Study: Regular Restaurant Food is Loaded with Calories

Need to loosen the belt after a good restaurant meal? No wonder! Regular sit-down restaurants are unhealthier than fast-food chains, suggests a study published in British Medical Journal BMJ.

Health experts say that many people would benefit from eating no more than 600 calories per meal. The study showed, however, that a commonly ordered serving of restaurant food contains approximately 1100 calories.

The researchers measured the energy contents in most frequently ordered meals in five countries (Brazil, China, Finland, Ghana, and India). They analyzed 223 servings from 111 different restaurants.

The scientists found that while fast food contains a lot of energy, too, it pales in comparison with regular sit-down restaurant food. One single restaurant serving can easily contain enough calories for one whole day, or even exceed the “budget”.

The researchers said that the findings are a cause for concern. Only one in 10 meals was classed as healthy or fewer than 600 calories, and nearly half of the meals contained 1000 calories or more.

It goes without saying that this result is another great reason to mainly eat home-cooked food. It’s the best way of knowing exactly how much (if any) oil, butter or cream went in. Not to mention, cooking at home takes the same amount of time as waiting for the greasy take-out to arrive.

Happy and healthy week, everyone!