Calorie count at restaurants

By Metro Creative

Dining out can provide a welcome respite from cooking at home and presents a great opportunity to socialize while enjoying a delicious meal.

Diners concerned about overindulging on nights out should know those concerns are not necessarily unfounded, as a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that 92% of meals from large-chain and local restaurants contain more calories than is recommended for the average person.

The study found that the average restaurant meal contained 1,205 calories, which is a little less than half the United States Department of Agriculture’s recommended daily calorie intake for men between the ages of 36 and 40 and more than half the recommended daily intake for women in the same age group.

The sizable portions restaurants provide need not be seen as a deterrent to dining out.

Rather, diners should instead remind themselves to eat only a portion of their entrée when dining out. Leftovers can then be wrapped and taken home.— Metro Creative