Study: Some Restaurant Calorie Counts Aren’t Accurate
The LA Times reports on a new study in JAMA:
Restaurant calorie counts not always accurate
Dieters beware: Offerings at popular restaurants may have more calories than what’s stated on menus or company websites.
A team of scientists purchased items from 42 fast-food and sit-down eateries in Indiana, Arkansas and Massachusetts, then measured the calories they contained. The list of stops on their calorie-busting tour included Burger King, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Chuck E. Cheese’s.
Only 7% of the 269 foods tested were within 10 calories of what the restaurants stated, the scientists found. And almost 20% packed at least 100 more calories than what was indicated. Over the course of a year, an extra 100 calories daily can add up to 10 to 15 pounds, said study lead author Susan Roberts, a senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
The biggest discrepancies occurred at sit-down restaurants, where the stated calorie information and what the researchers measured was off by an average of 225 calories, according to the study, which was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. At fast-food restaurants, the average discrepancy was 134 calories per menu item.
Actually, my inclination is to see this study as hopeful news, since most of the menu items came in close to their stated calorie counts… only 19% were 100+ cals off. Nonetheless, there’s definitely room for improvement: “trust, but verify” are still words to live by.
