Chopped

Mellor

anewme wrote: »

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Anway, I posted the dressings up to help people, that was the question asked, not to be labelled dumb.

I didn't dispute the numbers you put up. I assume that helped people. But saying all dressings are "maybe 100cals" different to olive oil is misleading and incorrect. I also didn't say you were dumb, not sure where you got that.
If somebody is getting olive oil on a salad thinking it's healthy. They need to brush up a bit on the basics.

anewme

Mellor wrote: »

I didn't dispute the numbers you put up. I assume that helped people. But saying all dressings are "maybe 100cals" different to olive oil is misleading and incorrect. I also didn't say you were dumb, not sure where you got that.
If somebody is getting olive oil on a salad thinking it's healthy. They need to brush up a bit on the basics.

I think you’ve misinterpreted my post or I was not clear enough in how I said it.

The 100 calories I was referring to was the difference between olive oil and Lemon herb which I mentioned below. Not all dressings. If I posted that olive oil was 504 calories and balsamic vinegar was 227, I’m well aware that’s not 100 calories as it’s basic maths.

I think most people would be aware olive oil was high in caloriees(maybe not that high) but might not realise the lemon and herb was as high.

It’s in a squirty plastic bottle so it’s you can’t see if it’s oil based.

So when they ask you if you want (peri piri or Greek ir Thai or lemon and herb) or whatever, many ppl will just go ehhhh I’ll take lemon and herb.

A good few of our office staff get chopped and when we got the calories for the dressings, every single one was surprised and had underestimated all of the calories. So most now get it now on the side.

Seeing it 4 tablespoons made it clearer for them to see. A tablespoon is 14.7ml so it’s a fairly good visual way too view it as 4 tablespoons.

I think the caloriees should be displayed in the shops to be more transparent and enable customers make more informed choices.

Mellor

anewme wrote: »

I think you’ve misinterpreted my post or I was not clear enough in how I said it.

The 100 calories I was referring to was the difference between olive oil and Lemon herb which I mentioned below. Not all dressings.

If I posted that olive oil was 504 calories and balsamic vinegar was 227, I’m well aware that’s not 100 calories as it’s basic maths.

Post is above. I said there's a big difference between oil and dressings - as in all dressing generally.
You said there’s difference of maybe 100 calories. Lemon herb was mentioned after.

So when they ask you if you want (peri piri or Greek ir Thai or lemon and herb) or whatever, many ppl will just go ehhhh I’ll take lemon and herb.

That's fair enough, they might think its lemon juice and herbs. But one meal won't ruin a diet. If they get it once, they'll have an idea it's not the low option next time.

A good few of our office staff get chopped and when we got the calories for the dressings, every single one was surprised and had underestimated all of the calories.

That's believable. Most people have a poor idea of calories. Generally salad dressings are gonna be oil or mayo based.

I think the caloriees should be displayed in the shops to be more transparent and enable customers make more informed choices.

Agree. No reason not to display it if they have it availible.

harr

Mellor wrote: »

Post is above. I said there's a big difference between oil and dressings - as in all dressing generally.
You said there’s difference of maybe 100 calories. Lemon herb was mentioned after.


That's fair enough, they might think its lemon juice and herbs. But one meal won't ruin a diet. If they get it once, they'll have an idea it's not the low option next time.


That's believable. Most people have a poor idea of calories. Generally salad dressings are gonna be oil or mayo based.

Agree. No reason not to display it if they have it availible.

The problem for them displaying the calories is down to the amount of dressing each individual person working in chopped puts in the salad... i have seen workers putting the right amount just for flavour and others who would nearly put a quarter of a bottle in it ? so much so you would only taste the dressing and not the salad.
I think they all should come with the dressing on the side which would make displaying the calories an hell of a lot easier.

anewme

harr wrote: »

The problem for them displaying the calories is down to the amount of dressing each individual person working in chopped puts in the salad... i have seen workers putting the right amount just for flavour and others who would nearly put a quarter of a bottle in it ? so much so you would only taste the dressing and not the salad.
I think they all should come with the dressing on the side which would make displaying the calories an hell of a lot easier.

That’s actually my point about some people being heavy handed with the squirter. Very easy to add a few hundred calories but at least if the calories were displayed and shown even if indicated as 60g then people can at least steer away from the higher ones, when now there’s no guidance at all.

harr

anewme wrote: »

That’s actually my point about some people being heavy handed with the squirter. Very easy to add a few hundred calories but at least if the calories were displayed and shown even if indicated as 60g then people can at least steer away from the higher ones, when now there’s no guidance at all.

I have seen the little squirt they need to fill those little containers but watching some of them putting the dressing on the salads it’s at least double and sometimes a lot more. Some places are always spot on while others are always a bit more generous.

anewme

harr wrote: »

I have seen the little squirt they need to fill those little containers but watching some of them putting the dressing on the salads it’s at least double and sometimes a lot more. Some places are always spot on while others are always a bit more generous.

60 g is small enough is especially as there’s so much leaves. If I was making my own salad at hime id have a lot less leaves and more sides so it’s easier to judge.

Could they get containers made for the servers when they dispense the dressing like bars use to get a pub measure. Like if they press the bottle 60g goes into the chamber and is released. I’m just thinking iof environmental damage if everyone asked for a plastic pot with every salad. Going to stop doing that myself actually.

I think it’s something chopped need to develop on as part of their strategy...how to standardize dressing without adding more plastic.

On a positive note I believe they use Brady Ham and Nolan salmon so I’ll be sticking with salmon and lemon juice I think.

Richmond Ultra

Apologies for the delay. Below are the piri piri dressing stats.

100 g sample.
302 Cal's
30.8 g fat
2.5 saturates
3.4 carbs
2.3 sugar
0.8 protein
1.5 salt

Wesser

So... lemon juice all the way yeah? Can take as much on the lemon juice as I want?

molly09

Mellor wrote: »

Lemon herb is a vinigrette. It's probably 80% olive oil. Of course its similar to plain olive. Dressings that mostly oil are high in calories.

Saying its about 100 cals difference with all dressings is dumb. You own posts contradicts you.



Not, you said before they put 60g in the salads. But now you are saying 60g is a tiny amount and they put in way more. :rolleyes:

I would never have though the balsamic dressing was that high, it’s the one I always get thinking it wS s good option. The house dressing is lower !!

Mellor

molly09 wrote: »

I would never have though the balsamic dressing was that high, it’s the one I always get thinking it wS s good option. The house dressing is lower !!

Balsamic vinegar is low cal, it's just vinegar.
Balsamic dressing on the other hand, is mostly oil with some balsamic.

MarkY91

Ah lads so what IS healthy to eat when out and about in town? When even chipped is tricking you into believing you're being healthy

Alf Veedersane

MarkY91 wrote: »

Ah lads so what IS healthy to eat when out and about in town? When even chipped is tricking you into believing you're being healthy

Theyre not tricking anyone and the food isn't unhealthy. It's about the calorie content in their food.

MarkY91

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Theyre not tricking anyone and the food isn't unhealthy. It's about the calorie content in their food.

They hide the calories of the sauces and squirt too much onto the food. It's been said loads of times on their thread that people had no clue how much extra calories they're consuming in chopped.

Dial Hard

MarkY91 wrote:

They hide the calories of the sauces and squirt too much onto the food. It's been said loads of times on their thread that people had no clue how much extra calories they're consuming in chopped.

They're not "hiding" anything. Honest to God, if people don't realise that oil-based dressings are fattening then it's not really Chopped's fault, is it? Choose your dressing wisely and get it on the side. It's not exactly rocket science.

Alf Veedersane

MarkY91 wrote: »

They hide the calories of the sauces and squirt too much onto the food. It's been said loads of times on their thread that people had no clue how much extra calories they're consuming in chopped.

You'd swear it was a Chopped conspiracy to get too many calories into people.

And having too many calories isn't the same as it being unhealthy. There are more calories in an average avocado than there is in a Crunchie bar. Does that mean that avocados are unhealthy or that you should just be more conscious of portions.

If you think they put too much dressing on in general, ask for it on the side.

anewme

Dial Hard wrote: »

They're not "hiding" anything. Honest to God, if people don't realise that oil-based dressings are fattening then it's not really Chopped's fault, is it? Choose your dressing wisely and get it on the side. It's not exactly rocket science.

The calories for the salads are displayed on the board in the shop but not the calories for the dressings( not even for 60g)

They don’t have the calorie content available at the shop and you have to email head office to get them.

Would not go as far as calling it conspiracy theory, but showing the salad without the dressing shows a lack of transparency.

It’s not about saying people should realise, unfortunately a lot of people don’t, that’s the whole idea of displaying the calories when eating out , be it Chopped or McDonalds or whoever in the first place.

MarkY91

Dial Hard wrote: »

They're not "hiding" anything. Honest to God, if people don't realise that oil-based dressings are fattening then it's not really Chopped's fault, is it? Choose your dressing wisely and get it on the side. It's not exactly rocket science.

They're quite literally hiding the calories of their dressings by not displaying them in the store. Why display calories for their salad but not dressing? Let me guess....because it won't appear to be healthy anymore and they'll lose customers.


Just display the calories in the dressings. Don't hide then to appear healthier.

Greybottle

I've only been to Chopped about 5 times, all in the last 6-8 weeks. I like the food, I'll be using it a lot more.

After the first time, I said to the guy "a small squirt" of dressing, he did just that, once I asked for a small bit more. I've also told them about chopping the food half way through that "that's fine", as I like a bit of bite. They were always more than happy to comply.

People should be prepared to open their mouths and adjust the food when it's being prepared rather than complaining afterwards. Admittedly you'll need a couple of visits to get the hang of it, but if you're buying it several times a week then there's no excuse.

I agree it would be helpful to have the dressing calories written down, but if you're calorie counting then you should know roughly what is in dressings calorie wise. If you're worried about calories, then buy a couple of apples or bring your own food, or go to McDonalds where it's all written down and all portioned out to the gramme.

Amirani

Anytime I've gone to Chopped I've just not got a dressing. I'm generally fine with foods that are quite dry, and I find there's plenty of flavour in the protein and vegetables without them.

anewme

The lemon juice is really nice just a dash over the salad as well. Very refreshing.

Richmond Ultra

anewme wrote: »

The calories for the salads are displayed on the board in the shop but not the calories for the dressings( not even for 60g)

They don’t have the calorie content available at the shop and you have to email head office to get them.

Would not go as far as calling it conspiracy theory, but showing the salad without the dressing shows a lack of transparency.

It’s not about saying people should realise, unfortunately a lot of people don’t, that’s the whole idea of displaying the calories when eating out , be it Chopped or McDonalds or whoever in the first place.

I have all the calories written down on the previous page for the dressing. If you want the calories for any chopped sauce, let me know and I'll get it for you tomorrow.

wakka12

Dial Hard wrote: »

Isn't that kind of the entire point of a salad?

Not really..they could put more peppers and tomatoes and stuff in..I dont like paying 8 euro for a bucket of leaves,salad just means mix of vegetables and othetr toppings doesnt have to be 90% lettuce, its annoying how few healthy takeaway options there are in dublin that are tasty as well so if I ever want to eat healthy out I usually do go to chopped..even in other resturants things you think of as healthy like vegetable soup are full of oil and cream and salt!
When I was in vancouver you could get delicious sushi poke bowls for 7 euro and theres enough in them for lunch and a dinner!The base for the fish was nutritious and filling, it had bits like cabbage, brown rice,seaweed, beans,avocado stuff like that , that just felt like it had more substance than iceberg/mixed leaves

wakka12

And I mightnt go so far as saying its a conspiracy theory, but theyre definitely being less open than they should be when theyre branding themselves as a health food store. No they dont want to go make people fat per se but fattening foods generally taste better, the sauces make their salads much nicer, and they know this, and youll come back and get that tasty salad that they didnt full tell the truth to you about the calories in it

It is very much not a coincidence that they dont have the calorie count of sauces openly available on the menus

Tar.Aldarion

MarkY91 wrote: »

Ah lads so what IS healthy to eat when out and about in town? When even chipped is tricking you into believing you're being healthy

Blazing salads on Drury st. is amazing. You choose what to put into your tub.
My boojum order would be fairly healthy: burrito bowl with rice, vegetables, pinto beans, black beans, sweet corn salsa, tomato salsa and guacamole.

CM24

On the topic of Boojim/Burrito places. Is the Mexican rice a lot more calorific than the white rice?

Also, I think that if Chopped did put the total calorie count on their menu, they wouldn’t have been as successful as they have been. They know what they’re doing.

Dial Hard

CM24 wrote: »

Also, I think that if Chopped did put the total calorie count on their menu, they wouldn’t have been as successful as they have been. They know what they’re doing.

Are the dressings obligatory? If they're an optional extra then Chopped aren't hiding anything by listing the calorie counts of the undressed salads. Yes, it would be nice if they listed the dressing calories in addition, but I still don't think it's their fault if people don't realise they're adding several hundred calories by choosing an oil-based or creamy dressing.

easygoing1982

Richmond Ultra wrote: »

If you want the calories for any chopped sauce, let me know and I'll get it for you tomorrow.

I could have missed it and apologies if I have. Could you get the calories for the Caesar dressing please

Todd Gack

Dial Hard wrote: »

Are the dressings obligatory? If they're an optional extra then Chopped aren't hiding anything by listing the calorie counts of the undressed salads. Yes, it would be nice if they listed the dressing calories in addition, but I still don't think it's their fault if people don't realise they're adding several hundred calories by choosing an oil-based or creamy dressing.

With oil, pesto, vinaigrette, yes but it's not obvious with the likes of "Greek passion", "Oriental", "Thai adventure", "Mexican", "New Orleans".

Richmond Ultra

easygoing1982 wrote: »

I could have missed it and apologies if I have. Could you get the calories for the Caesar dressing please

Hi, top of page 6 has all the calories, etc. If you want any other details please let me know.