Eating in a full-service restaurant may seem like a healthier option than fast food, but a new study found otherwise.
A study by researchers at University of Illinois assessed data taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey involving an eight-year study on 18,098 Americans.
The study showed how restaurant food may be just as unhealthy as meals served in fast food chains.
"People who ate at full-service restaurants consumed significantly more cholesterol per day than people who ate at home," said Ruopeng An, a professor from the university and lead researcher of the study, in a press release.
The findings, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, revealed that only a small difference was seen in the nutritional content of restaurant food and fast food.
Participants had their daily calorie and nutrient intake measured by the survey. Consumption of saturated fat, total fat, and vitamins were all studied.
Compared to home-cooked meals, fast food can pack up an extra 190 calories per day, while restaurant food can pack up 187 calories per day — just a slight difference.
As for fat, fast food has 10.61 grams as opposed to 9.58 grams from restaurant food, according to a report from Quartz.
Those who choose to eat at restaurants do take more nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, and other vitamins; but it appeared that the meals were also high in cholesterol and sodium.
Medical News Today reported that people who go for fast food consume 300mg more sodium compared to those who eat at home. Surprisingly, those who go for restaurant food consume 412mg more sodium.
An said that the additional sodium content is a real concern because Americans already consume sodium beyond the recommended limit.
He added that this becomes a "significant public health concern" since it leads to chronic illnesses such as heart disease and hypertension.
The findings emphasize that full-service restaurant meals are no better than fatty fast food. Furthermore, the study highlighted that home-cooked meals are the best way to go if eating healthy is the main goal.
