When counting calories in restaurants, bring a calculator

If you’re counting calories, you might need to do some extra addition when eating out.

A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals that caloric content posted on food labels and restaurant menus might be significantly lower than the actual number of calories you’ll end up eating.

When researchers evaluated nearly 30 sit-down restaurant foods and quick-serve meals, on average the dishes contained nearly 20 percent more calories than promised.

What’s worse, these dishes were considered to be “smart” choices for weight watchers.

And worse still: Seven of the restaurant meals and three of the quick-serve meals contained at least TWICE the amount of calories posted on menus and labels.

So if you’re watching WHAT you eat, you might also want to watch WHERE you eat.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Source:
“Restaurant and Packaged Foods Can Have More Calories Than Nutrition Labeling Indicates” Science Daily, 1/6/10, sciencedaily.com