helene
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 Posted: 06/05/06 - 07:32 Post subject: Cutting down on portions in restaurants to fight obesity |
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This is a question that has been around for some time in medical circles. Many health officials believe that restaurants should be the first to help consumers cut down on calories by cutting down portions and informing consumers about the amount of calories in each meal.
Americans consume one-third of their daily intake of calories outside their homes. The three top favorite “dishes” are pizza, burgers and fries. For the last fifteen years, American consumers eat 300 more calories a day than before and obesity is on the rise, it has been for quite some time.
Health officials believe that if restaurants would let people know how many calories each dish contained, the consumers would be able to make a choice. The problem is that counting calories in laboratories would cost somewhere between $11,500 and $46,000 per menu and the restaurants would probably have close in the end, considering the daily changes in the menu.
Obesity does not only pose problem for health but for the finances as well, including both private and Governments. Annual medical costs of obesity problem are estimated on nearly $93 billion.
Besides cutting down on portions and writing down calories next to each meal, restaurants will also be asked to include more fruits and vegetables in the dishes in order to decrease calories.
So far, only few restaurants in USA inform their customers about the calorie intake. We are left to see if things will change soon. |
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