WASHINGTON -- The best way to cut calories in restaurant dishes would be to trim the portions, not to tinker with the recipes, chefs say in a new survey.
Still, they say they could slash the calorie content in their meals by 10% to 25% before diners would notice. In fact, they would be willing to trim the fat in dishes such as apple pie a la mode and beef stew.
Nutrition researchers at Pennsylvania State and Clemson universities asked 433 experienced chefs to complete questionnaires on the nutrition content of meals. About a third of the chefs work in casual-dining restaurants and a third in fine-dining establishments. Others are culinary educators and restaurant managers.
Among the findings, presented Monday at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society, a group of weight-loss researchers and professionals:
*Most chefs say they are familiar with the calorie content of the foods on their menus.
*67% say introducing a new reduced-calorie item would sell well; only 44% say reducing the calories in an existing item would be successful.
*36% say putting calorie information on the menu would be successful in terms of helping restaurant food sales; 38% say it would be unsuccessful and hurt sales.
"Small reductions in calorie content combined with shaving a bit off the portion served could mean substantial calorie reduction for consumers without them noticing ... or having to give up their favorite foods," says Barbara Rolls, professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State.
Julie Flood Obbagy, a nutrition researcher and co-author of the study, says, "Chefs would rather introduce a low-calorie dish that is completely new than play with something on the menu that customers like."
In a previous survey of 300 chefs, Obbagy and Rolls found most believe that the amount of food served in restaurants influences how much people eat and that big portions are hard on people watching their weight. The chefs say they are serving portions that are two to four times bigger than the government's recommended serving sizes.
Other research shows that people who eat out frequently tend to be heavier than those who more often eat at home. Americans purchased about 200 meals per person from restaurants last year, according to market research firm NPD Group.
Some chain restaurants have introduced smaller items such as snack wraps and snack sandwiches that are taking off in popularity, says Harry Balzer, a vice president of the NPD Group. "These smaller portions give people the foods they want to eat while allowing them to save money and eat less," he says.
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