Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Friday, January 15, 2010

Calories on Menus May Encourage People to Eat Less

Posting calorie counts on restaurant menus may motivate people to eat less , according to a new study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy at Yale University.
  • Researchers divided 300 people into three groups.
  • Group 1 had menus with the calories listed for the entrees only.
  • Group 2 had calories listed for entrees, as well as the notice that the recommended calorie intake for the average adult is 2000 calories a day.
  • Group 3 used menus that had no calorie references on them.
  • The group that had the 2000 calorie reference and the calorie labels ate about 250 calories less at dinner than the other groups. (That group ate 1380 calories at dinner as opposed to 1630 for the other groups.)
Author Christina Roberto said that calorie savings like this would add up over time and could favorably affect people's weights.

The study appeared in the American Journal of Public Health.

Labels: calories, menus

Posted By: Aspen/CRC