Restaurant War(nings), as per Dr. Oz:

Once upon a time, I worked as a food server at a little bar and grille. yes, a food server is exactly what it sounds like...the person not quite cool enough to take your order but more than capable of delivering your meal to your table and doing the rest of the not-so-shiny bits of the job. The locale will remain unnamed, however, after having spent the majority of my summer in the kitchen (for the sole purpose of a pay check) I refused to allow my family to step foot in the restaurant. I could almost promise that your fingers would not be the first to touch your food, and heaven forbid you sent something back with a complaint. but that's neither here, nor there. all this to say, NEVER EAT OUT. I'm kidding (sort-of). 

I've made mention of the benefits of cooking your own meals in previous posts, but eating out can't always (nor should it have to) be avoided. you can make healthy choices irrespective of where you choose to dine. no excuses. even Turkey Hill sells bananas and hard boiled eggs. 

Recently, Dr. Oz targeted some of the secret issues restaurants fail to acknowledge. so, consider this a cautionary tale. I'm not saying that all restaurants are the pits. In fact, I've seen, first hand, dining establishments that are top-notch and run by the book. Just be wary and do your research. Your health is a priority. if it's not, it darn well should be. act accordingly. 

Here they are, Restaurant SECRETS: 

1. Your meat might be rotten. 
"An old trick is to keep steak that's past its prime and wait until somebody orders it well-done. The more you cook the meat, the more you disguise its flavor – so restaurants are able to serve you food that’s really past its prime." 
SOLUTION: order your steak medium. that way they have to use fresher cuts of meat. 

2. Your meal comes with added sugar!
"Do you ever wonder why some of your favorite dishes look shiny? The answer is extra sugar. It’s added to most pasta dishes to help cut the bitterness from the tomato sauce. It’s even added to pizza dough! It makes the food taste better and keeps you coming back for more. The extra sugar is adding calories to your meal and inches to your waistline!"
SOLUTION: While hard to avoid, you can ask your server what is included in the steak seasoning or ask for your veggies steamed instead of in that oh-so-good sugary butter sauce. 

3. Buffets bread bacteria. (doesn't the word buffet just make you want to gag!? ick.)

"The danger of buffets is that the food sits out at inconsistent temperatures. The food on the bottom is burnt, while the food on the top is too cold. Additionally, you don’t always get real ingredients. A recent test from West Virginia University concluded that scrambled eggs from two restaurant buffets were not made from real eggs but from liquid egg substitutes containing less protein and more water. Anything that’s all-you-can-eat is usually either low quality or food made from starch or heavy in fat."

SOULTION: Don't eat at buffets. but if you haaaave to, go when they first open and the food is at it's freshest. 

4. Serving trays are filthy. 

"Busy restaurant workers don’t have time to clean a tray. If they do clean it, they are often using the same dirty cloth to wipe them all clean - spreading the germs!"

SOLUTION: Ask for food in a to-go container or bring an antibacterial wipe. 

5. The 'special' is often a poor choice. (s c a r y!) 

"Restaurateurs know that many diners will order a special, and consequently raise the price. Sadly, the daily special may not actually be special; instead, they are usually made of the food the chef needs to get rid of fast. This includes aging meat and fish, old veggies and leftover sauces."

SOLUTION: Don’t be shy about asking the waiter questions about the ingredients. And don’t order a special on Sunday! Restaurants very rarely get food deliveries on the weekend, so anything served on Sunday night has probably been in the cooler for a few days.

6. Water pitchers are unwashed.

"Water pitchers are sometimes washed only once a day – at the end of the night. That means during the day, they just get recycled and used over and over again. When the waiter comes around to refill your water – watch! – does the pitcher actually touch your glass? If the waiter is touching all the other patrons' glasses with the same pitcher, think about all those germs you are about to drink!"

SOLUTION: don't drink straight from the glass. ask for a straw. 

7. The music dictates how much you eat. 

"Music sets a mood – and it can affect your eating habits. If a restaurant is playing loud music, you feel like you have more energy. That makes you order more and eat faster. It also means you’ll overeat. The bonus for the restaurant? You’ll leave faster – helping the restaurant get more customers in the door!"

SOLUTION: Be conscientious the next time you dine out. Enjoy the music, order carefully and enjoy your food.

8. Leftovers are great! but...don't ask the waiter to pack them up. 

"Remember, there's no special 'leftover boxing-up station.' Your plate could be left in the kitchen next to dirty dishes and garbage. You have no idea how your food will get into your leftover container."

SOLUTION: ask for the to-go container and box it up yourself! 

9. You're better off licking the floor than restaurant lemons. 

"Most restaurants never wash their lemons. They stay in the box that they were shipped in until they end up on your plate. In an independent test, Dr. Oz discovered 5 out of 5 lemons from five different restaurants were coated with germs including mold, bacteria, staph and Candida yeast" – ew!!

SOLUTION: go lemon-less or squeeze the juice in/on yourself, avoiding the rinds. 

10. Decaf serves as Caffeinated. (after dark) 

"If you order coffee past 8 p.m., it’s most likely decaf. Restaurants don’t want to wash two pots so they often use one and fill it with decaf. It saves them time and money to serve only one option."

SOLUTION: If you need caffeine, order an espresso or cappuccino - these are made to order 

11. Bathroom cleanliness dictates kitchen cleanliness. 

"Although it may seem counterintuitive to associate a restaurant’s bathroom with their kitchen, these two places often share the same level of cleanliness. If a restaurant can’t be bothered to keep the toilets and sinks clean, then imagine what their refrigeration and workspaces look like in the kitchen."

SOLUTION: Don't eat at a restaurant where the bathroom trashcan is more than half full. Is there toilet paper? Is there soap? Make sure the bathrooms are being regularly monitored and cleaned.