Heart-Healthy Menu Choices Ease Decision-Making

Lunch rush at the new Z-Teca Mexican Grill at Ninth and Grand includes a big contingent of health-care providers from the nearby neighborhood.

Diners at the gourmet burrito restaurant can watch the comings and goings from the southern edge of Sacred Heart Medical Center.

It’s with that in mind that owner Jim Cravens wanted to ensure that some of his menu items could pass the test for healthy eating.

Who better to call, Cravens decided, than the nutrition specialists at The Heart Institute of Spokane, one of his medical neighbors.

“Generally, our food is considered to be a healthy choice, but we didn’t have any way to document it,” Cravens said.

For five years now, The Heart Institute has offered its “Lite ‘n Hearty” program for restaurants. The institute analyzes recipes, determines their overall fat content and approves those that rate heart-healthy.

About two dozen restaurants in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene participate in the program, including some restaurants with more than one location. Z-Teca, a Denver-based chain, has another outlet in Coeur d’Alene.

Only those menu items that are relatively low in fat receive the institute’s seal of approval - a small red heart with a pulse line in it.

Restaurateurs receive permission to include the seal next to their approved menu choices and a small block of text explaining the Heart Institute’s rating. Additional information is posted near the counter.

Only those foods that have fat calories equal to 30 percent or less of total calories can qualify.

When the Heart Institute analyzed Z-Teca’s recipes it turned out that only one menu item qualified. It was the vegetarian burrito.

Several other choices had moderate fat content above the 30-percent limit for being “Lite ‘n Hearty.”

Patty Seebeck, a dietitian who runs the program, said she spotted the problem instantly - sour cream.

By substituting non-fat sour cream for regular sour cream, five more menu items qualified - the chicken, chicken mole, chicken pesto, grilled vegetable and pork burritos.

On the high-fat side of Z-Teca’s menu were the tacos and nachos that use deep-fried shells or chips. About half of the calories in them are from fat.

Seebeck said the “Lite ‘n Hearty” program is based on a widely accepted health guideline calling for overall fat consumption of no more than 30 percent of all calories.

“The concept is not fat-free,” she said.

The Heart Institute not only wants to promote healthier eating, it also wants to make life easier for people who suffer from cardiovascular diseases.

Patients who attend rehabilitation sessions are schooled about improving their diets, if they haven’t already, and are given a list of restaurants participating in the program.

One of the approved restaurants is the Sandwich Gardens at the Institute.

Such a program is important in a society where half the food dollar is spent on meals prepared outside the home, Seebeck said.

In exchange for setting up the program, restaurant owners enter an agreement with The Heart Institute to abide by the basic intent of the program, Seebeck said.

That includes training for new employees so they can explain how to take advantage of heart-healthy options.

For instance, Z-Teca’s servers should be able to tell customers that substituting non-fat sour cream achieves the desired fat level on the designated menu items.

Four times a year, the program sends out mystery diners to check up on participants.

Restaurants pay a modest fee to get into the program.

“The value of what we are getting out of this from a restaurant perspective is wonderful,” Cravens said.

For customers, it is simple. They can make heart-healthy choices without a lot of mental calisthenics.

“They don’t have to be nutritionists,” he said.