US restaurants too much and too unhealthy

US restaurants: too much and too unhealthy

06/26/2013

Portions in US restaurants are too big. This is confirmed by two analyzes from the USA and Canada. They show how unhealthy the portion sizes and the composition of food in fast food restaurants are - but not only there.

Scientists at the University of Toronto have calculated this in their study from more than 3500 meals from the country's 19 main restaurant chains.

On average, each meal had an energy value of 1128 kcal, which is 56% of the average daily requirement of 2000 kcal. With 58g of fat per meal, the foods contained 89% of the daily recommended amount of fat, 83% of the maximum level for saturated fats, and 60% of the cholesterol allowed in a balanced diet. With just under 2270 mg of sodium, an average meal already brought in 150% of the daily requirement.

Not just fast food chains affected
Especially appalling: The calorie amount of meals is no less in restaurants that are not a big chain. Researchers at the University of Boston came to this conclusion in a study. With 1327 kcal, the energy content of the food was far above that of Canadian fast food restaurants and also 50% higher than that of US chains such as McDonalds or Burger King.

Calorie labeling required
The researchers are therefore calling for a national regulation on calorie information for all restaurants, and not just for the big chains. (Pm)

Image: Sebastian Karkus