Eating out has always been a challenge for anyone looking to make smart food choices. Because restaurants generally don't cater to that crowd, additional effort is needed to enjoy healthier options when stepping out.
A study, however, revealed that restaurants are, in fact, changing up their menu with items that contain 60 calories less than the usual fare.
According to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, major restaurant chains that typically offer high-calorie items on their menu have introduced new options to cut down on calorie content.
Researchers believe this could even start a calorie-reduction trend that would complement new rules where restaurants are mandated to post the number of calories their food and beverage contain. The inclusion of choices with 12 percent less calories could have a dramatic effect on the obesity epidemic sweeping the nation.
Typically, 36 percent in adults, 41 percent in adolescents, and 33 percent in young children eat out in fast food restaurants every day, consuming on average 315 calories, 404 calories, and 191 calories, respectively.
Lead author Sara N. Bleich from Bloomberg School's Department of Health Policy and Management and her colleagues used information from MenuStat covering menu options from 66 out of the top 100 largest restaurant chains in the U.S. in 2012 and 2013. They found out that low-calorie options introduced in menus were usually main courses or beverages or part of the children's menus.
However, restaurants weren't exactly offering low-calorie versions of high-calorie specials. Rather, they were adding low-calorie items into the mix. Even when new items, like new burgers, were offered, many still had the same calorie counts as original items on the menu.
Nevertheless, adding low-calorie menu items is a good move.
Bleich explains that it's impossible to tell people to stop eating fast food. However, offering them fast food options that contain lower calories might help them cut back on their calorie consumption without the restaurants or health experts having to tell them to change anything in their behavior.
The study "Calorie changes in chain restaurant menu items: Implications for obesity and evaluations of menu labeling" was co-authored by Marian P. Jarlenski and Julia A. Wolfson. It was also carried out with funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
