You walk into a popular dining establishment with a firm commitment to your dietary goals. You deliberately ignore the pasta specials, skip the double cheeseburgers, and confidently order the signature house salad. You experience a rush of virtue, believing you are making a flawless decision to protect your waistline and support your metabolism. Unfortunately, the American restaurant industry has mastered the art of nutritional deception. That specific bowl of leafy greens sitting in front of you is rarely the metabolic savior you hope it to be; in reality, it is often a highly engineered caloric disaster.