Two studies have recently been published, both trying to shed more light on the causes of the ever-growing obesity crisis in America. One of them blames restaurant food, the other sees snacking as the main culprit both point to the changing eating habits in American culture. They each make good points.
Approximately a third of all calories consumed by Americans come from restaurants, including fast food places, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). More than half of adults eat out at least three times a week and 12 percent eat restaurant food almost every day, including on weekends. People have less time for grocery shopping and home cooking; they work longer hours, have longer commutes, dont have a large enough kitchen or lack cooking skills.
Even the poor economy has not made much of a difference. The data suggest that the recession is not making us eat out less, but we are eating out cheaper, choosing more fast food and takeout options over restaurants with tableside service, says Lisa Mancino, a food economist who works for the USDA.
The problem is that eating away from home only once a week can translate into weight gain of two extra pounds per year. This may not sound much, but it adds up and these are the low-end numbers.
Eating lunch out has the greatest effect, adding an average of 160 calories compared to lunch made at home. Going out for dinner increases the calorie intake by 140 calories and breakfast out adds about 75 calories, according to USDA data.
The main reasons for this are portion sizes. Restaurants try to lure in customers by offering big plates and other extra values. The nutritional quality of restaurant food is also a factor. Added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, processed and refined grains, oils and trans fats are liberally used in restaurant kitchens to add flavor and keep costs down. A fat reducing review can help you establish a clear summarize of what you require to focus on to accomplish your fat burning objective if you're a starter; or serve as a reminder for these who are at an intermediate or more boost stage of their losing weight plan. Applying are seven steps that can serve as instructions for your own weight loss program. The first thing that one must understand is that losing weight and losing fat is not the same thing. Many weight loss plans have misled people into wondering that it is the same, but most diets and weight loss applications only work by resulting in a person's body to eliminate more muscle cells and water than actual body fat, more help please visit The Fat Loss Factor. These are also the ingredients known to contribute to weight gain. One meal out typically lowers diet quality enough to shift the average adults diet from fair to poor, said Dr. Mancino.
While customers dont have a lot of influence over the nutritional quality of the meals they order, they also quickly lose control over the quantity of the food they consume. People often associate eating out as a special occasion, or a time to splurge even if eating out has become a routine, said Dr. Mancino.
A different study blames frequent snacking for the dramatic rise of obesity in recent times. Over that last three decades, Americans have gone from consuming about four snacks to five snacks per day on average, an almost 30% increase. The real reason why we seem to be eating more is [that] we are eating often, said Dr. Barry Popkin, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lead author of the study. The frequency of eating is probably [] becoming a huge issue.
Popkin and a co-author analyzed data from several food surveys conducted by the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 1977 and 2006. Their report was published in the June issue of PLoS Medicine journal.
The most striking part of their findings was that snacking has become more frequent and the time periods between snacks and regular meals have become shorter over the years. Dr. Popkin concludes that, although portion sizes have substantially grown larger, it is more likely the frequency of eating that seems to be driving widespread weight gain.
The reason why people are now snacking almost constantly throughout the day is that consumers are faced with snack food everywhere and all the time. You never used to see food staring you in the face when you went to a drugstore. You go get a magazine [and] you can get a candy bar, said Dr. Lisa Young, professor of nutrition at New York University and author of The Portion Teller, who was not involved in the study.
We overeat because there are signals and cues around us that tell us to eat. Its simply not in our nature to pause [] and contemplate whether we are full, writes Dr. Brian Wansink, professor of marketing and nutritional science at Cornell University and author of Mindless Eating Why We Eat More Than We Think.
The only way out is to become more aware of our eating habits and to pay better attention to our actions, said Dr. Young. In our food-filled environment we need to be conscious of when we eat, how much we eat and what we eat.
Learning to watch both portion sizes and control snacking may not be as easy as some experts seem to think. Food plays many roles in peoples lives other than just stilling hunger. Many of us reach for edibles to cope with stress or boredom, or perhaps simply because they are so easily available.
Some researchers have suggested that sweet, fatty and salty snacks are irresistible because their intake results in the release of certain chemicals, both in the gut and in the brain, that keeps us craving for more. (Remember the potato-chip commercial that had the slogan: Bet you cant eat just one.?)
Still, being more alert about the ways we eat is certainly a necessary step and, so far, our best hope.
Timi Gustafson R.D. is a clinical dietitian and author of The Healthy Diner How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun, which is available on her blog http://www.timigustafson.com and at amazon.com. Her latest book, "Kids Love Healthy Foods" is now available in e-book format, also at www.amazon.com
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