The study analysed the dietary selections of more than 35,000 Americans from 2003-2016 who dined at full-service or fast-food restaurants. The researchers scored the food for nutrition and found that at fast-food restaurants, 70 per cent of the meals were of "poor dietary quality". At full-service restaurants, that was about 50 per cent.
I can't find any similar data for New Zealand, but I reckon we can assume it's similar here. In last year's Bayer Food Focus Survey, between 25 and 59 per cent of respondents said they eat out at a full-service or fast-food restaurant at least once a week (the higher number was for the youngest age group). Up to a third had food delivered from a restaurant with the same frequency. Uber Eats has changed many people's eating habits, and possibly not for the better.
A restaurant's purpose is not to help us be healthier. A restaurant's purpose has to be to sell food. To do that they have to make their food as tasty and appealing as possible. And to do that, it usually means they need to layer up the salt, fat and sugar. These three things are why restaurant meals usually taste better than those we make at home.
Eating out often, in my experience, also means we probably won't get the serves of vegetables we'd get at home. My usual half a plate of veges is not often achievable in a restaurant without ordering generous side dishes. Interestingly, the fancier the restaurant, the smaller the vegetable serves tend to be.
So what can we do, if we're eating out regularly, to make the experience as healthy as possible?
It pays to pick your place. Veges are hot right now, so any chef worth their salt (ha) should be making a big deal out of them on the menu. Trend-watchers say we're looking for plant-based dishes whether we are vegetarian or vegan or not, so look for places that have at least a couple of dishes where the vegetables are, as they say, the hero. That's a sign you'll probably be able to get a healthy serve of plants.
It's a good idea to be prepared. Don't arrive at the restaurant starving hungry; that's a sure recipe for scarfing down whatever deep-fried salty nibbles are on offer as starters, along with inhaling that first drink. If you can, have a snack late in the day so you're not super-hungry at dinner time, and make that first drink water.
It's also useful to have some ordering strategies up your sleeve. Start with not ordering too much. With shared plates being the thing, it's tricky to know how much is enough, and waitstaff can sometimes lead us to order more than we really need (that's not a criticism; I know our waitstaff don't want us to be hungry). If in doubt, err on the side of less, and save food waste too. You can always order more.
If it's a shared plate situation, check out the dishes listed under "sides". I've been known to make a delicious meal out of ordering all the sides at some Auckland restaurants; they're often more delicious and healthier than the main meat-heavy dishes.
Lastly, despite the above, try not to stress out too much. For many of us, eating out is a real treat, and we should really try to relax and enjoy it as such. One meal doesn't make us healthy or unhealthy. It's what we do most of the time that counts.
Niki's fact check:
Are "plant-based" burgers healthier?
We're seeing lots of fast-food chains releasing burgers and other products featuring meat-free patties. We might be tempted to try these thinking they're better for us than meat-based burgers. But are they really?
Probably not. The Burger King plant-based Rebel Whopper, for example, has only slightly fewer calories than the regular meat Whopper burger. The Rebel has less protein and fat, as you might expect, but more carbohydrate and sugar, and more sodium (salt). Add fries and a drink and you're getting a similarly junky meal.
The McDonald's McVeggie looks similar: high salt, high energy, high refined carbs. Choose a plant-based burger if you don't want to eat animals, but don't expect it to be better nutrition than a meaty version.
