Are Restaurants Really Healthier Than Fast Food Chains?

We often see dining out in a restaurant as a bit of a luxury and something a bit nicer than going for a KFC on a rainy Monday night, but a study has found that it may not necessarily be healthier for us.

Researchers looked into the amount of calories that are served to diners around 21 chain restaurants, with more than 50 outlets and six fast food operators – coming to a grand total of 13,500 meals that had been looked at.  It was found that on average, a restaurant dish contained a little over 1,000 calories when the average fast food dish contained 751.

The lead researcher from the University of Liverpool, Dr Eric Robinson, described the results as “shocking” as they hadn’t even included drinks, desserts or starters. 

“Although the poor nutritional quality of meals from fast food restaurants has been well documented, the energy content of meals in full service restaurants in the UK tends to be higher and is a cause for concern.” Is stated in the report.

Hungry Horse restaurants came up with the highest calorie content with average meals containing 1,358 calories, KFC got the lead as the highest average calorie meals.

The recommendation for adult calorie consumption during lunch and dinner is about 600 calories.  The government is considering a mandatory calorie labeling.