According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the supposedly lo-cal choices you order at chain restaurants may have a whopping 100 calories more than the numbers you see on the menu. Ironically, higher calorie foods often have fewer calories than what's listed. Sit-down chains rather than fast food restaurants turn out to be the worst offenders when it comes to posting the wrong information.
Researcher Susan Roberts, director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University, reported that restaurants such as Olive Garden, Outback, and Boston Market proved to have the least accurate counts. This is because portions aren't uniform or pre-packaged so chefs may be giving you more than you bargained for when you opt for that "healthy" salad or chicken and veggies entrée. Data was drawn from 42 restaurants in three cities. The solution to this problem? More home cooking. Americans get an estimated one-third of their daily calories from eating out and 50% are trying to lose weight. If that describes you and yours, you're better off not relying on possibly erroneous calorie counts on menus. Instead, why not switch to brown bagging your lunch and having dinner at your own table?
