Here’s Why You Should Avoid Eating Out At Restaurants

You’ve certainly heard many a time how people claim that grabbing fast-food is the worst possible thing for your diet, but no one told you that restaurant food can have the same (if not even a greater) effect. Well, according to a study carried out by University of Illinois researcher Ruopeng, we take in an average of 200 more calories in restaurants than if we eat at home, regardless of the dish.

Even though you might be consuming more nutrients (like vitamins, potassium, etc.) while eating at a restaurant, you are also likely to take in more cholesterol and sodium. How? Well, according to the research and survey results, our dietary behaviour is greatly influenced by our eating environment. Longer dining time and socializing are rather strong factors, and we’ve all stayed longer and took that one extra bite when we really didn’t need it.

Additional results from the survey tell us that the increase in calorie consumption was seen the most in black adults, as compared to their Hispanic or white counterparts, and that Italian meals were the ones with the most calories, containing a whooping average number of 1,327 per meal. Mamma mia!

RELATED: Do Fasting Diets Really Work?