Eating healthier in the US restaurants
Edito
(A. Jones-Mueller)
Extract : ” America is in an exciting era of change focused on health, well-being and “doing good” – and the nation’s restaurants and chefs are playing a leading role by rising to the opportunity of creating enticing menu items with health and taste in mind […]. Increasing produce in restaurant meals has been a longstanding goal of the Healthy Dining and Kids LiveWell programs […].
[They] provide a proactive foundation for restaurants to demonstrate their culinary creativity and social responsibility regarding public health priorities. […] The following research studies are excellent demonstrations of how researchers can provide convincing evidence for the restaurant industry to continue to add produce to menus – and ultimately improve the health of our nation, the world – and future generations”.
Article 1 : Choose Health LA Restaurants: a voluntary restaurant recognition program
(LN. Gase, C. Montes and T. Kuo)
Extract : ” Results suggest that participation in the Choose Health LA Restaurants program resulted in restaurants making changes to their primary and children’s menus. The majority of restaurants (12 brands) made at least some changes to increase the availability of reduced-size portions and/or modify the items available on their children’s menu. Results support restaurant compliance with program criteria and menu improvements, even though they are voluntary, representing an important first step toward implementing this strategy in the retail environment…”
Article 2 : Beyond chicken fingers and french fries: new evidence in favor of healthier kids’ menus
(S. Anzman-Frasca, H. Angstrom, V. Lynskey and C. Economos)
Extract : ” The result […] was a win-win for customers and the restaurant chain: orders of healthier items increased, and restaurant revenue continued to grow. After the menu changes, nearly half (46%) of children’s entrées ordered were from the healthier kids’ meal options, versus a mere 3% of entrées ordered before the changes. The proportion of kids’ meal orders that included at least one healthy side also increased dramatically—from 26% before the changes to 70% after…”
Article 3 : Working with restaurant managers and owners to improve children’s menus: A Best Food for Families, Infants, and Toddlers (Best Food FITS) intervention
(S. Hurd-Crixell, BJ. Friedman and D. Fisher)
Extract : ” Meals consumed away from home may contribute to childhood obesity, as they often include sugar-sweetened beverages, and lack the lower-calorie, nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables found more frequently in home-cooked meals. While some interventions have attempted to improve restaurant menus, when we began this study in 2010, none had targeted children’s menus. The goal of our study was to seek voluntary assistance of restaurant managers and owners in San Marcos, Texas, to improve children’s menus by removing sugar-sweetened beverages, adding fruit and vegetables, and replacing at least some energy dense entrées. In particular, replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water may be a promising strategy to reduce obesity risk…”