What's the special today?

Date: Dec. 9, 1999
Time: 1:03 pm

Virtual Cafes offers web users easy point and click selection of a variety of dining-out options, including Italian, vegetarian, fast food, Greek and Chinese. Surfers can also analyse grocery purchases for their health value.

"Our Virtual Cafés are a fun, interactive way to learn how to improve your out-of-home dining habits," says Howard Youhanan, nutritionist for the ActFit.com portal that hosts the Virtual Café site. "We provide a detailed analysis of each food item, including fat, fibre and calories, and we make recommendations as to how to make healthy choices."

The cafés provide information from a nutritional database of more than 200 foods and is useful for comparing that cheeseburger that tastes so good to the much more prudent mixed bean salad.

The site even offers polite encouragement for those who insist on choosing a high-calorie meal such as a cheeseburger, fries, soft drink and apple pie.

"Overall, your meal leaves a lot to be desired nutritionally," the message admonishes. "Go through the cafeteria again with the goal of making healthier choices that are lower in saturated fat and calories than your choices in this meal. Better choices will help improve your health and physical appearance."

— Steven Wharry

Editor, eCMAJ Today

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