?

Dr Oz: Hidden Sugars – Pizza and Pasta

What makes foods like spaghetti look so picture perfect on a restaurant plate? It’s all the added sugar, which helps the food look great visually and provides a sweet and sour effect on the taste buds that restaurants believe customers will love.

Get Chef Rocco’s Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe.

Dr Oz: Foods Ending In Y Have High Fat

Rocco’s last secret can help you decode your restaurant menu. If a food is described with lots of adjectives ending in Y, it’s probably high in fat. Think about your favorite cheesy, crunchy, crispy or creamy menu items as examples.

On the other hand, adjectives ending in D describe foods that are probably healthier choices. These may be grilled, baked, or poached. Also, a good rule of thumb is to choose sauteed options over fried choices.