Is Dining Out Destroying Your Diet?

I sure I’m not the only one who has had every intention of eating healthy while dining out only to later discover that my choice wasn’t waistline friendly at all…or the first who has watched an “Eat This, Not That” segment panicking that something I’ve ordered might be included on the “not that” side of the table.  The truth is, when eating out, we’re really putting a lot of faith into the hands of strangers.  How can we be sure that we’re making our intended choices?  Can we trust the restaurant-endorsed healthy option symbol?  For those states that mandate calorie disclosure, are we confident in that number? 

Kitchen’s Closed (as my mom would say)

Digging deeper into the nutrition counts of restaurant meals is particularly important, as more consumers are eating outside of the home more frequently.  According to a 2011 LivingSocial survey, Americans are eating nearly 5 restaurants meals each week.  That’s almost 250 meals every year!  These out-of-home consumption stats combined with America’s growing obesity rate, which according to the CDC is one-third of Americans, only reinforces the need for those looking to eat healthier to be confident in their selection at restaurants and the information these restaurants provide (if any).   

Perhaps There’s No Need to Stress…Perhaps

Maybe all my worrying is a bit excessive.  According to a study in JAMA from the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University, researchers discovered that overall, the calorie counts from restaurants were quite accurate.  Ironically, the items most frequently off were those with the lowest reported calorie counts, which ended up testing about 100 calories higher than the reported value.  While it is reassuring to know that the restaurant-reported values are, for the most part, accurate, perhaps the greater concern is where consumers can receive this information.  Living in Chicago, I always appreciate visiting New York City and seeing the calories on menus.  I’ve absolutely used it as a helpful guide in determining my selection.  That said, this information isn’t always widely available or accessible.  Pulling up the website and searching for the nutritional data on my phone while I comb through the menu is hardly appealing.  I’d love to see greater transparency in restaurants so consumers who are looking for healthier meals can trust that there are options for them and be confident in the accuracy of this information.

What do you do to eat healthy while dining out?