Do you feel restaurants are at all culpable for Americans being so fat and unhealthy?

No. I am careful to eat only what is right for me and take the rest home. Eating out for me means at least two meals, sometimes three.

Not every restaurant offers only unhealthy fattening food. The ones that do, I never patronize. @YARNLADY said it.

The number of food calories should be printed on every the menu for every item. They do not have to be perfect but they should be within 10%. The chefs know what and how much of each each ingredient goes into making the dish. It should be trivial to add that info.
That said, it should be up to the customer to ask for a take-home box and enjoy the excess later at home.

Except in fairly rare circumstances, restaurants are not the only sources of regular food for most people, so no, I don’t believe that full service restaurants are at all culpable for “Americans being so fat and unhealthy.”

The restaurant is not my mommy.

No. Restaurants aren’t forcing the people to eat. Food quantity and selection are personal choices.

Yes and no. Businesses are ALWAYS reflections of what consumers want. Yes, supply can create it’s own demand. No one knew they wanted a cell phone until manufacturers made them. My sister complains about women’s pants not having pockets…but ultimately, that’s because MOST women don’t want pockets. They’d rather have the shorts that LOOK GOOD. Do we blame the manufacturer for catering to the consumer?

But in the long run, what a business makes reflects what it believes consumers want. If more consumers wanted healthy food chains like that salad chain would do better and proliferate. The truth is…people WANT McDonalds and pizza and Chipotle and Subway. That’s why they’re EVERYWHERE.

I think being mad at a company for making what people want to buy is a bit like being angry at a cloud for raining. It’s what it does. If you want to change what it does, change people’s behavior.

Now, that having been said…it is ALSO true that the fast food places are almost customizing their food in order to make them more… I don’t want to use the word ‘addictive’ because that cheapens the word and isn’t right, but I can’t think of a better one. Fast food is tailored to what the human animal, a very successful famine-surviving machine, has evolved to want.

And some of that behavior walks right up to the line of ‘Is this ethical or not’ for me. Like, you KNOW your food is terrible for people. Could you put a LITTLE effort into miniizing the harm? Would that really kill your bottom line? But again, I don’t really blame them. They’re a symptom of our wants and we must not abdicate free will by pretending we’re helpless slaves of the corporation.

I believe our entire food industry is to blame for our unhealthy diet in this country. Like it or not money is king and that will always win out over everything else. Unhealthy food is cheaper and more profitable and they make it even tastier to get you hooked on it even more. It’s like a drug for the masses and the industry is making bank on it. That’s okay we’ll just pay much more $$$ in healthcare cost…

Some restaurants, yes. As mentioned, many fast food chains have very unhealthy food. Some restaurants do as well. But most actual restaurants (not fast food chains) have many more options that aren’t as unhealthy. But wait…that means that it comes back to the choices people make! Are we allowed to point that out?

Just because one of my options is “Super-sized”, that does NOT mean that I’m required to order it!!! Just because there’s a fast food restaurant on practically every corner, it does NOT mean that I have to stop to order a meal. My favorite “healthy food” restaurant puts way too much food on the plates, so I order 2 veggies in place of all 3 & I forego the meat…saves me money & calories to boot!!! I cut out fast food meals years ago. Now I have a fast food meal maybe once a year & often times NONE. I’ve found common sense to be the best option!!!

For well off, intelligent people the answer is a resounding no. But… that’s not everyone. Poor, less health savvy people have little choice when the cheap, calorie dense and somewhat addictive food is what is affordable at fast food establishments. How many grocery stores do you find in the inner city?

The problem some people have with cheap food is that they order and eat it all. “Supersize” fries for example are a great deal. Get one and split it with 3 people rather than everyone ordering fries.
There was a McD near my office. At the time, a double cheeseburger was on the menu for $1. A super deal. My coworker and I would split one – and have water. The meal for 2 of us cost $1.58 ($1.08 plus 50cents tip we’d leave in the tip jar). That was all we needed for lunch.
We could see other “large” people ordering 2 double cheeseburgers with fries and wolfing them down. Their choice.
I just wish we didn’t have to pay for their disability and health care benefits.

A friend told me to download the DD app and the McD’s app. She said you’ll get offers for stuff, like she gets offers for free large fries from McD’s. I am not into apps, but I also don’t want frequent offers for free fries, because I know I will take them. I won’t eat a whole large one, but I will be eating some. Now, without the free offer, I eat none. Maybe once every three months will I eat fries from McD’s (small fries). So they definitely push these things on people, although the people don’t have to take it, and as in the example by @LuckyGuy the people definitely don’t have to eat the quantity.

I do find it amusing how, at a restaurant like a diner, a burger and fries will often be cheaper than a salad (a good salad). That was always the case. I don’t blame the customer though.

No.

I find it curious that Americans really started having weight issues after producers started making sugar from corn.

I find it curiously that Americans started graining weight when we started obsessing on what food is healthy and what isn’t, in the 80s. That’s also when video games started sneaking into our houses .

Here’s an interesting test everyone can do. The next time you are in McD or Burger King or any other place that has a do-it-yourself drink bar, sit facing the drinks and people watch. Look at the people buying the unlimited soda. Can you guess what they will get?
You can make a game of it
For example: See that thin woman who looks like a regular NPR listener? She will get water.
See that “rotund” woman with giant fingernails? She’s filling up with orange soda.
See those kids? Are they in shape? They will get water.

Don’t let my comments influence you. Check it out yourself. You will be able to make a pretty good prediction just based upon your estimate of their BMI. You don’t need to get an exact number, just three arbitrary categories: under-weight, healthy, and over-weight.

FYI, I worked at a McD for 2 years while in school. Back then we served the drinks to the customers. After a few weeks I could make a pretty accurate guess by looking at their appearance. Try it yourself. After a short while you will be able to guess accurately, too.

If you ever see me ordering a soda at McD call an ambulance, for surely, I am having a stroke.

Quick estimate calculation…
Over 10 billion Oreo cookies are sold in the US every year.
From the nutrition label, 3 cookies is 150 calories.
Assume an average of 3500 calories per pound of body fat.

Therefore: 10 billion x 150 calories /3 cookies / 3500 calories per pound= 1,500,000 pounds of fat are being carried on American hips every year from Oreo cookies.

@jca2 The McD’s app is great! I rarely eat McD’s, but I do use the app when I do.

@LuckyGuy I believe you, but my mom loves her soda (daily) and is not heavy. Although, now she drinks mostly diet soda. I drank a lot of soda into my 30’s and gained weight after stopping drinking soda. I’m not saying it’s necessary related, but I definitely don’t fit that stereotype. I need to lose 20–30 pounds right now and I drink water most of the time.

I think the weight problem is much more than just soda. People who go to McD’s a lot probably are more likely to work exhausting jobs, think a size 12 dress is normal and healthy, and are accustomed to large portions, eat a lot of packaged food at home, and not a lot of veggies, or what I’ve observed is veggies always smothered in cheese, butter or sauce.

My mom lost 12 pounds when she stopped working and the only change was she wasn’t noshing on the candy around the office and the sweet treats people would bring in to share.

A friend of mine grew up on a lot of McD’s and also in a Coca-cola family, and her mom would bring it home instead of cooking, and the mom and kids were very thin, and their dad was heavy.

I don’t think you can pin this one on restaurants any more than you might hold food responsible.

You leave my oreos alone @LuckyGuy!! But…I never have them in the house. That’s one secret…don’t even have the stuff in your house.

No, not even .0000001%.

Restaurants, no. But then again, I do not consider outfits like mcdonalds, kfc, domino’s, or olive garden, to be restaurants. They are pig throughs.

The only ones deserving blame for “Americans “ being fat and unhealthy are “Americans “.

Most people who are over-fat and out of shape know what to do but for whatever reasons won’t or can’t do the right things like lay off the rich fatty, sugary foods and the booze and tobacco and other recreational drugs. They just let themselves go and even make jokes about doing physical exercise. One man told me that he didn’t want to go to the gym because he didn’t want to become a slave to his body. I should have told him that we are all slaves to our bodies. Like it or not. If we don’t do the right things (eat right, do regular exercise, lay off the drugs and get adequate rest) then our bodies will punish us with weakness, disease and pain. If we do all the right things then our body will reward us with strength, good health and feeling good. Of course there are no guarantees. People still live a healthy lifestyle and still get cancer and other diseases, suffer and die young. Life isn’t fair.

Guys here in the Midwest seem to be proud of their big guts.

^^ lol! omg that is sad :(

It is. It’s disgusting.

I’m so glad I’m a size 0 waist.

I do think restaurants are at least 50% responsible, both in the kinds of food and how much they serve. Many people, especially those with challenges in their lives – addiction, mental health issues like depression, physical problems – have a love/hate relationship with food.

It’s not as simple as “just don’t eat too much” or “just eat healthy”. 99% of people don’t want to be overweight, but age, health issues and state of mind easily contribute to obesity.

It can be an addiction for many, and a comfort for others who may not have any other source of comfort. It’s also not something that we can choose not to do, like smoking or taking drugs or gambling. We have to eat.

One more point – I couldn’t believe it when I heard that schools no longer require P.E. A number of years ago, maybe in the 80’s as someone mentioned, the news regularly talked about the childhood obesity crisis. Next thing I know they’re not required to do P.E.! That’s assinine!

Anyway I don’t think there’s any one solution. It certainly isn’t as simple as some have implied, like @gondwanalon. Sorry, but most people have problems which contribute to their obesity, and most of us don’t tell anyone but very close friends what those problems are. So yeah, we make jokes. But know this…inside every fat person is a healthy one wanting desperately to get out. We’re more than this lump of flesh that you see. We’re not all as perfect as you apparently are. I don’t mean to be rude, but that’s how your post comes across.

@RayaHope You mean you have no waist?!

^^ No silly I’m about 23 inches. lol

We have one café in town. It’s a Mexican resturaunt. Their portion sizes are obscene. Ive figured out ways around it.
Blows my mind that some people clean their plates

I think it’s easy to be judgemental about other people’s eating habits, just like it’s easy to be judgemental about other people’s drinking habits (“ugh, the alcoholics who can’t go a day withotu a drink”) or other people’s smoking habits (“ugh, they’re so disgusting with their stinky cigarettes that nobody else wants to smell”) but we should try not to be judgemental about which we do not know. We’re making assumptions about why people eat like they do, and feeling smug about ourselves (“I’m so happy I have a small wast” etc.). Let’s try to refrain.

I never agreed with the assault on fast food. A supersize fries might help a family save some money if they share the fries.

I also think most restaurants, especially chains, are just as bad as fast food in regards to health. In fact, most full serve restaurants give much more food on the plate than a quarter pounder with cheese and large fry. The combo meals that include a drink do kind of push drinking a flavored drink over plain water, which I think is a negative.

What bothers me most is how incredibly hard it can be to order something without a ton of fat at a full serve restaurant. Almost everything is made with a ton of oil and fat unless the restaurant very specifically is health oriented. Chefs are taught to add fat so customers feel full, and I guess most people enjoy their food (in their mouth) with more fat in the dish. I like my food on the dry side and so does my arteries.

I don’t blame restaurants, but I am frustrated with restaurants. When covid started I lost ten pounds, I was not eating any restaurant food. Now, that I’m back eating in restaurants I’m up those ten pounds.

Recent examples. I order a hamburger at an expensive restaurant a month ago. The hamburger was $15. The bun was obviously buttered when the burger was served to me. Why is that necessary? The choice of sides were all unhealthy unless you paid an up charge. I think I ate more fat and calories than what I usually eat at McD’s, although I’d guess the quality of beef was better.

A few days ago I ordered pasta with the sauce on the side, it comes tossed in a cream sauce. They changed the dish and added a ton of oil to the pasta noodles OR it’s always made with a ton of oil and then the cream sauce is in addition to it.

Not a bit, we pick up the fork or burger, no one else. It’s that simple. I am very appreciative of healthy options and frequent those places more often, so it’s all up to the consumers.
Just like buffets starting to be more rare, we are making progress I believe.

@KNOWITALL I hope we are. I know a lot of people who feel like when they eat out they don’t worry about how healthy the food is, that’s their cheat time, or time to enjoy, so I’m not so sure there is a lot of pressure on restaurants to serve healthier options.

I discovered several months ago McD’s doesn’t offer salads anymore. I remember I liked their salads except they were premade with cheese. I don’t like cheese on my salad and moreover don’t want the fat and cholesterol. I don’t really expect McD’s to have salads, but I do wish full service restaurants had some healthier options on the menu.

There was a restaurant that opened about two years ago here, that’s farm to table, and I was all excited it was hopefully going to be healthy-ish. When I saw the menu I was disappointed that it was dishes full of cheese and fat and huge animal protein portions with small sides. I guess farm to table in the minds of many is fresh, local, eggs, butter, meat and poultry. In my mind farm to table I focus more on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Not at all. The majority of us don’t regularly eat out at restaurants (as in several times per week.) We can’t afford it. It would have to be our main source of meals to make an impact on our weight.

@JLeslie some fat is healthy, as well as cheese and animal protein. These are not the causes of obesity. Farm to table includes everything you listed. Meat, eggs, cheese, fruit and veggies.

Overly processed foods are the problem.

@Jonsblond I would argue both are a problem. High fat diets and processed foods. My grandparents generation weren’t eating many processed foods and still many of them died from heart disease in their 40’s, and 50’s including in my family. Science has shown over and over again that high animal protein diets shorten lives, although I do think some people genetically it doesn’t matter, their bodies can handle the high amounts of fat and cholesterol. My family it’s the extreme opposite, we significantly overproduce cholesterol and over absorb it.

I’m just talking about some low-fat options on a menu, or chef’s trained to understand low fat requests. I realize cooking with fat often makes the cooking easier, like not sticking to pans for instance, but chefs are convinced no one would want food without seasoning and fat and feel compelled to do something to change the order and add fat somewhere to replace the fat you are trying to eliminate.

It’s not just health, I don’t enjoy food soaking in fat and heavy sauces. This has been my entire life, even when I was young and eating cookies and soda and whatever I wanted every day and not thinking about health. I never wanted anything smeared on my sandwich bread like mayo or butter. I never liked sour cream dips for potato chips. I never liked cream cheese on a bagel, I ate bagels dry with just the lox. My nephew is similar, he doesn’t like fatty foods, but he’ll eat a cake. It’s different having fat in meals vs fat in dessert.

@JLeslie Farm to table does and can include fresh fruits and vegetables, but restaurants can’t always source specific items annually, and now with everyone expecing restaurants’ menus to be posted online, it’s not easy for them to change things up on a daily or weekly basis. Plus, it’s the fat and salt that make the foods taste good.

When I watch shows where they go into restaurants and show how they prepare the foods, they have huge bowls of sugar and salt and they put the sugar and salt liberally on the meat and in the dishes. That’s why people say “mmmm, this is soo good!”

@jca2 Except, the fat in excess doesn’t taste good to me, it tastes and feels gross. Most dishes you can cut the butter in half and it still tastes like butter is in it. A hamburger that already has the meat grease doesn’t need to go on a buttered bun. Do you butter your hamburger bun at home?

It tastes good to a lot of people because that is what they are accustomed to.

The fat makes people feel full. Like they got their money’s worth.

Sometimes I ask for a separate plate to simply move the meal over and leave a lot of the cream and oil behind on the original plate rather than sending it back. I rarely complain once a dish is served, I just deal with it.

I’m not saying I like it and I’m not defending it, @JLeslie. Just saying what I have observed. I don’t eat hamburger buns at home. On the rare occasion I have a hamburger at home, I eat it on a plate when I can. If as a guest at someone’s house, I don’t see people buttering hamburger buns. I never said I liked it. I never said I was defending it.

You should probably stop eating out. I very rarely eat out and when I do, I make it as healthy as I’m able to. If I get a burger, I remove the bun and do not get mayonnaise. No fries.

@jca2 It seems like enough people don’t like it that it could be changed. In the northeast I never come across a burger automatically served with mayo and NY deli don’t smear mayo on every sandwich automatically, so it’s not really as much of a thing there.

@chyna My husband and I don’t eat out a lot. I don’t think 1–2 times a week is a lot.

I thoroughly enjoy my McD’s hamburger 5 times a year, and a small fry or split with my husband. A pizza now and then. When I’m at Asian restaurants I usually order white rice in lieu of fried, and other little things so I feel more comfortable. Naked baked potato, pressed panini (instead of a sandwich grilled with butter). There are all sorts of restaurants I enjoy.

I hate mayo and if a sandwich comes with mayo on it, I send it back. Luckily, in this area, they don’t usually automatically come that way, unless it’s a mistake.

@jca2 I send that back too. Or, just ask for new bread. Living in the Midwest in my late teens I learned fast that some parts of the US put mayo on every type of bread.

@JLeslie if the bread is on the meat, with the mayo on it, new bread is not going to remove the mayo from the meat.

@JLeslie I appreciate that there are many reasons that you may be eating in restaurants a couple of times a week, but since you obviously really dislike the way restaurants in general prepare their food, maybe eat before you go, then only order the smallest and simplest of things. A small side salad with dressing separate or something. I have done that when I haven’t liked the food at a certain place, but I go there because that’s where the group is meeting.

@canidmajor Where I live, which is mostly where I eat out, I have favorite restaurants and meals, and so usually it’s not a problem.

Recently, I was traveling and during the drive home I wound up eating something I don’t usually order, that was the pasta with cream sauce. By the way, I brought the leftovers home, added double the pasta, and really enjoyed the leftovers the next day.

A few days before the pasta I had ordered something at another restaurant to bring back to my hotel and the side salad had shredded cheese on it (I don’t like cheese on salad and shredded isn’t easy to remove) but I gave my husband the top of the salad so we worked around it. Maybe the menu said it had cheese and I missed it. The rest of the meal was really good.

The other meals I bought food at the grocery store; the hotel had a large mini-fridge. I bought some frozen and fresh and it wasn’t much different than when I make a quick meals at home.

On this thread you are hearing my complaints, you aren’t getting the benefit of when I say a meal in a restaurant is delicious or perfect or one of my favorites.

You have posted a number of questions in the past that complain about restaurants, often reiterating the same points. My assumptions are not unreasonable.

@JLeslie

When in doubt

Don’t eat out !

@canidmajor Your assumptions are not unreasonable based on what I post on fluther.

That’s what I was basically saying, and just adding that my posts are mostly only my complaints about restaurants not when I’m happy with the food. You only hear one side of it so I understand why you and some other jellies think I should just stay home.

Some types of foods and some parts of the country I have more trouble than others.

I figure I eat out 80 times a year and probably ⅔’s of the time I’m happy and nothing to complain about. Either the menu had something I was ok with or I could alter the dish with only one change and be happy.