Mushrooming numbers

Nutrition Action Healthletter, April, 2009

"Make Informed Choices." advises the Uno Chicago Grill Web site which offers nutrition numbers for the chain's entire menu.

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Let's say you were curious about Uno's Cabot Aged Cheddar & Sauteed Mushroom Burger. A few Clicks and up pop the numbers--600 calories, 16 grams of saturated fat, and 910 milligrams of sodium.

Only one problem: The numbers apply to half a burger. Unless you happen to notice the "2" next to the word "servings," you'd never know. The same goes for most of the salads. And the numbers for Uno's soups, sandwiches, and paninis are for only two-thirds of a serving.

So when the Web site lists foods with "Less than 500 Calories," the claim rarely applies to an entire serving. To stay under 500 calories, for example, you couldn't eat much more than half of the Calzone, Penne Bolognese, Classic Cobb Salad, or Honey Crisp Chicken Salad.

What's the damage from the whole cheddar & mushroom burger? Add the fries that come with it and you're up to 1,650 calories plus a two-day supply of bad fat (36 grams) and sodium (3,110 mg).

A few dishes--like the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Veggie Burger, and Asian Chicken Salad-have 550 to 620 calories and 3 to 5 grams of sat fat in a whole serving. But why bother with them when unos.com makes you think that your burger has only 600 calories?

Memo to Uno: Time to "Make Informed Corrections" to your Web site.

Uno Chicago Grill: (866) 600-8667