Did you know that a fancy restaurant food is unhealthy just like those super greasy fast food stuffs? Well, we often think that an expensive meal in our favorite restaurant is much better than eating burgers and French fries, but we all thought wrong. A new study recently revealed that restaurant food is just as unhealthy as fast food.

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Based on the study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers examined the impacts of fast food and full-service restaurant consumption on daily energy and nutrient intakes in American adults. They found that increase restaurant food consumption led to increases in calories, fat and sodium compared to home-cooked meals.

The study also suggests that home cooking is still the best way to control the calories, fat, sugar and other nutrients that families consume. Through the research, experts also aims to improve the Americans' way of eating and dining-out behavior.

"People don't know much about the food provided by full-service restaurants and if it is better or healthier compared to fast food or compared to food prepared and consumed at home," Urbana-Champaign's University of Illinois Kinesiology and Community Health Professor and lead study author Ruopeng An told Reuters Health.

For the study, An used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, which frequently collects health and dietary statistics from a U.S. population representative sample. And the result showed that the impact of fast food consumption on daily total calorie intake was prevalent among participants with the least education.

When An compared calorie and nutrient intake of restaurant food taken home to eat, he discovered there wasn't much difference between eating fast food out or at home. However, full-service restaurant meals consumed at home had fewer calories, slightly less fat and less sodium, The Telegraph noted.

"These findings reveal that eating at a full-service restaurant is not necessarily healthier than eating at a fast food outlet," An stated. "In fact, you may be at higher risk of overeating in a full-service restaurant than when eating fast-food."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to provide calorie and nutrient content in the menu labeling. Unfortunately, it is not applied to most full-service restaurants. But Time listed the least healthy fast-food chains in the U.S., check it out here.

In line with An's study, New York City's Montefiore Medical Center dietitian Lori Rosenthal said she was not surprised by the results of the findings.

"When we prepare our own meals we know exactly what the foods we are eating contain," Rosenthal said. "When dining out, we are leaving the ingredients to the chef or fast food chain. When we make our own, we are in control."

Rosenthal also left a piece of advice to the consumers — she emphasized that people should be mindful, enjoy the meal as well as to slow down and take time to chew, taste and savor the food you're eating. This way, consumers will naturally eat less.  

TagsRestaurant Food, Restaurant Food Unhealthy, fast food, Restaurant Food Study