San Diego, CA February 9, 2010 – One year ago, HEALTHY DINING and Smart Business Services (publishers of Chinese Restaurant News and Asian Restaurant News) together launched a groundbreaking initiative to assist the nation’s Chinese and Asian restaurants in identifying, analyzing and publicizing their healthier choices. Today, more than 100 Chinese and Asian restaurants are participating in the HEALTHY DINING PROGRAM and are featured on HEALTHY DINING’s signature website, HealthyDiningFinder.com. At this site, health- conscious diners nationwide can find dietitian-approved, HEALTHY DINING choices at 70,000 restaurant locations nationwide – fast food to upscale dining – and view corresponding nutrition information (calories, fat, fiber, etc.). The site features many popular chain restaurants, including Chili’s, Boston Market, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Au Bon Pain. And now the alliance between HEALTHY DINING and Smart Business Services is serving to increase the number of independent Asian and Chinese restaurants in the program.

“We are very excited about the partnership between Chinese Restaurant News and HEALTHY DINING. The partnership demonstrates to the public that many popular Chinese dishes are healthful and can be found on the HealthyDiningFinder.com Web site. The site provides guidance to diners to make healthier choices when dining at Chinese restaurants," said Betty Xie, editor-in-chief of Chinese Restaurant News. “On an average day, Americans consume more than 2.5 million meals prepared in Chinese restaurants. Chinese food by its nature has many healthy characteristics, as many dishes are made to order with a balance of lean protein and fresh vegetables.”

HEALTHY DINING’S registered dietitians identify the restaurants’ healthier choices and complete a nutrition analysis on those items. Many Chinese and Asian restaurants offer healthful menu items that meet HEALTHY DINING’S nutrition criteria (i.e., a focus on lean proteins like seafood and chicken; fruits and vegetables; and more often these days, brown rice; and limits on calories, fat, and saturated fat).

Examples of participating Chinese/Asian restaurants and their featured menu items:

China City (Oak Park, MI)
Bourbon Chicken (serves 3)
Per serving: 310 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat

Little Panda Restaurant (Lubbock, TX)
Curry Shrimp (serves 2)
Per serving: 210 calories, 7 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat

Dragon Palace (Patchogue, NY)
Chicken with Broccoli (serves 2)
Per serving: 260 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat

Mandarin Plaza (San Diego, CA)
Bird Nest Triple Delight (serves 2)
Per serving: 220 calories, 7 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat

“HEALTHY DINING's partnership with Chinese Restaurant News breaks new ground in aligning the efforts and talents of the Chinese restaurant community around offering and promoting the healthful menu options available at Chinese restaurants. We applaud CRN's proactivity in being at the forefront of the healthy eating trend," says Anita Jones, M.P.H., Founder and President of HEALTHY DINING.

About HEALTHY DINING:
Since 1990, HEALTHY DINING’s culinary nutrition experts have been guiding and inspiring chefs and restaurateurs to create and serve a selection of HEALTHY DINING menu options. A leader in restaurant nutrition, the company works with hundreds of restaurants and has analyzed thousands of menu items for nutrient content. In collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, HEALTHY DINING leads the largest-ever restaurant industry nutrition initiative. Through HealthyDiningFinder.com, the only resource of its kind, Americans can find dietitian-approved, HEALTHY DINING menu options and view corresponding nutrient information (calories, fat, etc.) for restaurants that span fast food to fine dining, coast to coast. The site is promoted to the growing segment of health- and weight-conscious consumers through employers, health organizations, health insurance companies, weight control programs, fitness centers, the media, and much more. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided partial funding for the development of the initiative.

About Chinese Restaurant News
Chinese Restaurant News (http://c-r-n.com) is the only monthly publication serving Chinese-speaking restaurant owners in the USA. Founded in 1995, with the mission of helping Chinese restaurants to grow their business in America's ultra-competitive food service industry, CRN has become the top information source for 45,000 Chinese restaurant owners and operators in the U.S.

About Smart Business Services
Serving the Asian-American business community since 1994, SBS, Inc. packages the largest Asian-American and Chinese-speaking audiences with ethnically segmented mailing lists and trade magazines including: How2USA Magazine (how2usa.com), Chinese Restaurant News (c-r-n.com) and Asian Restaurant News (a-r-n.net). SBS flagship Chinese Restaurant News also produces the annual "Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in USA" awards show (www.top100ChineseRestaurants.com), plus online dining guide www.ChineseMenu.com and “The Fortune Cookie” --a free in-restaurant publication read by Chinese restaurant patrons throughout the USA.

Contacts:
For HEALTHY DINING: Erica Bohm, erica@healthydiningfinder.com, 858.541.2049
For Smart Business Services or Chinese Restaurant News: Betty Xie, betty@s-b-s.net, 510.668.0808