Courtesy of Huffington Post Healthy Living about restaurant meals and calorie counts
You probably don’t expect every meal you eat at a restaurant to contain a large number of calories. Sure, the occasional fast food cheat meal might be excessive, but your local farm-to-table place feeds you well, right?
According to new research from Tufted Brand Lab, researchers did not find any correlation between the consumption of junk foods and being overweight. Instead, it is the size of the meals that most contributed to America’s obesity epidemic.
This isn’t a jab at the artful work that restaurant staffers do. It’s a reminded to eat more food at home, and to be mindful of the portion on your plate. You might consider boxing up half of a meal to have for lunch the following day, rather than scarfing it all down on a full stomach to make the most of your spent money.
“Although fast-food restaurants are often the easiest targets for criticism because they provide information on their portion sizes and calories, small restaurants typically provide just as many calories, and sometimes more,” said Susan B. Roberts, Ph.D., director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts in a statement.
And restaurants need to change, too.
We need to take a thoughtful pause and reconsider how we consume: In 2015, Americans spent more on dining out than groceries for the first time on record.
Bf we want to continue enjoying food outside of our homes but improve our health, restaurant practices will need to change, too. Legislation that makes it possible for customers to order smaller-sized portions could be a successful start, study co-author William Masters, Ph.D., professor of food economics at the Friedman School, said in the study’s press release.
“Customers could then order anything on the menu in a more appropriate size, and be able to eat out more often without weight gain.”
While you wait for restaurant meals to come in healthier sizes, you might consider making the majority of your meals at home. Besides being less caloric, studies show home-cooked meals are nutritionally healthier and socially beneficial, too.
Original Article courtesy of Kate Bratskeir
Adrien Paczosa is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian practicing in Austin, Texas and the surrounding counties.
She is the owner and founder of I Live Well Nutrition her Dietitian practice which started in 2007 and serves clients in the Austin, Texas area in two locations. Fearless Practitioners, the division of her business that offers training to dietitians and wellness professionals.