Lunch at Applebee’s

Applebee’s is a great place for lunch. Recently I ate at Applebee’s in Laurel, Mississippi, and loved it. In Ruston, Louisiana, we have a classy Applebee’s, where several of us enjoy eating.

Most of my friends pay attention to calorie count. More of us should look at the amount of sodium in our food. Many doctors recommend 2,000 mg of sodium per day as a maximum for healthy people under fifty without high blood pressure. Some recommend even less for us seniors. I do not pretend to suggest an amount of sodium a person should consume in a day. I’m trying hard though to limit my consumption.

With plans to go to Applebee’s tomorrow for lunch, I decided to preview the nutritional value of some lunch foods so I will be able to order intelligently. I went to http://applebees.com/~/media/docs/Applebees_Nutritional_Info.pdf The French Onion Soup is delicious, and I ordered it not too long ago. Since I’m restricting sodium, I thought I’d check on it. The calories aren’t bad: 370. The sodium content though is prohibitive: 1420 mg sodium per bowl.

If I decide to have a meal with fewer than 550 calories, I’ll find some neat choices: roasted garlic sirloin, Napa chicken and portobellos, signature sirloin with garlic herb shrimp, zesty roma chicken and shrimp.

But what about the sodium? I couldn’t find these foods on the chart so I could check the sodium content. There was an item called Steak & Grilled Shrimp Combo with 510 calories. Not bad, but the sodium is 3110 mg.