Nutrition Nugget! Bite-sized bonus episodes offer tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about Olive Garden. Yes, the chain restaurant with the famous unlimited breadsticks. Can a sit-down Italian favorite really fit into a healthy lifestyle? Jenn dug into the nutrition facts, and what she found surprised even her, especially when it comes to one number that shows up in nearly every dish. Olive Garden has also launched a new Lighter Portions menu aimed at people taking GLP-1 medications, so Jenn did some detective work to see what is behind it. Is it a true game changer or something else entirely? She also shares which soups, salads, and entrees might deserve a spot at your table, and which classic dishes could be a bigger challenge than you would guess. Is Olive Garden ever a smart choice, or should it stay off your list? Listen in to hear Jenn's final verdict. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full-length episodes of new releases every Wednesday. Have an idea for a nutrition nugget? Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/

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Yes, the chain restaurant. So in this [00:00:30] week's full-length episode, we revisited year six of Salad with a Side of Fries, and i- in a [00:00:35] couple nutrition nuggets that year, we discussed healthier options [00:00:40] at fast food restaurants, namely Panera and Chick-fil-A. So in [00:00:45] this nutrition nugget, we're going from fast food to sit down at a [00:00:50] restaurant, and the other piece that makes this interesting is that Olive Garden [00:00:55] launched a menu targeted toward those taking GLP-1 pharmaceuticals, which [00:01:00] are increasingly part of our conversation.

Today we are focused on [00:01:30] Olive Garden, and I think maybe the place to start is kind of the biggest [00:01:35] concerns across the board that we're gonna see show up in every single item. [00:01:40] Number one is the amount of sodium in their menu. [00:01:45] Absolutely across the entire menu. It was borderline shocking to me. I [00:01:50] mean, I expected it to be a lot, and it was even more, so you'll [00:01:55] hear this as we go through.

I mean, [00:02:30] pasta, you know. And I guess the fat makes sense to me, too. I mean, I'm [00:02:35] thinking like cheese, cream sauce, butter, all those things. So a couple general [00:02:40] guidelines. If you're going to Olive Garden, be sure to watch your salt intake [00:02:45] that day, maybe even a couple days around that meal. [00:02:50] Remember, it is highly unlikely that they are using a [00:02:55] quality mineral dense salt, and more likely that they're using iodized table salt, which is [00:03:00] not the salt that supports our health.

Make sure that they are [00:03:35] really hitting the spot for you because they pack a punch in [00:03:40] sodium and carbs, which means we wanna watch how many we have [00:03:45] and know for some people this might be, you know, a deal breaker. The [00:03:50] garlic topping uses margarine. I saw that in their FAQs. [00:03:55] So okay, here we go. A single breadstick with the garlic topping- [00:04:00] Is 140 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, of which .5 [00:04:05] grams of saturated fat, 460 milligrams of sodium, 25 [00:04:10] grams of total carbs with less than one gram of fiber, and four grams of protein.

So we [00:04:40] know veggies are a powerful choice. I will say I wish they [00:04:45] used different kinds of lettuce, like even romaine instead of iceberg. Maybe that's just me being [00:04:50] picky. The challenge with the salad is the dressing. Without the salad, [00:04:55] the dressing gives us 11 grams of carbs with two grams of fiber, two grams of [00:05:00] sugar in those 11 grams of carbs, two grams of fat, two grams of [00:05:05] protein in 70 calories per serving.

You get to decide what's a deal breaker or how you wanna handle it, [00:05:45] and it's funny. It's just worth noting, like even the salad falls under those [00:05:50] general guidelines of watching the sodium and fat. Okay, the soups. I'm a [00:05:55] fan of the soups. They make great options. They too have the same [00:06:00] flag of fat and sodium.

The pasta e fagioli soup is 150 calories, [00:06:35] five grams of fat with two grams of saturated fat, 16 grams of [00:06:40] carbs with three grams of fiber, four grams of sugar, and eight grams of protein [00:06:45] with, I mean, all of that is a plus, and then it comes with 710 [00:06:50] milligrams of sodium. By the way, if you opt for soup, salad, and [00:06:55] breadsticks as your meal, do that and order a side of cooked [00:07:00] protein.

And maybe [00:07:25] we just forget the, like, unlimited part of the unlimited soup, salad, and [00:07:30] breadsticks, unless it's to get a hot breadstick. Okay. In the [00:07:35] entrees section of their menu, your best option, there's a [00:07:40] couple. So I would look at the herb-grilled salmon, which I think usually comes with [00:07:45] broccoli, the grilled chicken margherita, and even the [00:07:50] six-ounce sirloin.

Certainly [00:08:25] more than you would have eating in your own kitchen, more than [00:08:30] other sit-down restaurants, and you get to decide what's a deal [00:08:35] breaker. To me, these are options that all just come with [00:08:40] considerations. On the pastas, we see the same things repeating; [00:08:45] portion size overall, the fat, the sodium, the carbs with not much [00:08:50] fiber.

Even with those, you're gonna wanna watch your portion sizes. Now, I've seen some [00:09:25] places online say that Olive Garden offers a whole wheat pasta. [00:09:30] I'm not sure if that's some places, like some [00:09:35] locations, or everywhere. The document of nutrition facts from their website [00:09:40] did not have whole wheat pasta, so I don't know if that was removed [00:09:45] in favor of their lighter options section.

It's called Lighter [00:10:20] Portions. They tested it in the fall of 2025 with 40% of their [00:10:25] locations, and based on the positive response, they decided to roll it out to every location [00:10:30] in 2026. They said in the publicity that came out late [00:10:35] 2025, they said it was a function of rising inflation, wage [00:10:40] stagnation, and the growing use of GLP-1 drugs.

So if eating a portion of your plate is a challenge, go with these. [00:11:15] We still see the same considerations of the fat and the [00:11:20] sodium even though it's smaller portions. Now, the [00:11:25] pastas In this comparison and digging that I did, looking [00:11:30] at the lighter version of the chicken parm versus the regular chicken parm, and the [00:11:35] lighter versions of the pastas or the eggplant parm, we see fat, [00:11:40] sodium, carbs, less fiber and protein than we'd [00:11:45] really like.

The regular dinner portion of chicken [00:12:20] parm has 1,020 calories, 51 grams of fat, [00:12:25] 80 grams of carbs with seven grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, plus 64 [00:12:30] grams of protein, and 3,300 milligrams of [00:12:35] sodium. Now , depending on your priorities and preferences, [00:12:40] their gluten sensitive menu has a grilled chicken parm [00:12:45] that's 810 calories, 33 grams of fat, 59 grams of [00:12:50] carbs with seven grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, 75 grams of protein, [00:12:55] and then 3,040 milligrams of sodium.

The major considerations are sodium, fat, and carbohydrates, [00:13:30] with not so much fiber or protein. My favorite options are the [00:13:35] soup, salad, and breadsticks, adding a side of a grilled lean protein [00:13:40] or the grilled salmon entree. If I'm really craving it, maybe I [00:13:45] do half the portion of the grilled chicken parm from the gluten sensitive menu.

Well, as always, everyone, I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck. Connect with me on Instagram or [00:14:20] all social media. I'm @jenntrepeck, J-E-N-N-T-R-E-P-E-C-K. [00:14:25] Website is asaladwithasideoffries.com. Pick your platform, send a message, because I [00:14:30] truly love hearing from you. And thank you, thank you for listening each [00:14:35] week, each year. And friend, I invite you to join us in the [00:14:40] Happy Healthy Hub if you are not already a member.

Well, [00:15:05] friends, that's it for today's episode of Salad with a Side of Fries. Congratulations for making [00:15:10] yourself and your health a priority. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to click subscribe or [00:15:15] follow on your favorite podcast platform. Share us with a friend and we'll be back next week. [00:15:20] Always remember, you deserve it and you are worth it.