Nutritional Guide For Olive Garden

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) says it's possible to make healthy choices at any restaurant. Follow federal guidelines when ordering at the Olive Garden: Choose lean proteins, low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and limit fat, sodium, cholesterol and added sugar. It is also important to exercise portion control at restaurants like this one, where portions are often very large -- which can lead to overeating and weight gain.

Garden Fare Options

The United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) warns that consuming too many calories and too much fat contributes to obesity, heart disease and other chronic diseases. The Olive Garden offers garden fare dishes that are low fat, low carbohydrate, gluten free or no sugar added (NSA), and many are the healthiest options at the Olive Garden. Dishes like the minestrone, capellini pomodoro and Venetian apricot chicken are in line with federal guidelines and have less than 30 percent of calories from fat.

Appetizers

The ADA encourages diners to share dishes to reduce calorie and fat consumption. Share appetizers like the chicken alfredo pizza and lasagna fritta, which both exceed 1,000 calories and 40 g of fat.The Olive Garden's healthiest appetizers are the zuppa Toscana and pasta e fagioli, which have fewer than 200 calories and 4 g of fat. The lowest-calorie dipping sauces are the tomato and marinara sauces, which have fewer than 100 calories and 3 g of fat. Limit sauces like the Alfredo sauce, which has 380 calories, 35 g of fat and 22 g of saturated fat. Salad dressing adds 230 calories and 23 g of fat to the garden salad, so it is best to request it on the side to control how much you consume.

Pasta Entrees

The healthiest pasta dishes at the Olive Garden are the cheese ravioli or spaghetti with meat sauce and the ravioli de Portobello, which have fewer than 800 calories and 30 g of fat. Limit or share entrees like the tour of Italy, braised beef and tortellini, chicken parmigiana, fettuccine Alfredo and five-cheese ziti al forno. The tour of Italy contains 1,450 calories, 74 g of fat, 33 g of saturated fat and 3,830 mg of sodium, exceeding daily recommendations for fat, saturated fat and sodium.

Chicken, Seafood & Meat Entrees

The herb-crusted salmon and Parmesan-crusted tilapia are the healthiest entrees, at fewer than 600 calories and 30 g of fat. Fish is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which the USDA says benefit heart health. Share entrées like the chicken and shrimp carbonara, pork Milanese and chicken Alfredo; each has more than 80 g of fat and is high in sodium. According to the USDA, too much sodium may cause high blood pressure.

Desserts

Sugary desserts tend to be high in calories but low in essential nutrients. The ADA recommends ordering a single dessert for the entire table. The unhealthiest desserts at the Olive Garden are the zeppoli with chocolate sauce, which has 1,130 calories and 38 g of fat, and the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, which has 890 calories, 62 g of fat and 36 g of saturated fat. Skipping the chocolate sauce that comes with the zeppoli will save 210 calories.

Beverages

Beverages add to the total calorie content of a meal. Alcoholic drinks at the Olive Garden contain 200 to 400 calories. Other high-calorie beverages include the chocolate almond amore, frozen tiramisu, frozen cappuccino and strawberry siciliano. The best beverage choices at the Olive Garden are water, diet sodas and unsweetened coffee and tea, which are calorie-free.