One-third of Americans' daily calories come from foods eaten outside of the home, and now the government is calling for the restaurant industry to improve their offerings to help combat obesity, according to a report prepared by the Keystone Center, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Citing studies that have found a connection between eating out and obesity, the report suggests that restaurants offer:
Menus with more fruits and vegetables
Smaller portions
Better nutritional information
As it stands, Americans ate 300 more calories a day in 2000 than in 1985, and a full 64 percent of Americans are overweight (30 percent of whom are obese). Overweight and obesity costs the nation close to $93 billion a year in medical costs.
Restaurants should market more lower-calories options, and include more of them on menus, the report suggests. Further, letting consumers know how many calories are in entrees could help them make healthier choices.
However, the report also mentions that including the calorie content of entrees for an entire menu could cost anywhere from $11,500 to $46,000, which is not feasible for many restaurants.
And, while restaurants can offer healthier choices, surveys suggest that that doesn't mean people will choose them. In 2005, the top three foods Americans chose to eat out most often were hamburgers, fries and pizza.
